Monday

Home Tricks

* While washing silk sarees add a little lemon juice. The color won't fade and it will give a glossy finish.

* To remove the marks in furniture's, scratch with the paste made from ash of cigar and vinegar.

* Cleaning the furniture with shoe polish will lend an excellent sheen to it

* The furniture becomes more bright and shiny if it is cleaned with the cloth dipped in strong tea.

* Apply some wax or soap on the sides of the drawer for easy movement.

* The furniture becomes more shiny if it is cleaned with mixture of olive oil and vinegar.

* The gold will become more brighter if it is cleaned in pumpkin juice.

* To remove the stain of wine from cloth clean that portion with the cloth dipped in soda.

* To remove the stain of henna from the cloth, dip the cloth in warm milk for half
an hour and wash with soap.

* To remove ink stain from clothes, rub the area with a cotton bud soaked in eau-de-cologne.

* While mopping the floor add two teaspoons of salt to the water to keep flies at bay.

* To remove stains from utensils, add bleaching powder in a tub of water and dip the utensils before washing with detergent.

* Used mosquito mats is an excellent blotting agent.

* To keep a vacuum flask clean and odour free, fill up half the flask with vinegar, hot water and pieces of egg shell.

* If two stamps stick together, keep it in a freezer for some time and peal them out.

Good Health

* Add vegetables and fruits in your diet chart.

* Drink 12-16 glass of water daily.

* Avoid excess eating of fried things.

* Try to buy meat which contain less fat.

* Avoid excess sugar in tea and coffee.

* Slice vegetables into big pieces, so that it won't loose vitamins.

* To avoid diseases like hepatitis and Typhoid, eat 5 basil leaves everyday.

* For tooth ache, keep a clove on the affected area.

* Have a mixture of gingelly oil and egg, for 3 days, for menstrual disorders.

* You will get a great relief from menstrual pain , if you have a gooseberry daily.

* Boil the leaf of Malabar nut, squeeze its juice and add egg white. It subsides cough.
* Eat the powder of dried ginger and cumin with sugar for relief from cough.

* Have the mixture of mustard paste and honey for good relief from cough.

* Chew some cumin and sugar for relief from stomach pain.

* Have a mixture of lemon juice and honey when you are suffering from cold.

* If you have bad breath, drink at least five glasses of water in the morning.

* Stop nose bleeds by putting a few drops of pomegranate juice into your nostrils.

Health Tips

* To avoid diseases like hepatitis and Typhoid, eat 5 basil leaves everyday.

* For tooth ache, keep a clove on the affected area.

* Have a mixture of gingelly oil and egg, for 3 days, for menstrual disorders.

* You will get a great relief from menstrual pain , if you have a gooseberry daily.

* Boil the leaf of Malabar nut, squeeze its juice and add egg white. It subsides cough.

* Eat the powder of dried ginger and cumin with sugar for relief from cough.

* Have the mixture of mustard paste and honey for good relief from cough.

* For a good relief from cough, mix equal quantities of basil juice, honey and ajwain juice and drink on an empty stomach.

* Are you suffering from urinary infection? Drink a glassful of water with a pinch of cardamom powder.

* Chew some cumin and sugar for relief from stomach pain.

* For nagging cough and chest congestion, boil 3 cups of water with 2 fresh betel leaves and 4 crushed peppercorns, till the water is reduced to half. Strain and drink every morning and night with a teaspoon of honey.

* For relief from toothache.. Take two basil leaves, a grain of salt and a pinch of pepper powder and press against the affected tooth.

* For minor rashes on the skin.. add few basil leaves in your bathing water before you bathe.

* To get a fair baby, Mothers can drink saffron added to milk during pregnancy.

* For fever and cough of children, give some honey mixed with water.

* The juice of carrot and tomato, mixed with a little honey is good tonic for children.

Storing Tips

* Place green fruits in a perforated plastic bag. The holes will allow air to circulate while retaining the ethylene gas that fruits produce during ripening.

* Excess tomato puree may be frozen in an ice cube tray. Remove frozen cubes and store in a sealable freezer bag, using as and when required.

* Store banana leaves like a roll, wrapped in a moist muslin cloth, then placed n a polythene bag.

* Stuffed veggies like bittergouds and potatoes, etc. can be stored in freezer bags, and thawed as required. Make sure to thaw completely before proceeding to cook it. Or else it will crumble easil They will stay fresh for a week, if refrigerated this way.

* If instant coffee kept in a bottle hardens due to humidity, pour some hot water to dissolve it. Cool and refrigerate. Use as desired but not keep for too many weeks, as it may ferment.

* When buying Cilantro/Coriander leaves at the store, shake out the extra water and dry with a paper towel. Do not rinse until just before using, then rinse well. Storing: As soon as you bring cilantro home from the market, stand it upright in a glass of warm water to give it a final drink, then wrap a wet paper towel around its roots (it will last longer with roots intact). Store in a paper towel in the vegetable crisper drawer.

* Retain the freshness of plain flour, semolina and gram flour by storing them in the refrigerator and they will remain fresh for a long time.

* Store the ice cream container in a big Ziploc plastic freezer bag. This will stop ice crystals from forming when it is in the freezer.

* Store potatoes in a cool dark place. To prevent potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes! This will prevent the potatoes from budding. Change the apple every week.

* Before storing tomato-based sauces or Indian curries with lots of turmeric powder or other foods that can stain, spray your plastic storage container with nonstick cooking spray.

* Clean, wash and chop cilantro or mint leaves finely. Fill each cube in a ice cube tray with the finely chopped cilantro or mint leaves. Top each cube with cold water and freeze. The cilantro or mint cubes can be dropped into curries etc. on an as needed basis.

* Place green fruits in a perforated plastic bag. The holes will allow air to circulate while retaining the ethylene gas that fruits produce during ripening.

* It is better to store cheese in chill tray to keep it good for days.

* Olive oil oxidizes easily, which results in the loss of its delicate flavours. It should therefore be stored in tinted glass bottles or in tins or cans to protect it from light and air.

* Excess tomato puree may be frozen in an ice cube tray. Remove frozen cubes and store in a sealable freezer bag, using as and when required.

* Make crumbs of day old chapatis, dry for two to three hours in a wide plate, bottle and refrigerate. Use later like breadcrumbs or as required, will keep for four to five days in refrigerator.

* Stuffed veggies like bitter gourds and potatoes, etc. can be stored in freezer bags, and thawed as required. Make sure to thaw completely before proceeding to cook it. Or else it will crumble easily.

* If fish is to be stored for more than a day, clean it thoroughly, rub it with salt and turmeric powder before freezing.

* Mix fifteen to twenty cloves with every kilogram of dal while storing to prevent it from being attacked by insects. The same cloves can be reused.

* When chilling puddings in the refrigerator, cover the containers with cling film or plastic sheet to protect from water and crystal formation in the dish.

* Always store aamras and other mango desserts in non-metal containers, because when stored in metal containers they may get discolored.

* Cut off the roots and pack fresh coriander leaves in two to three sheets of newspaper and refrigerate. In this way they remain fresh up to a week or two.

* To prevent insects from forming in plain flour store it in clean zip lock bags in a refrigerator. This way the flour will stay fresh much longer.

* Moisture causes baking powder to deteriorate faster. To prevent this store baking powder in airtight containers. Anyway it should not be stored for too long as it loses strength over time.

* To keep carrots fresh for longer, cut the tops off and place them in a plastic bag in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator.

* Fresh soft dates should be kept in plastic bags in the refrigerator. They will keep fresh for weeks.

* Put leftover soup or soup stock in ice cube trays and freeze. The frozen soup cubes can be wrapped and stored in the freezer. This makes it possible to serve small amounts of soup or use the entire batch for another meal.

* A pinch of salt added to ginger-garlic paste will help increase its shelf life though it should be stored in the refrigerator.

* Butter is best kept in the refrigerator, but it should be well wrapped and kept away from strong smelling foods.

* To prevent fresh coconut milk from turning rancid add a pinch of salt to it. This will help preserve it for a few hours.

* Store leftover fried papads in a polythene bag. They will remain crisp.

* To increase shelf life of coffee powder, store it in an air-tight container and place it in the refrigerator.

* To keep cottage cheese fresh, wrap it in a muslin cloth that has been dipped in lemon water.

* When putting meat in the fridge cover it with foil to prevent it from drying.

* Do not waste egg whites if you have recipes which call for yolks only. They freeze very well and can be stored in batches of 3 or 4 egg whites at a time. In fact when thawed, frozen egg whites make much better foam.

* Lemon halves shrivel in the fridge when unused. Hence freeze them in polyethylene bags so that they are handy for making cold drinks whenever the need arises.

* Freshly cut fruits can be kept for a longer period by adding a little lime juice or a small dose of vitamin C tablet.

* Tomatoes can be kept longer if kept in the freezer.

Thursday

Cooking Tips

* Cook carrots, peas, beetroot or corn adding a pinch of sugar to the water to keep the flavour.

* Keep the lemons in hot water for twenty minutes before squeezing. They will yeild more juice.

* Add a few drops of lemon juice while preparing sugar syrup. The impurities will collect on the surface of the syrup, which you can then remove.

* Dip nuts in milk before placing them on top of the cakes or biscuits to prevent them from falling off while baking.

* Chapattis would come out very soft if a little rice flour is used while rolling out the dough•

* If you have to make cutlets in a hurry and have no breadcrumbs use semolina for coating them.

* While kneading dough for puris add two to four tablespoons of rawa to make the puris crisper.

* Place rolled puris in the fridge for ten minutes before frying them, they will consume less oil and will be crisper.

* A little rice flour added to bhajia batter will not only make the bhajias crisper but also less oily.

* To make creamier raitas, add a little fresh cream. It will however make the dish richer.

* To make the 'poori' more tastier, add one tablespoon semolina for each 100g wheat flour.

* Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda while mixing the dough for 'chappathi' to make it soft.

* For making soft sauce, add some paneer.

* Adding turmeric will help pickles from getting spoilt.

* If the bread is too soft to cut into pieces, hold the knife close to a flame and then slice the bread with it.

* If you need only the egg white, for storing the remaining yolk, cover the yolk with water or milk and keep in a cool dark place. Just drain off the liquid before using the yolk.

* Add a little powdered lemon rind to puddings or deserts to avoid the smell of egg.

* If you want to make crispy potatoes or banana chips, sprinkle salt water over them while frying.

* Soak almonds in warm water for a minute, if you need to peel them quickly.

* If a curry turns out too salty, garnish it with some grated coconut mix with cumin powder.

Monday

Kitchen Tips

* For soft Dosas, add some boiled rice to white gram and rice, while grinding.

* Put some neem and turmeric pieces or garlic flakes in the container where you store rice or grains, in order to keep away insects.

* To adjust salt in curries add roasted rice powder.

* If the curd is too sour, add 4 cups of water to it. After half an hour, remove the water collected on top.

* When you cook dal add some refined oil or garlic. It will reduce gas trouble.

* Keep rice flour and basin in a polythene cover in refrigerator when you want tem stored for a long time.

* Add some vinegar in the boiling water before steaming potato.

* For crispy dosas, add a teaspoon of tur dal gram) and some fenugreek seeds while soaking rice.

* Add a pinch of corn flour to the jar of salt to prevent it from getting damp.

* To peal garlic easily apply some oil and turmeric to it and dry in the sun for few hours.

* To make the 'poori' more tastier, add one tablespoon semoline for each 100g wheat flour.

* Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda while mixing the dough for 'chappathi' to make it soft.

* For making soft sauce, add some paneer.

* Add a pinch of sugar while cooking spinach, it will retain its green colour.

* Dal will cook well, if you add a little sesame oil while cooking.