10 Tips and tricks to make you a smart home cook

1. Always use a sharp knife while cutting for easy, quick, and clean chopping. (especially while cutting onions, it helps reduce the kitchen tears.) 
2. Roasting your Indian spices on a low flame for a few minutes, help releases a better aroma and flavour.
3. Want to know if your eggs are fresh? Simply add them to a bowl of water, if they sink they’re fresh! Older eggs tend to float. 
4. If you want your fresh herbs, like mint and coriander (or like the song goes parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme) to stay fresh for longer, place them in the refrigerator with their stems in a jar of water. 
5. While cooking masalas in a gravy, the oil releasing from the sides/ floating on top indicates that the spices are cooked. This is a visual test, always taste your food to know best! 
6. Apples and pears going brown once cut? Simply adding a few drops of lemon juice prevents this. 

Veggies going brown? Potatoes, brinjal, or raw banana – always add them to a bowl of fresh water after cutting to preserve the colour. 

7. If your paneer always ends up like little pieces of rubber in your gravy, add them in hot water for a few minutes before cooking. Or, store your fresh/store-bought paneer in a container of water in the refrigerator to remain soft and fresh for longer.
8. Ensure to wash your rice very well, a couple of times, it’s ready when the water starts to run clear. This prevents stickiness. 
9. Chillies too spicy? Simply discard the seeds to bring down the spice levels. 
10.  Both while deep frying and while baking, overcrowding and cooking very large batches together bring down the quality of the finished dish. 

If you found these tips and tricks useful, let us know in the comments below.

Ultimate Kitchen Hacks