Rest a wooden spoon or spatula on the pot's rim to stop milk from boiling over. (Image: Canva)
The next couple of months are bound to be busy with festivities and guests coming over. You don’t want to spend hours slaving in the kitchen. From soft chapatis to perfectly cooked rice, these simple yet effective tricks will help you achieve better results while saving time and effort.
Burnt your curry? It happens to the best of us. Adding a raw potato will absorb the burnt flavour, saving your curry. Or, did you know that adding a teaspoon of ghee to your rice while cooking can make it fluffy every time?
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Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned cook, these 10 “hacks” will make you feel less overwhelmed in the kitchen during the festival season.
If you forgot to soak the dal or the rajma (or chickpeas, etc.) overnight, here’s a quick way to soften them. Boil water and pour it over the dals or legumes. Cover and let them soak for 30-60 minutes. This significantly reduces the cooking time, making them ready to cook faster while also saving gas.
Peeing ginger can be so tedious. Here’s an easy trick: Use the edge of a spoon to scrape off the ginger peel instead of using a knife or peeler. The spoon removes the skin without wasting any of the ginger flesh.
Whole spices like cumin, coriander, and mustard seeds can lose their aroma over time. Reviving them is simple. Just dry roast the whole spices in a pan for a couple of minutes before grinding or using them. This enhances their aroma and flavour, making your dishes taste fresher.
If your chapatis tend to turn hard after cooking, use this trick to keep them soft for longer. As soon as the chapati comes off the tawa, wrap it in a clean kitchen towel or aluminium foil. This traps the steam and keeps the chapatis soft for longer.
Struggling with sticky or clumpy rice? Add a few drops of oil or a teaspoon of ghee to the water while boiling rice. This prevents the rice grains from sticking together and gives them a light, fluffy texture every time.
- Prevent milk from boiling over
How does the milk spill over the second that you step away? Don’t worry; next time, place a wooden spoon or spatula across the top of the pot. This trick stops the milk from boiling over, saving you from a messy stovetop even if you need to step away for a second.
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Peeled tomatoes give your curries that smooth restaurant feel. Here’s a quick hack to peel them: Make a small ‘X’ cut on the bottom of the tomatoes and blanch them in hot water for 30-40 seconds. Then, transfer them to cold water. The skins will peel off easily.
If you’ve accidentally burnt the bottom of a curry, there’s a way to salvage it without ruining the entire dish. Just transfer the unburnt portion of the curry to a new pot without scraping the bottom, add a raw potato to the new pot, and simmer for a few minutes. The potato will absorb the burnt flavour, saving your curry.
Want to make fresh tamarind paste to use in your sambhar or other curries but find it time-consuming to prepare? Here’s how to make it quicker: Soak tamarind in hot water for 10 minutes. Once soft, use a strainer to press out the pulp easily, avoiding the long soaking process.
- Keep coriander and mint fresh for longer
Fresh herbs like coriander and mint can wilt quickly. Wrap the herbs in a damp paper towel and place them in an airtight container in the fridge. Alternatively, store the stems in a glass of water with a plastic bag loosely covering the leaves. This helps maintain their freshness for days.
So this festival season, don’t stress about the milk boiling over or forgetting to soak your rajma overnight; just try these simple hacks that will make your life easier in the kitchen, leaving you more time to enjoy the festivities.
