EASY EVERY DAY TRIED & TESTED RECIPES FOR EVERYONE AROUND ME

Cooking 101

As they say ....... Cooking is an Art.

Lets learn this art from the comfort of your home.

Mastering the art of cooking begins with a solid foundation and that's exactly what this guide provides.

ORGANIZE your Kitchen

Kitchen is the heart of home. Keep it neat Clean & Tidy. Use your cabinet Space effectively and wisely. Neat, tidy and clutter free cabinets not only save your energy but precious time too!

Get basic Cooking Pots and Spoons. To start with I would suggest buy good heavy base pan with glass lids. This includes:

  • A Medium size Frying pan

  • A Tawa (Griddle)

  • Medium sized Casserole Pot

  • Pressure Cooker with Steamer

  • Two Small Pans

  • Milk Pan

Get good quality Cooking Spoons and Always keep separate pots and Spoons for sweet and savory cooking.

Keep your kitchen drawers organized according to your needs.

ORGANIZE your Cutlery, Crockery and Pantry

Spend Less time Searching and more time cooking!!

Keep cooking cutlery separated from the one you use for dinning. Arrange all sort of cutlery in drawers by using flexible partitions, easily available in market these days.

Keep your everyday crockery and the one used occasionally in separate shelves arranged in increasing order of size. Keep serving dishes and platters in large cabinet of your kitchen. 

Always keep the pantry arranged, keeping the every day use spices and stuff at front. Make sure you label the jars of less used spices with date so you do not use expired ones.  

Learn the basic CUTTING TECHNIQUES because IT MATTERS

  • Slice: Slicing means cutting into thin, flat pieces, as in a slice of bread or an apple slice.

  • Dice: Cutting into small squares that look like dice. You can dice a vegetable into large pieces (3/4-inch square) or small (1/4-inch square).

  • Mince: Mincing cuts the food into even smaller pieces than dicing—think tiny bits that would be hard to pull out of the finished dish. We often use minced garlic or meat.

  • Chop: Chopping is similar to dicing and mincing food, but results in larger pieces—like the chunks of potato and carrot in a stew.

  • Finely Chop: Chopping to small pieces almost minced but a bit bigger

    Julienne: Also sometimes called the "matchstick" cut, this slices a vegetable into long, thin strips.

  • Chiffonade: This technique is used to finely cut herbs or leafy vegetables for a dish. To chiffonade, you make a small stack of leaves, roll them into a tight cylinder, then slice thin rounds from the roll to make ribbons. We cut Fresh coriander and spinach using this method.

Understand the basic COOKING TERMS

  • Sear: High temperature cooking method helps to quickly brown the outside of a cut of meat, helping to seal in the juices.

  • Sauté: Cooking your food with a little fat (such as butter or oil) at a high temperature, and stirring or even tossing the food in the pan to help keep it moving.

  • Stir-fry: Stir-frying is similar to sautéing but in a little more fat than you used for sauté, food is cooked at a higher temperature. This is one of the most essential beginner cooking techniques, which you can use for veggies or for tender, quick-cooking cuts of meat like chicken breast.

  • Steam: A very healthy way to cook veggies and white meat. Usually steaming is done in a basket or colander and set it over (but not in!) a pot or pan of boiling water, to allow the steam from the water to cook the ingredient. Can be done in electric steamer too.

Start Slow.....Try EASY RECIPES FIRST

Perfection is not achieved in a day. Keeping this in mind start slow. Learn how to perfectly boil, steam and fry. Take help from experts. Read the recipes carefully from start to finish. First gather all the ingredients than start the recipe. For my recipes do not forget to read notes given at the end of recipe page.

If trying a new recipe do not ever substitute the ingredients, as each one has specific function. Like for e.g. Daigi Lal Mirch is for that daig specific taste and color but YES you can adjust the spices as per your taste. 

What does BOILING mean?

In a lay man language; Boiling is cooking food in a boiling liquid, usually water but technically its a cooking method in which food is cooked, while submerged in liquid , which can be water or broth. The Liquid is set to boil on medium high heat and food is not introduced till strong bubbles are set in. The food is cooked uniformly through convection and conduction and this method cooks food evenly as heat penetrates into the surface. There are three types of cooking a food while using this technique: Intense Boiling, vigorous boiling on high heat while water is bubbling intensely. Simmer, Gentle boiling on medium low heat with small bubbles. Poaching, delicate boiling with minimal liquid and low heat.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

BENEFITS of Boiling

This is an easy technique to cook large quantities of food. It preserves nutrients and flavors. Effective way to tenderizes tough foods such as beef. it Kills bacteria and other microorganisms.

TIPS:

  • Use a large enough pot to prevent overcrowding.

  • Monitor temperature and adjust heat as needed.

  • Don't overcook; check food frequently.

What does FRYING mean?

In a lay man language; Frying is cooking food in a hot oil, but technically its a cooking method in which food is cooked in hot oil or fat and there are five different techniques of frying. Deep Frying; food is cooked completely submerged in hot oil on medium high flame. Pan-Frying; Food is cooked in shallow layer of oil on medium high flame. Stir-Frying; Quickly cooking on high heat in a small quantity of oil, while continuously stirring, in a wok or skillet. Shallow Frying; Cooking in moderate amount of oil on medium low heat. Air Frying: Using little or no fat at all using air circulation technology.   

TECHNIQUE TO FRY

In all types of frying, Oil is preheated. Food is coated, marinated or seasoned as per recipe requirements. Food is carefully placed in the pot. Fried food should be crisp nice golden brown & crispy from outside and juicy & tender from inside. For Deep Frying, never fill the frying pot with oil/ fat to capacity. Always leave room for the food, otherwise hot oil will over flow as soon as the food will be placed in pot. Whenever, pan frying, let the food cook on one side until nicely colored and then change side. Changing sides frequently will result in uneven color and undercooked hard food. As lot of stirring is involved in stir frying method, so, make sure to use large pot preferably wok or skillet and a wooden spoon. Keep the flame high and be quick to stir otherwise food will release its own water resulting in soggy fried items. Shallow frying is done to cook food that is usually coated or seasoned. So Keep an eye on flame, a medium low flame will result in even cooking of food both from outside and inside.

Tips:

  • Choose the right oil (e.g., vegetable, peanut, or ghee).

  • Maintain optimal temperature.

  • Don't overcrowd the pan.

  • Drain excess oil.

  • Use thermometer for accuracy.

What does Steaming  mean?

steaming refers to a method of cooking food by exposing it to steam, typically over boiling water. This process helps retain the food’s moisture, nutrients, and flavors. Steaming is a gentle, low-fat cooking method that’s often used for vegetables, fish, dumplings, and even desserts.

There are several ways to steam food: Steamer Baskets, Electric Steamers, Stovetop Steaming, Microwave Steaming. It is used to cook delicate food like fish or vegetables to maintain their shape, texture & flavor.