For "hairless" grated ginger in your subjis and dahl, peel and cut the ginger into chunks no larger than 1 - 2 inches.
Make sure to grate each piece along the grain of the ginger (as shown above).
If you need to mince ginger, grating first saves time.
When you can begin to smell something that is baking, that's one clue it's just about done. Next, look for brownness on the edges, cracks forming on the top (in some cases) and firmness in the center when lightly pressed.
Place a wooden spoon over a pot of milk on high heat to prevent it from completely boiling over in case you forget about it. Better yet, unless you are in a hurry, keep on low heat the milk that you want to boil. You can then go about your business without worrying it'll boil over.
Washing a milk pot after use with cold water makes it easier to clean rather than hot water.
Extra peeled potatoes can be preserved by covering with water and refrigerating until ready to use.
If rice is sticking to the pot, turn off the heat and add a little water and cover a few minutes before serving. Then the stuck rice will come out nicely with the rest. This works well with subji dishes, too. In this case, water isn't usually needed. Just turn off the heat and the remaining steam inside the covered pan can help loosen the stuck layer of subji underneath.
To juice a lemon (or orange) without a juicer, a cooking spoon can work just as well. Hold half a lemon in one hand and press and turn the spoon into it with the other, but from the side rather than pressing the lemon down the way you do with a simple manual juicer. Before tossing the rinds, squeeze them once more before tossing, to get any extra juice.
If chapatis can not be served immediately, do not butter them. Add softened butter when serving. Or butter them, and when finally ready to serve reheat on a skillet. Or keep them warm inside the rice or dry subji pot kept warm over a pot of hot water.
To make fenugreek seeds less bitter, fry them briefly towards the end of a chaunce. For more bitterness, fry longer.
Stir metal pots with wooden spoons to prevent a gradual micro erosion of unwanted metal from cooking pots from getting into the food.
After chopping fresh hot chilies, immediately rub onto fingers full strength dish soap (without water) to remove irritating oil. Rinse with cold water only.
To soften cold butter quickly, grate it.
Cold, hardened paneer that was stored in the refrigerator can be cubed and boiled or grated to soften. Or it can be fried first in a pan before subji is added and will soften while cooking in the subji juices.
Paneer made from yogurt whey or paneer whey or buttermilk will be softer than made from citric acid. Also paneer need only be pressed a minute or two for softer texture. But if over-pressed very dry, not a problem, see softening methods above.
Grated paneer makes a superior "scrambled paneer" dish.
To get the last bit of honey out of a narrow necked container, leave the jar upside down so the honey can gather at the mouth and be collected for quick removal. Be careful, some lids are not very secure. Repeat as needed
Cut melons and juicy fruits over a kitchen towel.
First sift carob powder and then blend it with a little milk to get out the lumps before adding to a pot of milk. Better yet, use a blender with carob powder and a little milk before adding to remaining milk.
When using a recipe with besan, add liquids in small amounts to the besan first, to smooth out any lumps.
Measure salt by storing it in a container that is large enough to dip a measuring spoon in. This creates less waste because it is easier than pouring the salt into the spoon.
When cooking beans and various dahls, add tomatoes after the beans are tender. Otherwise, the acidic quality of the tomatoes inhibits the cooking.
Leave your washed okra out on an absorbent towel to dry before cutting, to reduce slime. Dry lettuce so the dressing can cling better.
Make sure to grate each piece along the grain of the ginger (as shown above).
If you need to mince ginger, grating first saves time.
When you can begin to smell something that is baking, that's one clue it's just about done. Next, look for brownness on the edges, cracks forming on the top (in some cases) and firmness in the center when lightly pressed.
Place a wooden spoon over a pot of milk on high heat to prevent it from completely boiling over in case you forget about it. Better yet, unless you are in a hurry, keep on low heat the milk that you want to boil. You can then go about your business without worrying it'll boil over.
Washing a milk pot after use with cold water makes it easier to clean rather than hot water.
Extra peeled potatoes can be preserved by covering with water and refrigerating until ready to use.
If rice is sticking to the pot, turn off the heat and add a little water and cover a few minutes before serving. Then the stuck rice will come out nicely with the rest. This works well with subji dishes, too. In this case, water isn't usually needed. Just turn off the heat and the remaining steam inside the covered pan can help loosen the stuck layer of subji underneath.
To juice a lemon (or orange) without a juicer, a cooking spoon can work just as well. Hold half a lemon in one hand and press and turn the spoon into it with the other, but from the side rather than pressing the lemon down the way you do with a simple manual juicer. Before tossing the rinds, squeeze them once more before tossing, to get any extra juice.
If chapatis can not be served immediately, do not butter them. Add softened butter when serving. Or butter them, and when finally ready to serve reheat on a skillet. Or keep them warm inside the rice or dry subji pot kept warm over a pot of hot water.
To make fenugreek seeds less bitter, fry them briefly towards the end of a chaunce. For more bitterness, fry longer.
Stir metal pots with wooden spoons to prevent a gradual micro erosion of unwanted metal from cooking pots from getting into the food.
After chopping fresh hot chilies, immediately rub onto fingers full strength dish soap (without water) to remove irritating oil. Rinse with cold water only.
To soften cold butter quickly, grate it.
Cold, hardened paneer that was stored in the refrigerator can be cubed and boiled or grated to soften. Or it can be fried first in a pan before subji is added and will soften while cooking in the subji juices.
Paneer made from yogurt whey or paneer whey or buttermilk will be softer than made from citric acid. Also paneer need only be pressed a minute or two for softer texture. But if over-pressed very dry, not a problem, see softening methods above.
Grated paneer makes a superior "scrambled paneer" dish.
To get the last bit of honey out of a narrow necked container, leave the jar upside down so the honey can gather at the mouth and be collected for quick removal. Be careful, some lids are not very secure. Repeat as needed
Cut melons and juicy fruits over a kitchen towel.
First sift carob powder and then blend it with a little milk to get out the lumps before adding to a pot of milk. Better yet, use a blender with carob powder and a little milk before adding to remaining milk.
When using a recipe with besan, add liquids in small amounts to the besan first, to smooth out any lumps.
Measure salt by storing it in a container that is large enough to dip a measuring spoon in. This creates less waste because it is easier than pouring the salt into the spoon.
When cooking beans and various dahls, add tomatoes after the beans are tender. Otherwise, the acidic quality of the tomatoes inhibits the cooking.
Leave your washed okra out on an absorbent towel to dry before cutting, to reduce slime. Dry lettuce so the dressing can cling better.