Nazarana - The Kitchen Tips

Use frying pans with copper bottoms. They save fuel and are very easy to wash and clean.
When you have to cook pulses like 'chana' etc. and forgotten to soak them overnight, don't panic. Just put the 'chana' in a flask full of boiling water for an hour. They are ready for cooking.
Add two to three pieces of potato to curry to absorb excess salt.
Peel a beetroot and cut into tiny pieces. Dry well in the sun and powder it. This can now be used as food colour.
Store green peas for summer. Tie the shelled peas in a cloth and dip in boiling water for three minutes. Then dip in chilled water. Dry under the fan till extra moisture is removed and then pack into airtight jars or sealed packets. Freeze and use later.
Always tie peppercorns or whole cloves in a small square of cheesecloth before cooking. You will want to remove them after cooking and it's such a job to locate them one by one. Nor is it pleasant to bite into peppercorn or clove unexpectedly. The same holds true for bay leaves, garlic and other large or whole seasonings.
Reheat leftover baked potatoes instead of discarding them. Dip the potatoes into warm water, then bake them in a 250 deg oven until they are heated throughout.
For a colorful garnish that is simple to make, cut peeled lemons into 1/4 - inch thick slices, making sure to remove all the white pith. Discard the seeds. Roll half the edge of each slice in finely-minced parsley, the other half in paprika.
Help keep cauliflower white while it cooks. Add a little milk to the water in which the cauliflower is cooked.
When you cook cauliflower, cabbage and the like, eliminate at least some of the odor by putting a piece of bread in the pot while the vegetable is cooking.
Cooking rice won't boil over if a small lump of butter is added to the pot.
Restore wilted salad greens by dipping them first in hot water, then in ice water that has a little vinegar added to it. Shake off the water and store the greens in the refrigerator as usual.
Get more juice from citrus fruits by heating the lemons, oranges or grapefruit in the oven for just a few minutes before extracting the juice.
To keep green salads fresh for a longer time, sprinkle the greens with the juice of a lemon or a lime.
Cut potato-baking time in half by boiling the potatoes for about ten minutes before baking them in a hot oven for approximately one-half hour.
A rule of thumb for cooking vegetables covered or uncovered: in general, vegetables that grow underground should be cooked covered; those that grow above the ground should be cooked uncovered.
Make a "blender soup" every time you clean out the refrigerator. Use up bits of cooked vegetables, sauces and such; whirl them in a blender and taste. The pureed vegetables will thicken soup, or if the soup is too thick, more broth or stock will thin it. With compatible leftovers - spiked with a little imagination, of course - you can come up with some delectable hot or cold soups.
For perfect boiled rice every time, cook the rice in plenty of boiling, salted water for 13 to 14 minutes and then rinse the rice under hot water.