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by Monika

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Useful and Handy Cooking Tips

Some useful and handy cooking tips for you! Easy ways to make cooking a pleasure!

Yesterday, I just mentioned on twitter that I am in a mood for sharing some handy cooking tips. A lot of people responded back saying that yes yes bring them on. Then, just like that, I started tweeting with a hastag of #CookingTips. I was very touched by the response I got. People loved the tips and hence, I thought, why not post them on the blog too. Just for record sorts and also for everyone to refer later.

So here is what I tweeted.

1. When frying butter, you can prevent it from burning by adding a little (2-3 drops) of cooking oil to it #cookingtips

2. Simplest way to check the freshness of eggs is to dip in salted water. Fresh eggs will sink and the stale float #cookingtips

3. To measure honey & other sweet syrups, use spoon dipped in hot water and they will not stick to the spoon #cookingtips

4. Have left over wine from a party? freeze it in ice trays and u can use in sauces and dips later. Works very well #cookingtips

5. Hard Cheeses like Parmesan and cheddar stay fresh for long if you wrap them in a damp cloth dipped in beer ๐Ÿ™‚ #cookingtips

6. While on cheese, always replace the plastic cover you buy it in with parchment paper or butter paper, before you store it #cookingtips

7. Shallots and garlic will peel easier if you pour hot water over them before you start peeling #cookingtips

8. To prevent your potatoes from sprouting, store an apple with them#cookingtips

9. And while on apple, it can also be used to ripen tomatoes faster, store apple and raw tomatoes in a paper together #cookingtips

10. To prevent eggs from cracking, put a pinch of salt before the water starts boiling #cookingtips

11. And if they still crack add a little vinegar to the water to prevent further leak #cookingtips

12. And to prevent the black ring around the yellow of a hard boiled egg, drain them ASAP and dip in cold water and peel #cookingtips

13. Also longer you leave the boiled egg to peel more difficult it’ll be. so peel & store it will stay fine in fridge for upto 3 days #cookingtips

14. To get lighter scrambled eggs, add a little bit of water to eggs, don’t add milk it will make the eggs tough #cookingtips

15. An over browned garlic can sometimes add bitterness to the gravy so add it to hot oil and fry just for a min #cookingtips

16. Or use garlic infused oil, I love it. Warm some oil remove from stove, add garlic, leave for 10 minutes and sieve #cookingtips

17, To prevent an apple from browning before using keep it dipped in a lemon water (2 tsp of lemon juice + bowl of water) #cookingtips

18. Also if you wanna pack it for kiddie lunch, you can add lemon juice & spoon of honey to the slices before packing #cookingtips

19. While grating cheese spray the grater with non stick cooking spray to keep cheese from sticking to the grater #cookingtips

20. To take out the smell from burnt rice, put a slice of white bread in the rice pot & the bread will absorb all the smell #CookingTips

21. Always store the butter wrapped in a butter paper it picks up smells very easily #CookingTips

22. Contrary to the popular belief never salt you meat before cooking it will make it tougher, marinate but w/o salt #CookingTips

23. Cook you green leafy veggies uncovered and they will retain their lovely color #CookingTips

24. When using canned stuff always empty the can. If you have something left pour it into a bowl & store. An open can will rust #CookingTips

25. Now this one I think is most used & needed in my house – to get rid of odors & germs on you chopping board rub with a lemon#CookingTips

26. Greens veggies store the best if  you chop the lower stems and wrap them in aluminum foil and keep in fridge #CookingTips

27. To cook the perfect pasta, boil it in salted water, drain and wash well and then add some drops of olive oil to the same #CookingTips

28. The last one works for noodles too ๐Ÿ™‚ #CookingTips

I am thinking of making it a regular feature there and may be will also keep posting here now and than. Also I am doing a #BakingTips today and will post them here tomorrow ๐Ÿ™‚

Did you check out what my fellow marathon foodies have been cooking? Srivalli,  Jayashree , PJ, Revathi, Priya and Azeema whom I missed in yesterday’s post.

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Kitchen Basics// Tips And Tricks27 Comments

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Comments

  1. Pixie says

    January 5, 2011 at 11:20 am

    me first?! ๐Ÿ˜€

    Reply
  2. Pixie says

    January 5, 2011 at 11:21 am

    Lovely tips Monu! Thank you…

    I follow some of them and some are new and quite useful! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  3. Mamma Mia! Me a Mamma?!? says

    January 5, 2011 at 11:21 am

    FABULOUS stuff! Can’t thank you enough for these!

    Reply
  4. Kalyan says

    January 5, 2011 at 11:36 am

    Thanks for sharing this. My mom had told me the salt thing during marinating. Drains the water out ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  5. greyindecision says

    January 5, 2011 at 11:41 am

    This is so helpful #Awesome!

    Reply
  6. Swaram says

    January 5, 2011 at 11:52 am

    I so wanted to hv a page like this on the food blog always ๐Ÿ™‚
    Must put it up sometime soon ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks Monu ๐Ÿ˜€

    Reply
  7. R's Mom says

    January 5, 2011 at 12:29 pm

    thank u thank u thank u..most of it is really really needed in my kitchen..most essential lemon on cutting board ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  8. Jayashree says

    January 5, 2011 at 4:14 pm

    Nice tips.

    Reply
  9. Life Begins says

    January 5, 2011 at 5:46 pm

    O wow… Super! Thanks

    Reply
  10. Srivalli Jetti says

    January 5, 2011 at 8:58 pm

    Wow Mons..these are surely so helpful!..:)

    Reply
  11. binpin says

    January 6, 2011 at 12:00 am

    I love the Grating cheese tip..grating cheese will be fun now on:)

    Reply
  12. monikamanchanda says

    January 6, 2011 at 5:15 pm

    so glad u liked them pixie

    Reply
  13. monikamanchanda says

    January 6, 2011 at 5:15 pm

    B4 always welcome dear ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  14. monikamanchanda says

    January 6, 2011 at 5:15 pm

    yup yup thats the reason for toughening it

    Reply
  15. monikamanchanda says

    January 6, 2011 at 5:16 pm

    #Thankusomuch and #welcomehere ๐Ÿ˜€

    Reply
  16. monikamanchanda says

    January 6, 2011 at 5:16 pm

    thats a great idea u have given me swaram must make it a page

    Reply
  17. monikamanchanda says

    January 6, 2011 at 5:17 pm

    oh every kitchen can always do with tips dear

    Reply
  18. monikamanchanda says

    January 6, 2011 at 5:17 pm

    thanks Jayshree

    Reply
  19. monikamanchanda says

    January 6, 2011 at 5:17 pm

    welcome anytime darling ๐Ÿ˜€

    Reply
  20. monikamanchanda says

    January 6, 2011 at 5:18 pm

    so glad u found them useful valli

    Reply
  21. monikamanchanda says

    January 6, 2011 at 5:18 pm

    oh yes the day I came to know abt that one I was like wow life is simpler ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
  22. Priya Srinivasan says

    January 6, 2011 at 10:19 pm

    Very Handy Monika!!!!! Thanks a ton for sharing them!!! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  23. azeeskitchen says

    January 6, 2011 at 11:28 pm

    Good Job Monika…Do post more tips ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  24. KA says

    July 18, 2011 at 7:16 pm

    Sorry, but the tip about pasta? No, no no ๐Ÿ™‚
    Pasta should NEVER be rinsed .And please NEVER add oil to it.

    The reason is as follows:
    When pasta is cooked in hot water , it releases some starch.(And thats a good thing :)).
    You need that starchiness in the pasta water, which makes the pasta sauce adhere to it better.(Adding oil will make the sauce slide right off the pasta and you will end up with pasta in a pool of sauce)

    Also, reserve a cup of the water in which the pasta was cooked and use it to thin your sauce, if necessary.It makes the sauce silkier (If you plan to do this, do hold back salting your sauce until your sauce is the right consistency, as the pasta water is salted).

    To get pasta cooked al-dente (firm to the bite), follow the packed instructions. You can check it for done-ness a minute before the time mentioned on the packet.

    Hope this helps.

    Reply
  25. monikamanchanda says

    July 19, 2011 at 9:14 am

    what u say does make sense however I have two things, one I typically boil the pasta a little before cooking it and if dont wash and oil it will add stick to each other and become a huge lump… two I actually want to get rid of all that strach because of health reasons and no when u put just a tiny bit of oil the sauce doesnt slide away

    Reply
  26. monikamanchanda says

    July 19, 2011 at 9:15 am

    and welcome here

    Reply

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About the Author

Monika is an ex-IT person turned into a food blogger, consultant, home baker and an amateur food photographer. She loves music, writing, food, and travel, but not necessarily in that order ;)

Sin-A-Mon Tales is a canvas for her food memories. Apart from Sin -A- Mon Tales, Monika also writes for many online websites and publications. She's an avid reader and can always be found with a book in her bag, which mostly is as bright as her. She's an obsessive traveler and is always looking for the next food story. Read Moreโ€ฆ

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