Kitchen Staples Bin - Time Savers
1. Always keep some staples on hand- such as onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, ginger, in a cool dark place. A plastic basket (must have air spaces), and a piece of paper towel at the bottom.
2. Buy only thin skinned quick cooking medium sized potatoes. Big potatoes take a long time to peel and a lot more time to cut. You'll be surprised at how much time you'll save. Besides- there is less chance of getting a potatoes with rotten centers.
3. Buy a good vegetable brush. When in a hurry, leave the peels intact (though this will marginally increase the cooking time y about a minute).
4. Scrub and wash (with brush) and use unpeeled piece of ginger for tarka and other applications where ginger pieces are needed. Use the fine grater instead of making a paste, when paste is called for. Grate straight into the pan. Save the 'chhibra' in a bowl and add a couple of tablespoons of water and mash it. Use this ginger water for marinade etc. Keeps for a couple of days in the fridge.
4. Learn to smash a piece of garlic on its side. The peel comes off quickly. You will never go back to peeling garlic in the old fashioned way again.
5. To quickly process an onion, cut off the top and bottom, slice the onion into quarters (into 4 pieces cross wise)- and then peel. Done in seconds.
6. If in a hurry- boil or part boil unpeeled unwashed potatoes in a pan as soon as you start cooking. That way, you can have a big savings in time. By the way, once boiled/part boiled- throw out the hot water in the pan and put in cold water- making it easier to handle and peel. Use the same onion method (cut in quarters and peel)- for maximum efficiency.
1. Always keep some staples on hand- such as onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, ginger, in a cool dark place. A plastic basket (must have air spaces), and a piece of paper towel at the bottom.
2. Buy only thin skinned quick cooking medium sized potatoes. Big potatoes take a long time to peel and a lot more time to cut. You'll be surprised at how much time you'll save. Besides- there is less chance of getting a potatoes with rotten centers.
3. Buy a good vegetable brush. When in a hurry, leave the peels intact (though this will marginally increase the cooking time y about a minute).
4. Scrub and wash (with brush) and use unpeeled piece of ginger for tarka and other applications where ginger pieces are needed. Use the fine grater instead of making a paste, when paste is called for. Grate straight into the pan. Save the 'chhibra' in a bowl and add a couple of tablespoons of water and mash it. Use this ginger water for marinade etc. Keeps for a couple of days in the fridge.
4. Learn to smash a piece of garlic on its side. The peel comes off quickly. You will never go back to peeling garlic in the old fashioned way again.
5. To quickly process an onion, cut off the top and bottom, slice the onion into quarters (into 4 pieces cross wise)- and then peel. Done in seconds.
6. If in a hurry- boil or part boil unpeeled unwashed potatoes in a pan as soon as you start cooking. That way, you can have a big savings in time. By the way, once boiled/part boiled- throw out the hot water in the pan and put in cold water- making it easier to handle and peel. Use the same onion method (cut in quarters and peel)- for maximum efficiency.
