How to clean a badly burnt stainless steel pot / pan

By mistake you forgot about what you're cooking due to a call or baby crying and your stainless steel pot or pan is badly burnt, don't worry, put equal quantity of white vinegar and water and heat it on medium heat, you'll find the burnt parts coming out, use a wooden spoon to gently remove the burnt parts. then you can wash the pot/ pan with your usual dish soap and scrubbing pad ! you'll find your pot / pan looking bright like new !




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How too cook in a stainless stell pan wothout your food sticking

It's all about the temperature of your pan.
drop an 1/8 tsp of water in your pan 
as it heats if it- does nothing- the pan is too cold.
if it bubbles and steams- the pan it is too hot
forms one perfect bubble that glides along the pan- it's just right.
add your oil and then your food.
Did you know that one of the reasons why stainless steel cookware is so popular is that the steel has pores (a bit like your skin). If your pan isn’t heated up properly pores opening and closing will latch onto your food, making it stick when you try to turn it over.

You can cook fish, chicken or any food easily in your Stainless Steel Pan without it sticking when you use the above tip.


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Pot and pan cleaning guide

I  thought that if I add this post, it will be beneficial to all those ladies who have to scrub their pots and pans and those who prefer to  have them shining.

stainless steel-  hot water OR hydrogen peroxide + baking soda + scrubbing pad
Aluminum-  water+ cream of tartar optional white vinegar, scouring pad
glass- hot water + baking soda+ non-abrasive scouring pad + dish soap
copper- vinegar + salt + non-abrasive scouring  pad
cast iron  - pre-season = warm water  +  dish soap dry. cooking oil + bake
cast iron - cleaning- cooking oil or hot water + coarse salt + dish towel.
enamel -   baking soda +  warm water + soft bristle brush
anodized aluminum = dish washing detergent + hot water + non-abrasive sponge

to clean stainless steel sink- sprinkle baking soda all over, scrub with an old toothbrush or a sponge  OR
you can use lemon + salt to shine your stainless steel sink, cut a lemon in half, sprinkle salt over and scrub,  sprinkling more salt as you may need.

You may soak a thin muslin cloth in white vinegar and spread in on the sink, sprinkle baking soda liberally all over it, let it stand for 10-15 minutes, slowly rub around in circular motion, if need be once you remove the cloth, you can use a scrubber, then wash with water and wipe dry.

In the next post, it will be how to cook in a stainless steel pan/ pot without food sticking to it.

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Palapazha ella adai ( Jackfruit stuffed in rice flour and steamed)

This again is another Kerala delicacy, as jack-fruit is available in plenty there. The only headache with cutting this fruit is a little messy and sticky job ! This fruit is good diabetes too, as it has loads of minerals and vitamins, is supposed to kill cancer cells too ! Whatever, it may be, I love this fruit, especially if someone cuts and gives to me !
Even the seeds of this fruit can be used in kulambu or made into halwa with moongdal ! I think, I may have posted it earlier, as I used to make it when children were young.

INGREDIENTS
for stuffing
jack-fruit cut into very small pieces  1 cup
jaggery/ gur 1 cup
coconut grated  1/2 cup

for the covering
rice 1 cup soaked for 3 hours and ground to a fine paste with little salt, the paste shouldn't be too thick nor too thin.

for stuffing
in a pan, add jaggery, water, once jaggery melts, you've to stir in between, strain it, then once it attains one string consistency, add coconut and jack-fruit pieces, keep stirring often on low flame till it becomes thick and leaves the sides of the pan, remove and cool slightly

take around 6 square inches leaves, wash/ wipe well, then slightly roast the leaves over flame
grease the leaves with little oil, spread a circle of rice paste, like we do for dosa, put the stuffing on one side, fold the leaf into half, prepare all the leaves in the same way
heat a steamer/ pressure cooker, keep the leaves on a plate, keeping the plate on top of a vessel, steam on medium flame after water starts to boil for about 10 minutes, remove and serve, it can be eaten hot or cold.

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Curry leaves thuvayal ( chutney)

INGREDIENTS
curry leaves washed  1 cup
urad dal  2 tbsp
hing little
red chilies 3-4/ as per taste
coconut 2 tbsp
imli small marble size or more as per your taste
salt to taste
oil little

METHOD
in a small kadai/ pan, add oil, dal, chili, fry till dal is golden, add hing, then add curry leaves, fry for 1 minute, remove, grind adding salt, coconut and imli to a fine paste, adding little water.

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Mambala More kulambu ( Mango more kulambu) Kerala speciality

Mambala more kulambu, is again a typical Kerala dish. Though it says mango, it is made with mango pulp ! the vege that is put in this is the big cucumber that you get with yellow-green colour ! More kulambu means it is made with curd, not sweet, slightly spicy

INGREDIENTS
 pulp of  1 ripe mango
cucumber pieces cut 1 cup
curd/ thick buttermilk  1 cup
coconut  1/2 cup
green chili 1-2

seasoning
oil  1 tsp
mustard seeds  1/2 tsp
hing little
curry leaves 1 sprig, washed and chopped

METHOD
add cucumber pieces enough water to cook it in a pan
in the mean time, grind coconut, chili well, add mango pulp and curd and grind once more
add the ground paste to the cooked cucumber, mix well adding salt to taste
once it boils well, remove
for seasoning, heat oil in a small kadai/ pan, add mustard seeds, once it crackles, add hing, curry leaves, pour over the more kulambu, serve hot with rice and vege of your choice.
It doesn't taste too sweet either, I really loved it, ate this afternoon, nor spicy.

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Authentic Eriserry, a Kerala delicacy

This recipe is from a great-grandmother, who is my friend, an excellent cook, who at her age, loves cooking, though she stays alone. Not only that, though we live in a gated community, with a dining hall, on days when she doesn't like the menu, prepares some dishes and always shares with me. As, our age-old traditional recipes are getting lost, decided to get some authentic recipes from her to share with you all.

INGREDIENTS
red pumpkin 200 gm cut into little big pieces OR
you can combine a cup each of pumpkin, raw banana, yam 
tuvar dal cooked  1 cup
turmeric pdr  1/2 tsp
salt to taste

TO GRIND
coconut  1/2-3/4 cup
red chilies 3-4 or as per taste

Seasoning
oil 1 tsp
mustard seeds  1 tsp
hing little
curry leaves 1 sprig, washed and chopped ( I prefer to chop the leaves or else people discard, wasting the Vitamin E from it)
coconut  2 tbsp

METHOD
whatever vegetables you chose, cut as per your wish, as basically my hubby loves the veges cut small, some prefer big, so as your family likes, add enough water to cook the veges along with turmeric powder.
Once the veges are cooked, add the cooked dal, ground coconut red chili paste, add salt, mix well, let it boil, then simmer for 3-4 minutes well
for seasoning, heat oil in a small kadai, add mustard seeds, hing, curry leaves, add coconut, fry till they're light brown, at this point it gives out a nice aroma, add, stir well, serve hot with rice, sambar/ rasam as an accompaniment. It will be thick.

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Roti Pizza !

 stuffing ready to be put on a tawa

Ready to eat  nice, crispy, cheesy Roti Pizza, This is one way to use up any left-over roti, boiled chana and any other veges that you may have.

For stuffing
onion 2 finely chopped
tomato 1 
tomato ketchup 1/2 cup
green chili 2 finely chopped
carrot 2
potato 1
green peas 1/2 cup
boiled chana  1/2 cup
oil 2 tbsp
kitchen king masala 1 tsp
turmeric pdr  1/4 tsp
chana masala 1 tsp
coriander pdr.  2 tsp
cumin/ jeera pdr  1 tsp
salt to taste ( actually you'll need less salt than usual, as I used ketchup, chana masala, cheese)
mozzarella  cheese 100 gm grated ( if you don't have use normal cheese or paneer if you've too)
cheese slices  4
roti  4
jeera  1 tsp
hing  little
oil 2 tbsp+ little butter for roasting
garlic chopped 1/2 tsp ( optional)

Method

Method
in a pan/ kadai heat oil, add jeera, once it crackles, add onion, garlic, chilies finely chopped with little salt to fry it
add chopped tomato, fry for 2 minutes
add chopped potato ( finely chopped), carrot, peas, ketchup, spices, salt, little water, mix, cover and cook, once veges are done, add cooked chana/ chickpeas, little water, mix well, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes
mash all the veges, chana well, remove, add finely chopped coriander leaves, once it cools, add cheese.
On a roti, I put some cucumber slices ( optional), spread 1/2 cheese slices breaking it up, put enough stuffing on one half, put rest of the cheese slices on top, fold and press it well, heat a tawa, put little butter, put  the roti on medium flame to get brown on one side, carefully turn adding little butter to brown on the other side too. Cut and serve hot with salad or plain. 
do for rest of the rotis in the same way. I had some stuffing left over, shall use to make sandwich tomorrow !

ps- there is no hard and fast rule as to what veges you should use, use what you've or if you've any left-over, improvise on it adding some onion, tomatoes and so on.

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Neat Kitchen Tricks and Hacks

Kitchen is the place where ladies spend most of their time. If we can learn some tricks and hacks which can save us time, there is nothing like it.

1. Use the cutting board’s hole

When dropping cut vegetables into a salad bowl, pan or pot, drag them through the hole created by the cutting board’s handle. This way, vegetables won’t fly all over the place. 

2. Preserve bacon in the freezer

Worried about your bacon going bad? Take parchment paper and fold it like an accordion. Place the bacon strips between the folds and put in the freezer.

3. Use onion rings when frying eggs

If you want your sunny side up or omelet to be perfectly round, pour the egg into an onion ring. The onion itself will lend a lot of flavor to the egg.

4. Keep barbecued fish from sticking

To keep fish from dehydrating and sticking to the grill, lay it on a “bed” of lemon slices. The lemony zest will also improve upon the flavor.

5. Heat things evenly in the microwave

Arrange your food in a ring and leave the center vacant when microwaving food. Your food should be evenly heated.

6. Keep the tomato tucked in

To prevent tomato slices from sliding out of the sandwich while eating, wrap them in whatever cold cut slices you’re using in your sandwich, or you can wrap in lettuce or thin cabbage leaves !

7. Re-crisp soggy chips

If your chips are getting soggy due to humidity, put lay them out on a paper towel over a plate and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds.

8. Peel hard-boiled eggs neatly

Before peeling the shell off, put the egg in cold water and let it cool off.

9. Rinse apples in hot water before cleaning

Put apples in hot water before you wash and clean them. This will remove the coating of wax on the apple.

10. Reuse toothpick containers

Plastic toothpick containers are perfectly-shaped and reusable as salt, pepper or spice shakers.

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The Fruit Codes Visible on Fruit Are Very Important!

If you're a good observer, you may have realized that the fruit you buy has numbers labeled on it. These numbers are called PLU codes, and they hold a great deal of information about how a fruit was produced, such as whether it is organic, conventionally grown, or genetically modified, along with other important information that should be of interest to the buyer. Let us help you demystify these codes, so you can rightfully become more knowledgeable about the products you are buying.
First of all, what are PLU codes?
PLU stands for "Price Lookup", and it refers to the code that you find on the little stickers affixed to fruits and veggies available at grocery stores and supermarkets. Each code is intended to deliver information to the cashiers to know what price they should charge the buyers. Apples, for instance, come in many varieties, and thanks to their PLU codes, the cashier is able to tell one from the other. Besides the cashier, you (the buyer) also have the right to know what these codes reveal.

The meaning of PLU codes
PLU codes normally consist of four or five digits, and depending on the digits they begin with, they can reveal different information about the way the fruit was grown. Here's what it means in the following cases:

•    A five-digit code beginning with a "9": This signifies that the product is organic - meaning that the farmers who grew it used natural farming techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost, and biological pest control. You are likely to find this kind of produce being sold in organic sections at supermarkets or at chain health-food stores. For example, in the U.S., 94033 is used for small organic lemons and 94053 for large organic ones.
•    A four-digit code beginning with a "3" or a "4": This indicates that the produce is probably conventionally grown, meaning that its growth involved the use of fertilizers and pesticides that help the farmers attain a higher fruit yield, out of season growth, more longevity, more resistance and more mass. There are numerous variations of this kind of code. For example, in the U.S., 4033 is used for small lemons and 4053 for large ones.
•    A five-digit code that starts with an "8": This means that the product is a GMO (Genetically-Modified Organism) - but unfortunately, you won't see this very often, if at all. 

Why are PLU Codes not always reliable?

Firstly, it's important to know that PLU codes are not mandatory, so it's not always possible for us to tell how certain produce is grown. Secondly, companies sometimes mislabel the produce to hide actual facts, in turn misleading us completely. Of course, they do this for the benefit of their sales - especially since most Americans say that they would avoid GMOs if they were labeled, which leaves no concrete reason for companies to do so.
 
Genetically modified fruits and vegetables are undeniably frowned upon, and although 60-70 percent of food contains ingredients of this type, we are not informed well enough about their presence, as well as the long-term effects they have on our health. And what's worse is that there seems to be little to no regulation enforcement in regards to the correct labeling of such products.
How can I avoid GMOs?

Although there is no direct research showing health hazards by GMOs. Companies may hide the fact that their products have been genetically modified. But on the other hand, others may boast that theirs aren't. Knowing about these companies is a great option to certify that the products you buy are GMO-free.
And if you're still doubtful about that, then you should know about the most reliable ways to tell this:

•    The "USDA CERTIFIED ORGANIC" label: This label is certified by the USDA (The United States Department of Agriculture), a department that conducts professional research on food, agriculture and nutrition. Finding this label means that the use of GMOs were completely prohibited in the production of the produce, and that it is organic. The USDA calls for tangible proof from each company before the labeling is officially given. This doesn't only apply to fruits and vegetables, but any products that may include traces of GMOs.
•    "NON-GMO" labels: This label is certified by the Non-GMO Project, a non-profit organization that offers verification and labeling for non-GMO foods and products in North America. Their mission involves working hand-in-hand with food manufacturers, distributors, growers and seed suppliers to be able to identify whether they make use of GMOs or not. They also help create awareness of GMOs and their impact on our health and food systems.
Other ways to avoid buying GMO foods:
•    Avoid buying products such as corn, soy and canola that are not specifically labeled as non-GMO.
•    Get informed about common aliases for products, for example maize or hominy for corn.
•    Buy ingredients, instead of food with ingredients.
•    Cook food from scratch.
•    Opt for shopping at local farmers' markets over grocery shopping.
•    Buy and preserve food that is in season.  It's more likely to be genetically-modified if it's bought out of season.

those interested in cancer & 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
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For info. about knee replacement, be free to view my blog-
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