Transform your time in the kitchen – tips from online bloggers

by MITA MISTRY

ONLINE FOOD BLOGGERS SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE BY OFFERING DELICIOUS COOKING TIPS.

IF YOU are looking for cooking inspiration or just want some quick tips, there are plenty of
great ideas online from fabulous food bloggers.

They regularly share knowledge of how to conquer the kitchen and become a culinary genius. With that in mind, Eastern Eye caught up with some food bloggers and got them to
share a quick cooking tip each that could potentially transform your time in the kitchen. For further ideas, visit their respective blogs…

Meera Bhogal: My top tip is the one I live by and that my blog is based on, which is to make food from scratch using whole ingredients that you can see, touch and feel. This is
the only way we can truly know what we are consuming, and can take control back of our health and well being as well as your families.

Reading and understanding food labels is key to not being fooled into thinking foods are healthy when they are actually full of sugar and unnecessary ingredients.

• www.meerabhogal.com

Sujata Din: My favourite cooking tip is to enjoy meal preparation and cooking. I always suggest keep it simple and easy, so you want to cook. Don’t make it complicated
with hard-to-follow recipes and use ingredients you can source locally.

Eating healthy can be nutritious and delicious at the same time; use your own favourite herbs and spices to personalise the recipes.

• Facebook: @SujataDinPrivateLimited

Shenali Natalia: When I first started cooking, I was packing in tonnes of flavour using herbs and spices from around the world and it was truly magical. I developed skin allergies
and my gut issues were resurfacing, so I now focus on bio-individuality and understand the importance of knowing the ingredients which suit your body.

It is only then you will balance your hormones, avoid bloating, enhance your skin and cognitive function.

Instagram: @natalia.botanicals

Saran Garcha: The best way to ensure that your meal tastes good as well as being good for you is by making as much of it as you can from scratch. Throw out the expensive
ready-made season mixes, salad dressings and sauces, and get creative by making your own.

This way you can see exactly what is going into your meal as well as control the amount of sugar and salt you eat. I often make my own ketchup and pasta sauces at home, meaning I know what has gone into my meal!

• Facebook: Saran Garcha registered dietician.

Chintal Kakaya: You may have heard cooking is an art and baking is science, right? Well that is totally true; when baking you must follow the right steps as so many small factors
can ruin the end product.

My top two tips are invest in a oven thermometer and use that to achieve the temperature required. and you will notice the difference. Also, prepare all your ingredients before
mixing them together.

• www.chinskitchen.co.uk, Twitter & Instagram: @chintalkakaya

Pratik Lilu Master: When cooking Indian food, keep things fresh by using fresh herbs and spices, such as fresh green chilli, garlic and ginger.

Then, garnishing using fresh coriander can make all the difference, in addition to the depth of flavour that can be achieved with dry spices.

• Instagram: @Lilufinedining

Thahmina Haseen: Andaaz, that mythical culinary intuition all mothers have yet none seem able to pass down. How can: “You’ll know when it’s ready” be a sufficient enough instruction? Here are my top three tips:

Using heavy bottomed or modern non-stick pans are much less likely to cause onions to burn when you’re making your masala. To avoid sticky basmati rice, add a few drops of olive oil to the boiling water, which will produce light, fluffy grains. To save time, blend equal amounts of garlic and ginger into a paste and refrigerate in an air-tight container.

• www.goldentiffin.co.uk

Anisha Tailor: Spice up your life! Today is about turmeric, which can be used for savoury and sweet dishes. My most important use for it is turmeric milk, which helps me when I
feel under the weather. 100ml milk, 1tsp turmeric, 1tsp honey, ½tsp ajwin seeds, a pinch of salt, bring to the boil in a saucepan and let it cool. Then pour into your favourite mug
and enjoy!

I will be exploring the other spices on my page over the coming weeks, follow me to find out more!

• Instagram & Facebook: @TailorCooks

Akash Gandhi: How do we get bhajias so crispy? My three main tips are to dry your potato slices with a paper towel to remove excess moisture; use a little bit of corn flour in the mix with the gram flour; and let the flour mixture sit on the sliced potatoes for 15 minutes before frying.

Voila, there you have the crispiest of bhajias to enjoy!

• Instagram: @theveggiedaddy

Quick food hacks:

• To prevent water over boiling, place a wooden spoon across the pot.
• To stop onion-induced tears, put a slice of bread in your mouth partially sticking out to
  absorb the irritant gas before it reaches the eyes. Or alternatively, wear glasses, turn on a fan or sporadically dip the onions in water.
• To remove pungent cooking smells from your hands, rub them with lemon juice, baking
  soda or table salt and then rinse with water.
• Stop cut apples from going brown by rebuilding it with an elastic band until they are consumed.
• To make peeling an orange easier, lightly roll it on a flat surface or stick them in the microwave for 20 seconds before removing the wrapping.
• Boiling your water before freezing it results in crystal-clear ice cubes.
• To make removing the shells of a hard-boiled egg easier, add a teaspoon of salt to the
  cooking water before putting in the eggs.
• Mix ingredients of a pancake in a plastic bottle. You can also mix in a sealed plastic bag and cut a corner when ready to squeeze the batter onto the pan.
• Unwaxed and unflavoured dental floss is great for cutting up cheese or a cake clean
  and fast. It can also be used to lift cookies from a sheet and unstick stubborn dough from a counter top.
• To ripen hardened avocados quicker, seal them in a plastic bag. To make the process faster, add a banana or apple to the bag because both fruits give off ethylene gas, which promotes ripening.
• To keep fish from sticking to the pan or grill and to get an extra burst of flavour, cook on a bed of sliced citrus fruit, like lemon.
• The best and most effective way to peel fresh ginger is with a spoon, which is more effective than a knife. Lightly scrape the surface and the skin will give way.
• If you store bananas separately instead of a bunch, they will last up to one week longer.
• An effective way to remove stones from a cherry without breaking it is to place it on the bottle mouth and push the stone out with a chopstick into the bottle.
• A wine bottle is a great rolling pin substitute.
• Cut chilli without burn by putting your hand in a plastic bag and holding it down. They’ll be no worries of accidentally putting a chilli hand in your eyes.
• Keep cucumber fresh for longer by sticking the end back on with a toothpick; the same applies for a lemon.
• Cut loads of cherry tomatoes at once by sandwiching them between plates on container
  tops and slicing across in one go, instead of individually.
• Cover butter with a hot glass to make it more spreadable.