There are some simple and easy cooking tips which I want to share with my viewers for their benefit. These tips are time tested and also include contributions by my friends and relatives.

20 easy Cooking tips

1. Remove stalk of green chillies before storing. It remains fresh for a long time.
Wrap the green leafy vegetables in a newspaper and then keep it in the fridge. It stays fresh for a longer period.

2. Dry lemons can be used at the bottom of the pressure cooker to prevent the cooker base from from turning black.

3. While cooking plain rice/biryani rice, put in 2 to 3 drops of lemon juice. It gives the rice a white look and rice does not cling to each other.

4. If you want a flavoured tea, add a small piece of dry skin of orange or lemon while boiling the water.

5. Add little ragi powder/oats powder to your normal atta for making chapati, to make it more nutritous and healthy.

6. Before boiling milk, put little water in the vessel to prevent burning of milk.

7. While kneading the atta add little milk, chapati turns softer. For making puris, make a firm dough by adding little water to the flour.

8. Whole pulses or saboot dals when soaked in water for 30 to 40 minutes, cooks faster. When dals are cooked well and blended, it adds taste to the dish.

9. Fruit juices when prepared should be consumed immediately else they lose their vitamins.

10. For making instant oats dosa , grind the oats to a fine powder, add green chillies, little rice flour onions, curd, salt and water. It turns out to be a delicious and healthy breakfast.

11. To quickly set the curd, place it in a microwave oven for 4 to 5 hours.

12. While making sweets or kheer, you can enhance their nutritional value by adding honey or jaggery instead of sugar.

13. When cooking palak leaves, after boiling in hot water for some time, put it in cold/ice water immediately. It helps in retaining its green colour.

14. To break the coconut straight, wash it before breaking.

15. If more salt is added to the curry by mistake or accidentally, add 2 teaspoons of whipped milk cream and stir well.

16. You can give a nice colour to tomato soup or sauce by adding a slice of cooked beetroot.

17. To get light spongy idlis, stir the batter the night before. Do not stir the batter when pouring in the moulds.

18. To remove bitterness from fenugreek (methi) leaves, add a teaspoon of sugar when the vegetable is almost cooked.

19. Put the salt and pepper powder in one shaker. This helps to save time when making sandwiches.

20. Always wipe your gas stove clean at the end of the day so that you get a fresh look the next day. Also you can avoid unwanted pests in your kitchen.

Trust you find these tips handy and useful. You may also contribute your tips which would be published in the next round of useful tips with due acknowledgements to you. Mail me your tips at charuscuisine@gmail.com.