Tip Series - I

When I left Kerala to US, my mom handed me a diary full of recipes.Poor lady had to make sure that darling spoilt daughter didn't starve her Son in Law. It was perfect little book in all ways. It had basic recipes even how to cook rice. I remember her writing down six methods of making appam. Her thoughts must have been "Hope at least one method works".

The best part of the book was that it was laden with tips. How to , What to, what if and What not.

Here I am sharing with you some of the tips

1. Remove odor of onions from your hands by applying little vinegar.
2. After cleaning fish, rub your hands on the steel sink or apply lemon juice to get rid of the smell of fish.
3. When cake gets stuck to the baking pan , keep a wet towel under the warm pan. The steam will help to release the cake.
4. When you accidentally put more salt in a curry , add bread pieces. It soaks up the salt and you can remove it later before you serve.
5. When grinding urad dhal for dosa , soak urad dhal for only half an hour. this will ensure you will have lot more batter in the end.
6. Watery eyes while chopping onions. Just open the sink and stand near it and cut. Tear are gone.
7. Line the bottom of the vegetable drawers in the fridge with a paper towel to absorb liquids that make veggies wilt.
8. Potatoes: To keep them from budding, place an apple in the bag with potatoes.
9. To get the most juice out of a lemon, bring to room temperature and roll them under your palm on your counter a few times before squeezing.
10. Get yourself a bunch of fresh cilantro, wash and trim of the stems. Dry on paper towels then put in individual freezer snack bags. Freeze. When you need some fresh cilantro just get a pack from the freezer, crush or chop and add to your recipe. Fresh cilantro!