Useful Tips for Home and Kitchen

For Home and health.....

• For safety reason, do not reveal your name, identity and address on the answering machine. Simply record a message which says that you are unable to take the call and will soon return it. 
• If you are planning a party, start collecting ice cubes in plastic bags two days before the day. Then you won't have to run to the neighbors at the last minutes.
• To preserve your woolen clothes, place some camphor tablets and cloves between the folds.
• Chew thin slice of ginger and 5 mint leaves daily, helps to control Blood sugar and weight loss.

For Kitchen..

• For instant chutney, mix one tsp of amchur powder with one fourth tsp cumin powder, three tsp sugar, half cup water and boil for two to five  minutes on low heat.
• To prevent bread from getting spoiled store it in the fridge along with a few pieces of potato.
• To preserve the aroma of coffee powder, keep it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge.
• Leftover chutneys make excellent fillings for cutlets.
• If you have run out of green vegetables for a salad, you can just mix some finely chopped onions with fresh shelled green chana or boiled kabuli chana and serve.
• Garnish soup with chopped coriander leaves or spring onions for a deliciously different flavour.
• If you run out of bread crumbs while making cutlets, use crushed cornflakes or sieved semolina( rava) and the cutlets will be equally crisp.
• For fluffy and shapely omelets, add a little flour while beating the egg. 
• If  the curry is too salty, make small balls of flour dough and put it in the curry.  
• Coffee or tea stains from plastic cups can be scoured out by rubbing with backing soda. Rinse and dry.
• Spots on stainless steel sinks can be removed with white vinegar. Club soda can also shine up your sink in minutes.
• To remove the smell of burnt food from a pan, simmer a few slices of lemon in water in it

• A microwave that has got hardened food particles stuck in the inside, is normally difficult to clean. Here is a solution. Squeeze two lemons (juice) into a cup of water. Put this diluted lemon juice into the microwave oven and set the oven on high. Let the water and juice mixture come to a boil and let the steam loosen the grime and food particles inside the oven. The lemon removes the undesirable food smells also.
• Whenever you are straining pasta in the kitchen sink , keep the cold water running while straining..this will protect your sink pipes damage from hot water. 
• Add one tablespoon of Sooji/Semolina for each 100gm of wheat flour to make pooris more tasty 
• To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature and roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing or just place it in the microwave for about 10 sec or Put a lemon in hot water before squeezing it will give you more juice than usual. 
• A refrigerator can be kept smelling fresh by filling a small bowl with soda bicarbonate ( baking soda) and keeping it in a corner. The baking soda neutralizes odors and keeps the refrigerator smelling fresh.
  
• While cooking spinach or peas, you may loose that green color. To maintain it, add a pinch of sugar to it. This will retain its green color. 
•  Add 1 tbsp of fruit jam in a glass of cold milk,blend well and a quick delicious fruit shake is ready for kids 
•  Add 2 tbsp pickle masala, 2 tbsp pickle oil and a pinch of salt in a cup of wheat flour to make delicious achari poori's for breakfast and as a travel food. 
• Add 1 tbsp left over pickle masala in regular subzi to make achari aloo,achari bhindi and achari brinjal or any dry curry of your choice. 
•  Add kiwi fruit,green apple,oranges,berries or any sour or over ripe fruit to make coriander chutney more nutritious. 
• While making coriander chutney add few nuts of your choice to make it more nutritious and to increase its shelf life. 
•  If you have added too much chilli powder in a gravy then add some curd ,lemon juice or 2 .t.s ghee in it to balance it. 
•  If your gulab jamuns turn out hard ,don't worry,just put them in the pressure cooker with sugar -syrup and cook for 5 minute on medium heat and then serve warm with a smile.  
•  While making home made potato chips,mix some alum powder in the water and soak the chips in it,before boiling. 
• While grinding red chili powder add little mustard oil in it to get a bright red colour. 
•  Its much easier to grind small cardamom if you add some sugar to it while grinding. 
•  Add 1 tbsp gram flour in semolina for making delicious sooji halwa . 
• While making gravy for a kofta or paneer dish ,use milk instead of water for smoother gravy 
•  If asafoetida become too hard then keep a green chilli with it. 
•  If you are short of tomatoes to make gravy, then add some tomato ketchup. 
•  Add little bounvita in coffee for a delicious twist in the taste. 
•  Grease the leftover dough with slight oil or ghee before covering and storing it in the refrigerator. 
• Add little glycerine in the cake batter to make it more soft and moist. 
•  Add some routine spices and a bread in leftover rice ,mash the mixture well and make crispy fritters. 
• After making cottage cheese/paneer don't throw the whey, use it the to make roti dough or use in any curry. 
• Add a pinch of dried mint powder in tomato soup to make it more flavorful. 
•  Add a apple with potatoes ,they will stay fresh and will not sprout easily. 
• If facing difficulty in rolling aloo paratha,,then add add some dry roasted gram flour or little bread crumbs in the filling,it will not come out while rolling. 
• Try to add whole curry leaf spring in the dish,it will be easy to remove after cooking. 
•  Use scissor to chop green chillies and coriander. 
• While boiling potatoes add some salt or vinegar in the water, to avoid cracking while boiling. 
• Use white tooth powder to clean your silvarware and silver jewellery. 
•  If you have added extra salt in the dish,don't worry just add a peeled raw potato or a ball of wheat flour dough and boil for a minute,then discard the potato or flour ball. 
•  If your rice are burned,don't worry just put a slice of bread in the pan for 10 minute,bread will absorb the burned flavor. 
•  Freeze left over coffee in ice try and next time when you make cold coffee ,use these cubes instead of plain ice cubes  
•  To remove worms from cauliflower ,add some white vinegar or turmeric in the water and soak the florets in it for 10 minutes. 
• Add 1 t.s white vinegar in idli batter to make softer idlis. 
• Add some gram flour or semolina in wheat flour to make crisp poori's. 
•  To enhance the flavor of coffee ,add a pinch of salt into it.
• while making sugar syrup add little lemon juice or 1 tbsp of milk while boiling so that all the sugar dirt will come out remove it with spoon and use.
•  If you keep a piece of blotting paper at the bottom of the container, it will keep biscuits fresh for a longer time.
• Apply some lemon juice on the cut surface of the apple to avoid browning. They will look fresh for a longer time.
  
  
• Place some chopped onion in the vessel having burnt food, pour boiling water in it, keep 5 minutes and then clean.
• Use a wooden board to chop. It will not blunt the knife. Don`t use a plastic board, small plastic pieces may go with the vegetables.
• You can use dried coriander and mint leaves in coarse powder form in vegetable curry or chutney, if fresh ones are not available. To keep them fresh for longer time, wrap them in a muslin cloth and keep in a fridge. 
• Put some boric powder in kitchen in corners and other places. Cockroaches will leave your house.

To reduce dark sports and to improve your overall skin complexion...

Apply fresh-squeezed lemon juice to your entire face and neck. Leave it on for 10 minutes and then wash it off with lukewarm water. After this, rub cucumber slices on your skin to soften and moisturize it. Do this daily or every other day.

Make a paste by mixing equal amounts of turmeric powder and gram flour with a little water or milk. Apply it evenly on your skin and leave it on until it dries. Wash it off with lukewarm water, scrubbing your skin gently in a circular motion. Follow this remedy once a week to lighten your skin tone and remove scars.

Alternatively, mix two teaspoons of milk and one teaspoon of honey. Then add one teaspoon of gram flour and mix it in well. Apply it all over your face. Leave it on for 20 minutes and then rinse it off with warm water. Use this face mask once a week to enjoy radiant and clear skin.