Tips to Ease your Foray into the Kitchen

 

With more-and-more people trying their hand at cooking, here’s sharing three useful kitchen hacks –

 

To safely cut vegetables like potatoes and beets 

• Cut a thin slice along the length of the vegetable say a potato to create a flat side
• Turn the cut-side down on the cutting board
• Then slice, stopping when the end of the potato becomes unsteady and difficult to grip
• Turn the potato so that the broad, flat side from which you made the last cut is face-down on the board 
• Continue to slice

 

To revive wilted veggies during sultry summers 

As vegetables lose moisture, their cell walls start to sag and hence they go limp. To make them firm and crunchy again: Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice, add the vegetables, and let them soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Then thoroughly dry them before use. You can apply this hack for everything from fresh herbs and lettuce to carrots and radishes. Suggestion - Slice first for maximum water absorption.

 

To chop garlic cloves 

• Use the tip of a chef's knife to slice off the hard root of each clove
• Place a clove under the flat side of the knife, with the blade facing away from you Press the heel of your palm or your fist down on the knife until you feel the clove give way. Discard the skin
• Gather the peeled cloves, hold your knife by the handle, and place your other, non-dominant hand on top of the blade. Rock the knife up and down through the cloves with the tip staying on the cutting board. Chop until the garlic is the size you desire