20 Kitchen tips to save you time and money

1. Keep onions and garlic in ventilated paper bags

Keeping onions and garlic cloves in ventilated bag will keep them fresh and free of mold for 2-3 months longer.

2. Fix stale chips and crackers in the microwave

Don’t throw away stale chips or crackers. Instead – put them in the microwave, but be sure to consume them quickly after, since the staling process accelerates once they cool down.

3. Turn a finished jar of spreadable chocolate into hot coco

That “empty” jar of Nutella is not really empty, is it? Those leftover bits of delicious chocolaty goodness can be turned into amazing chocolate milk with ease – simply pour hot milk into the spent jar, close the lid and give it a good shake until the residue all mixes with the milk, then pour in a glass and enjoy!

4. Store pineapples upside-down

Ever bought a fresh pineapple and cut it up, only to discover that the top is deliciously sweet, but the bottom is very tart? This happens because naturally, the ripening process begins at the top of the pineapple and slowly moves down. To get the pineapple to ripen faster and be fully sweet, cut off the leafy part and store it upside down, the sugars will travel from the old top to the “new” top and hasten the ripening, leaving you with a sweet and delicious pineapple quickly.

5.Store apples with potatoes

Apples produce Ethylene gas, which is effective at preventing the potatoes from sprouting.

6. Wrap celery and broccoli in aluminum foil

Wrapping celery and broccoli in aluminum foil and keeping it as airtight as possible can preserve them for up to a month. The reason is that fresh celery/broccoli has the right amount of moisture inside, and by keeping it in the airtight foil, it keeps it fresh and crisp for longer.

7. Store lettuce with a paper towel

When it comes to lettuce, as opposed to the celery, moisture is the enemy. Keeping it in a sealed bag with a paper towel will keep moisture away from lettuce, leaving it crisp and delicious.

8. Store natural nut spread upside down

The common way to store natural nut spread leads to the natural oils in the nuts to float upwards, leaving the bottom hard and drier. By flipping the container for a couple of days, you help the oils return to the whole of the spread, making stirring much easier and helping you avoid that terrible, hard bottom layer.

9. Avoid empty spaces in the fridge

Every time you open the fridge door, you let the cool air inside seep out, while allowing the warmer room temperature to get in. This forces the fridge to work harder to restore the temperature and can lead to fungus and bacteria to propagate faster (the cold temperature slows this process down considerably). If your fridge isn’t full, keep a few containers full of water in the empty spaces. Water cools down slower than air, helping maintain the surrounding ambient temperature down.

10. Turn leftover mayo into salad dressing

Every time you finish a jar of mayo, don’t throw it away. The leftover mayo in the jar that you can’t be bothered to scrape out can be turned into fantastic salad dressing: pour in some olive oil, vinegar, and add your choice of herbs, then shake it until the residue is all mixed with the liquids, leaving you with an easy, delicious and free dressing.

11. Before you squeeze citrus, microwave it for 15 seconds

It might sound weird, but warm fruit releases juice more easily than a cold one.

12. Wrap banana crowns in cling-film

Bananas release Ethylene gas, similarly to apples. The only problem with that, is that it hastens ripening and then – rotting. Once harvested, this process begins and cannot be stopped. You can, however, slow it down by wrapping the crowns in cling-film, minimizing the amount of ethylene released. (For even better results, separate all the bananas from the bunch and wrap each crown individually)

13. Fertilize potted plants with spent coffee grounds

Used coffee grounds are still rich in nutrients, making them wonderful fertilizer for potted plants, and their acidity also helps to keep snails and slugs away. You can sprinkle the grounds on the soil, mix it in the first 2 inches or brew it a-little, and pour the concoction into the flower-pot.

14. Use huggers to preserve cut fruits and veggies

Cut vegetables and fruit rot faster due to the exposure to air. Use the huggers to keep them fresh for longer.

15. Make ready-for-use herbal butter

Chop fresh herbs and place them in an ice tray, then fill with melted butter or oil. This will prevent the herbs from spoiling and give you individual portions of your choice of herb-butter! YUM!

16. Regrow leftovers

The bottom of various green leafy veggies can be regrown. Celery, green onions, lettuce and more can be regrown from the leftover bottoms, using a small container and keeping them watered.

17. Leftover cheese wrappers can be used for storage

Cut the first part of the cheese along with the wrapper, remove the cheese and use the wrapper to seal the rest of the cheese. No more dry ends on your cheese!

18. Get all the mango while keeping your hands clean

Cut the mango in halves, grab a glass and use it as a scooper to separate the flesh from the skin. No more wasting mango or getting your hands sticky!

19. Keep your avocado with an onion

The sulfur in the onion fumes will prevent the avocado from oxidizing and turning brown. A splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice will work similarly.

20. Make leftover pizza crispy again

There are 2 ways to get that leftover pizza crispy again: Put it in a skillet and let the oil in the crust return it into crispy goodness. Alternatively, put it in the microwave with a glass of water. While it’s not as efficient, it’s faster… those interested in cancer and health related topics are free to see my blog- http://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com/ for crochet designs, my blog, those who like a particular design are free to mail me http://My Crochet  Creations.blogspot.com For info. about knee replacement, be free to view my blog- http://knee replacement-stickclub.blogspot.com

Almond/ badam barfi

Ingredients

almonds  2 cups
sugar  2 cups
saffron few strands
warm milk 2 tbsp
ghee 2 tbsp

Method
soak saffron in warm milk
soak almonds in hot water for an hour, peel and grind the almonds to a fine paste adding sugar and milk
put the mixture in a thick kadai/ wok, keep stirring on medium flame continuously till it thickens
add ghee 1 tbsp, keep stirring, till it leaves the sides of the pan, in case you find it difficult to stir, add rest of the ghee and keep stirring till it leaves the sides.
to test if it is ready, if you take small portion of the mass, you'ld be able to roll it without it sticking to your hand, if it sticks, it means, you've to stir for some more time

pour into a greased plate, level it, cut into desired shape, once cool, remove and store in a clean and dry air-tight container.

those interested in cancer and health related topics are free to see my blog-

http://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com/


for crochet designs, my blog, those who like a particular design are free to mail me

http://My Crochet  Creations.blogspot.com

For info. about knee replacement, be free to view my blog-

http://knee replacement-stickclub.blogspot.com

Easy, healthy green moong dal with paneer

 Ingredients
green moong dal as required soak for a couple of hours in hot water ( if you take 1/2 glass, after soaking it increases almost double)
coconut 1/2-  3/4 cup grated
green/ red chillies to taste
jeera/ cumin  1/2 tsp
oil  1 tsp
paneer cubes 1 cup
salt to taste

Method
pressure cook the dal for 3-4 whistles or till soft
grind coconut and chillies to a smooth paste adding water
in a pan, add oil, add jeera, once it splutters, add the ground coconut and roughly 2 glasses water, let it boil for a minute, add paneer, let it boil for a minute, then add the cooked dal, add salt to taste
let it simmer covered for 5 minutes
serve hot with roti/naan/ bread
this with such few ingredients tasted so well, that was a big hit with the family, even hubby loved it and said it tasted very good, as normally such comment doesn't come.

those interested in cancer and health related topics are free to see my blog-

http://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com/


for crochet designs, my blog, those who like a particular design are free to mail me

http://My Crochet  Creations.blogspot.com

For info. about knee replacement, be free to view my blog-

http://knee replacement-stickclub.blogspot.com

Sour Apple spread/ pickle

Ingredients

sour apples peeled and chopped small  2 bowls
salt 3 tsp heaped
asafoetida  little
turmeric pdr.  1/4 tsp
red chilli pdr.  2 tsp heaped
oil 4 tbsp
mustard seeds  1/2 tsp

Method

in a heavy / non-stick pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, once it crackles, add hing, turmeric and chilli pdr, add chopped apples, salt, mix well, keep in low flame, covered
after 3-4 minutes, stir well. cover again and keep, thus keep stirring every 3-4 minutes, till the whole mass thickens and you can see little bit of oil floating on top, then on low flame keep for another minute uncovered, stir well. remove, cool thoroughly, then bottle.

I made this, this evening, we had with stuffed paranthas, my hubby who is normally fussy for such unusual flavour also liked it ! This will go well with bread too. Or you can mix with hot rice and have with roasted papad or chips !

those interested in cancer and health related topics are free to see my blog-

http://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com/


for crochet designs, my blog, those who like a particular design are free to mail me

http://My Crochet  Creations.blogspot.com

For info. about knee replacement, be free to view my blog-

http://knee replacement-stickclub.blogspot.com