Cooking can often be time consuming. While nothing beats the freshness and nutrition of a homemade meal, sometimes making a meal from scratch can take up a lot of time. Especially, when it comes to cooking Indian food, there is a fair amount of chopping, peeling, cutting, kneading involved. People who spend a considerable amount of time in the kitchen, or those who love homemade food but would like to spend a little less time in the kitchen, are constantly looking for ways to make their life simpler with easy tips and tricks.
Thanks to a number of tools that are now available, your time in the kitchen can be less stressful and more productive. With these, you can maintain the freshness quotient of homemade meals, while making the preparation quicker and more efficient.
Also Read: Products Under Rs 500 To Save Your Time In The Kitchen: Pocket Friendly Products That Save Time
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Here’s A List Of 8 Amazing Tips That Will Help You Save Time In The Kitchen.
1. Keep Your Refrigerator Stocked
One of the most vital elements of cooking is the chopped up vegetables, in fact, it is the very first step involved. However, what if we were to tell you that it is also the step that you can skip without much of an effort? All you have to do is double down on your chopped up veggies, using half of it first, and store the rest in your refrigerator for later. Make sure you are storing these in air-tight containers, for not more than a 3-4 days.
Also Read: Spice Containers: Buying Guide To Select The Best
2. Save Time On Garlic Paste
Garlic paste is one of the most vital ingredients in Indian cooking that is responsible for enhancing the aroma and taste of your dish. But peeling garlic can be time consuming! And, buying garlic paste from a supermarket is never the same. Over here you can save time by keeping garlic pods peeled in your fridge. This will save you time and whether you need to chop garlic or grind it next time, you can simply pull out the peeled garlic and bring it to use. Garlic paste can also be stored in glass jars in the fridge for up to 5-6 days without loss of any flavor or aroma.
3. Lemon Juice Storage
Lemon is an ingredient that is used in a variety of Indian dishes for its tangy twist. But, can you extract large amounts of lemon juice and still manage to keep it fresh so that it can be used later? The answer to your question is yes, this can be done. All you have to do is pour it in an ice-cube tray and place it inside the freezer. Use these when you are in a rush by simply defrosting.
4. Peel And Keep Peas
Peas or mattar is quite a favorite main ingredient used in a variety of dishes, both Indian and European. However, peeling peas can be quite a task in itself. Thus, it is advisable to peel extra peas beforehand and store them in the freezer in separate food-grade quality bags. Make sure you don’t thaw the entire lot every time, and store the peas in portions that you need to use per meal.
5. Store Tomato Puree
If you ever wonder about the source of the tanginess in your curry, in most cases it would be none other than a batch of fresh tomato puree. And if you are looking to prepare it at home, then you might be in luck, for its preparation is not at all as complicated as you think. All you have to do is cook some tomatoes, remove their seeds, chop them up, and finally blend them based on the thickness you wish to have. It is quite efficient to refrigerate it and use the left over puree for later meals.
6. Buy The Right Kitchen Tools
Kitchen tools can really help save time in the kitchen. Be it a lemon squeezer, or a manual chopper that helps you chop veggies and fruits in time. Instead of chopping onions, tomatoes, coriander and capsicum separately to go into your morning omelette, use a chopper where you put large chunks of each of these veggies and within seconds you have a perfectly diced veggies ready to go into the egg mix.
Related Reading: We review products over days, and sometimes weeks, so you can shop better.
Read our Best Vegetable Chopper (Manual) To Buy Review here.
7. Veg stock and chicken stock
The vegetable or chicken stock, which has been leftover after your previous meal can be easily stored in your refrigerator and be used later on in order to prepare some flavorful soups or some other curry items.
8. Pressure Cook!
One of the best ways to reduce the amount of time it takes for your meal to cook is with the help of a pressure cooker. Pressurized cooking is an effective way of increasing the temperature and increasing the rate of absorption, thus fastening your cooking.
Finally, your time is quite precious, and how you spend it is of as much importance as how your meal tastes. Being organised and all prepped up is the best way to save time, without compromising on the health quotient of your meals.