How to prevent cockroaches in your home ?

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Handy Tips in Kitchen

To preserve wheat, add kasoori methi ( Dried fenugreek leaves ) to it and store in an airtight container.Wheat will not go bad for a longer period.


To preserve Tamarind, you have to clean and remove the strings and seeds. Then roll them into small balls store in an ceramic or clay vessel. If you add a little rock salt to that it will stay for a longer period.

If you put in a little peppercorns in to the vessel which you use for storing the ghee, the ghee will not get rancid or spoiled.

While storing eggs do remember to put the broader part of the eggs upwards facing you. The eggs will stay fresh longer.

While storing cashewnuts add a clove or two in o the bottle. The cashewnuts will stay fresh longer.

To save coconut oil from getting rancid or smelly add a piece of jaggery (achu vellam) in to the jar containing oil.

Cooking hints

Slicing or shredding of meat

Slicing or shredding of the meat especially for the Chinese dishes (which should be thinner ones, to cook properly) can be easily done if the meat is partially frozen.

While hard boiling eggs

1. While using eggs for hard boiling use old and shiny eggs. The shells can be removed easily after hard boiling. You can recognize fresh eggs as they are rough and chalky. If you hard boil them the shell will stick together and will not come apart easily.

2. To avoid the shells cracking while hard boiling eggs add a little vinegar to the water and then cook.

3. If it is already cracked slightly but not oozing sprinkle a little table salt over the crack and then cook it.

4. You can also prick at the wider part of the bottom with a pin / needle, to be able to remove the shells easily after hard boiling the eggs.

Microwave - Dos and Don'ts

Microwaves are seen everywhere in the recent days and all are buying it since it is a lot easier in the kitchen when the time is precious.
Some important things are to be noted down while you use Microwaves.
Do not keep one vessel on top of the other while cooking in a microwave, keep themside by side or do it one after the other.
Do not cook for a longer period, it will make the ingredients rubberish, hard  and tasteless.
Round shaped vessels are the best ones to be used in the microwave. The food will cookuniformly. If cooked in squarish vessels, the food will not get uniformly cooked in the corners and you will have to keep mixing the contents every now and then. Not only this will be tiresome, there is every chance that some of the food will get over cooked.
 Add salt to the dish after cooking in the microwave. If you add salt before cooking,  you will have to cook for a longer time to get the ingredients tender.
While cooking vegetables, sprinkle a little water else they will get dried up while cooking in its own juices.
Do not ever cook eggs with shell in the microwave. It will explode inside the Microwave. Do not even try and warm the hard boiled eggs with shells. If you have to warm the boiled eggs, remove the shells and then warm them.
When you warm or heat gravies keep the vessels only three fourths filled, it might boil over otherwise.