Useful Indian Cooking Tips

When it comes to Indian cooking, there is a lot to do. Therefore, we share with you some time-saving tips to make your life easier in the kitchen. Here are 25 useful cooking tips to have up your sleeve for Indian cooking leading chimney

Useful cooking tips: curated by a leading chimney brand 

1. Tender paneer: To make paneer softer, dip them in warm salt water for 10 minutes before adding to gravies or curries.
2. Soft chapatis: While kneading the dough, add a little warm milk along with water for softer chapatis.
3. Thick gravies: Soak and grind a handful of soaked cashews into a fine paste and add it to gravies for a thicker consistency. 
4. Soak up eggs with salt: If you ever drop an egg, put some salt on it. It’ll soak up the egg whites.
5. Peel ginger easily: Use a metal spoon to scrape the tricky rounded edges of the ginger. 
6. Keep coriander leaves fresh: To lock the freshness of coriander leaves for longer, keep them loosely wrapped in a muslin cloth or put them into a cloth bag in the refrigerator. 
7. Make crispy pooris:: To make pooris crispy just add a little rice flour to the dough while kneading.
8. Prevent noodles from sticking: Just after boiling the noodles, put them in cold water. This will prevent them from sticking to each other.  
9. Peel onions without tears: To avoid teary eyes, peel and cut onions into two halves, soak them in a bowl of water for 15 mins before chopping them.
10. Avoid rice from sticking: Add a little bit of oil to the rice before cooking to prevent it from getting sticky. A few drops of lemon will also do the trick. 
11. Make perfect poached eggs: Add a little vinegar and salt to the water when you poach eggs. This helps set the eggs and keep them in shape.
12. Slicing eggs: You can slice hard-boiled eggs perfectly if you wet the knife in water before cutting.
13. Crispy french fries: Slice the potatoes and soak them in cold water for an hour before frying. Dry well before cooking. 
14. Caramelise onions faster: If you want to caramelize onions in half the time, add a little baking soda while cooking them. 
15. Make potatoes look extra white: Add a little vinegar or lemon juice to the potatoes before draining the water. It will make them extra white when mashed.
16. Keep your freezer smelling nice: To prevent a musty-smelling freezer, fill a clean cloth bag with dry coffee grounds and place it inside.
17. Keep bananas fresh for longer: Wrap the end of the bunch with plastic. It blocks the gases from releasing out of the stem which ripen the fruit.
18. Peel potatoes easily: Peel potatoes without peelers. Boil them for a few minutes, then rinse them in ice-cold water. This method is known as blanching. The skin will separate from the potatoes easily. 
19.  Store spices in the right location: To prolong the life of your spices, store them in a cool, dark place. Heat and humidity can alter their flavour.
20. Retain the vibrant colour of green peas: To retain the bright green colour of peas, add a little sugar before you boil them.
21. Make tomato sauce tastier: Adding just a tablespoon of white or brown sugar makes the flavour of the tomato sauce pop. 
22. Make pancakes fluffy: While making a pancake batter, leave a few lumps instead of creating a smooth texture. Your pancakes will end up perfectly fluffy.
23. Prevent boiling over with a wooden spoon: If a pot of milk or gravy is boiling over, quickly place a wooden spoon across the rim. It will help the bubble to settle and prevent over-boiling.
24. Balance excess salt: If your curry has become too salty by mistake, just add half of a peeled potato, let it boil. Potatoes absorb the excess salt.
25. Preserve chillies for longer: Remove and discard the stem of green chillies before storing them in the refrigerator. It keeps the chillies fresher for longer. 

Looking for a chimney for a small kitchen?

Since Indian cooking requires a lot of use of oil and spices, always remember to switch on the kitchen chimney while you are cooking. Explore our wide range of kitchen chimneys that are a combination of superior design and affordable price and. Available in 60 cm and 90cm, our chimneys are suitable for both small and large kitchens.