Topic started by Rakhi (@ grouper-235.netexpress.net) on Thu Jun 12 00:02:16 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

hi,why not start a thread on time management in kitchen?many of us are working women and with kids and stuff,we really wish we had 36 hrs a day!and talk abt cooking all day....everybody could share some tips......starting wit this one:

1.Steam vegetables like potato,beets,carrots,green beans etc cut them and keep in the fridge.this can be used on subsequent days to make curies,veg fry,noodles, sandwiches etc.

2.the leftover curries,esp fried and roasted ones with less gravy can be used to make sandwiches for dinner in a sandwich maker.just peel some tomatoes or try a sauce to go.

Responses:

• From: Ramadas (@ dclient217-162-113-166.hispeed.ch) on: Thu Jun 12 16:45:14 EDT 2003
  
  3. Ask your husband to contribute to kitchen-work.
  
  
• From: Radhikavasanth (@ 61.11.74.39) on: Fri Jun 13 02:29:57 EDT 2003
  
  4.Make the paste of fried udad dall,red chillies and coconut and keep it in fridge..it will be handy while making koottu..lasts for 3 days..
  5.Make powder of fried Kadalai paruppu,dhania and red chillies and coconut ..while making sambhar you can add this powder..it lasts for 3 days..
  
  
• From: Rakhi (@ grouper-11.netexpress.net) on: Fri Jun 13 15:05:15 EDT 2003
  
  using a pressure cooker
  6.using a pressure cooker to cook food can greatly reduce the time spent for cooking,gas used,etc.potatoes,daal,non-veg items etc which require more time can be cooked with less effort.
  
  7.while cooking frozen food,it is better to thaw it by keeping it outside for a few hours.if we do it early morning itself,then by the time for cooking,it will have completely defrosted.this reduces use of cooking gas and time.
  
  
• From: pavithra (@ user-11fa8lf.dsl.mindspring.com) on: Fri Jun 13 18:54:05 EDT 2003
  
  Hi,
  I recently got a book "Microwave receipes - by Malikka badrinath". The receipes are so simple and easy to make. The time consumption is very minimum, as it is cooked in the microwave. The recipes come out well with a good taste.
  I purchased them from innoconcepts. The weblink is http://www.innoconcepts.com/mallika.htm
  
  
• From: Sumathi Vijayakumar (@ 12-213-183-9.client.attbi.com) on: Wed Jun 18 22:43:25 EDT 2003
  
  Hi,
  1. Try to buy cut beans(french cut beans tastes so good)& carrots.
  2. Though we are busy we do find time to watch tv. While watching tv, peel ginger pieces and cut them into smaller pieces. Peel garlic also. Store in air tight boxes and keep them in fridge. Mince required amount whenever necessary.
  This way you get fresh minced garlic & ginger in a jiffy. Off course you can buy store bought ginger garlic paste. But I prefer my method.
  3. While cooking, as far as possible keep the stove in medium heat. This will avoid burning & spilling which in turn reduce your time scrubbing burnt pots and cleaning the stove.
  4. Do not wait till you finish cooking to clean the counter. When you have added everything and waiting for it to boil or simmer, clean the counter and scrub the dirty dishes and load the dishwasher.
  5. Do not wait to do the dishes till the sink is full. They will get dry and you need to spend more time scrubbing. Make it a practice to scrub a dish as soon as it is dirty and load in dishwasher. This way you will spend less time scrubbing and your kitchen will look and smell better without a sink full of dirty dishes.
  By the end of the day, dishwasher will be full and can be switched on.
  6. Cover the burner plates with aluminium foil.
  7. Keep all pulses, spices, rice and flour in transparent jars and containers so you know when the quantity is low.
  8. Write down the things to be bought in a paper or sticky pad and attach to fridge door. This way you could just grab that list while going out and buy everything you need without forgetting and making another trip to store.
  9. Always make a list before shopping. In the store, without your knowledge, you will stubbornly stick to the list. This way you can save time not going to aisles with items you don't need.
  10. Plan your errands before starting the car to avoid going in circles wasting time, gas and money.
  Had enough?
  
  
• From: Kamakshi (@ ) on: Thu Jul 22 15:58:00
  
  How useful is the electric chopper in cutting time-consuming vegetables like beans, carrot, keerai etc. ? Any drawbacks / hassles in using them ?
  
  
• From: Rakhi (@ insect.4cs.com) on: Thu Aug 19 11:14:26
  
  sorry for the late reply.I think when using veg. cutter,u don't get the shape u want.and not much quantity can be made.i am talking abt the ones u get in Walmart.don't know abt any latest version.
  
  
• From: simi (@ pool-138-88-186-179.res.east.verizon.net) on: Thu Aug 19 12:07:49 EDT 2004
  
  Here are a couple of ones I use:
  
  I always have cooked daal handy in the refrigerator. So sambar (or any other kozhambu that needs cooked toor daal) can be made in a jiffy!
  
  Buy canned french cut beans, lima beans, kidney beans, chick peas etc. You can make poriyal in 10 mins...
  
  Frozed cut mixed vegerables (carrots, peas, beans, corn) etc is good for veg upma, veg biryani etc.
  
  Try to parallel process. For example, in the morning as soon as I get up, I switch on the coffee machine, put rice and dal in the cooker etc and then go to brush, so that by the time you are done, coffee is ready and the rice is well on the way. May sound simple, but in the morning, every minute counts.
  
  
• From: Kavi. (@ adsl-68-248-224-37.dsl.milwwi.ameritech.net) on: Thu Aug 19 12:10:26 EDT 2004
  
  Cutting board with Knife attachement.
  
  Anjali(also some other brand) cutting board is very useful to cut onions,cabbage,ect,ect very quickly. I bought it from India. Once u learn to use,u cut veges in express speed with the shape u want.
  
  
• From: Time-well-spent (@ 66-214-143-172.gln-eres.charterpipeline.net) on: Thu Aug 26 19:18:52 EDT 2004
  
  I make a rough plan of the things i want to cook during the week & I shop based on that. So there's no wastage of produce & I dont waste time asking "what to prepare?". :)
  I chop green vegetables for abt 3 days and store them in ziplock bags in the fridge. (canned stuff is full of chemicals).
  I cook dal and keep chapati atta ready - enough for 2 days - in the fridge.
  
  
• From: Rema (@ cs78176210.pp.htv.fi) on: Fri Aug 27 06:14:32 EDT 2004
  
  If using Tamarind, make small size balls and store before hand.
  
  While using Asafaedita(not the powder), make small groundnut size and store. While making it, heat the Asafaedita in a kadai and then it becomes soft to round.
  
  Fry the cardamom in a kadai in Sim and powder them in the mixer and store. This will be handy esp during the Festive seasons.This way wastage of the cardamom skin can be avoided, otherwise u need to store the skin seperately in tea container.
  
  Make Sambar powder which can b used for currys and sambar with coconut, just add sambar powder and the coconut for making arachivitta sambar.
  
  While dealing with Fresh beans, Corriander leaves cut the edges and clean them and store.
  
  Use the coriander stems for making chutney (any)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• From: marie (@ ip68-108-52-195.lv.lv.cox.net) on: Tue Sep 21 18:30:49
  
  i could not find 1 receipe for pressure cooking-why
  
  
• From: Malini (@ 218.115.252.64.snet.net) on: Wed Sep 22 15:13:02 EDT 2004
  
  Yes, i use the cutting board with knife too, the bonson brand is good. It is very useful for cutting onions and many vegetables in a jiffy.. i got it from india
  
  
• From: sridevi (@ 61.1.211.241) on: Thu Sep 23 13:49:50 EDT 2004
  
  hai i am coming to U.S soon from india,so what all the kitchen vessels and grossaries i want to collect,pls help me.
  
  
• From: hima (@ ip68-0-234-109.ri.ri.cox.net) on: Thu Sep 23 16:22:33 EDT 2004
  
  hai sridevi,
  
  1. are u using pressure cooker, if you are using means take small one, big one.,you are a small family you need mixie (110v), big family you must need grinder (110v), some non-stick thawas., thats it. after you came here you can buy anything cheaper than India (at the clerance or sale time).
  
  In India which state,city you are living.
  
  
• From: kav (@ 63.67.147.1) on: Thu Sep 23 18:32:50 EDT 2004
  
  Cleaning takes almost as much time as cooking itself, so try to minimise the mess.
  1.Before u start cooking spread paper towels or a sheet of newspaper, put vegetable peels, etc on this. after you are done just gather and throw.
  2.Use fewer utensils
  3.Organize your kitchen... eg. spices next to the stove, glasses, etc next to fridge. rice cooker, coffee maker, etc near sink... so u're not walking back and forth for the water.
  4.Designate certain chores... i like to give my husband a bowl of vegetables to peel n cut when he's watching TV
  5.My most important one: Try to designate cleaning up after dinner... that will make you feel less exhausted at the end of the day.
  
  
• From: hima (@ 61.1.211.224) on: Sat Sep 25 14:55:40 EDT 2004
  
  Hai hima,thank u.I am in bangalore
  
  
• From: sridevi (@ 61.1.211.224) on: Sat Sep 25 14:57:14 EDT 2004
  
  hai hima,thank u. i am from bangalore
  
  
• From: sridevi (@ 61.1.211.224) on: Sat Sep 25 15:03:38 EDT 2004
  
  hai friends,i do'nt know microwave cooking,currently now i am in india,soon i will be in U.S ,i can manage cooking with microwave or cooking can be done in gas stoves,pls help me.Thanks in advance
  
  
• From: Cricketunes (@ 130-127-104-183.brackett.clemson.edu) on: Sat Sep 25 20:02:39 EDT 2004
  
  hi sridevi,
  which place in US are u coming to? If it has lot of indian stores, then you neednt worry about the basic utensils, just bring the rare ones.
  Also, will it be a long or short term visit?
  Dont worry about big utensils about cookers, u can get electric cookers here so just bring a small ones with 2-3 spare gaskets, weights, etc. Get all non stick items and the necessary spices.
  Microwave cooking is very simple, you actually wont do elaborate stuff on microwave when you come over here.
  
  
• From: sridevi (@ 61.1.211.240) on: Tue Sep 28 11:27:35 EDT 2004
  
  Thank u cricketunes.
  
  
• From: latha krishnan (@ cache9-4.ruh.isu.net.sa) on: Sat Oct 2 02:54:21 EDT 2004
  
  hi
  it was really very interesting to see tips which i feel most of us know now let me tell you cooking takes hardly half and hour but cuttting cleaning the vegetables and other cores take more time well let me tell you pressure cooker is good for boiling dals only and if you want to smash vegetables then you can use pressure cookers but i feel who need tasty food you should avoid cooking veggys in pressure cookers well as one wish.
  
  
• From: Rakhi (@ grouper-1-114.netexpress.net) on: Sun Oct 3 14:24:07 EDT 2004
  
  I use pressure cookers when I need to cook time-consuming veggies like potato and other root veggies and daals.It really helps to reduce cooking time to less than 1/4th.The if u r nonveg,certain meats u need to cook in pressure cooker,so it will be done well.I also cook parboiled rice in cooker,but for long grain rice,it is not necessary.I have found cooker very useful.I have two,one big and one small,big one I use for nonveg items.but it depends on your cooking preferences.it doesn't hurt to bring at least a small one,bcoz it costs a lot here,esp.if u live where there are not many Indian stores.personally,I wud reccommend a medium one so u can use it for varoius purposes.I got a recipe book along with my cooker,so I cud use it for knowing how much time etc.for each type of daal,rice,veggies,meat.do not cook chicken/fish in cooker.only mutton,lamb etc(all redmeats).hope this helps.
  
  
• From: Priya (@ dsl-tn-213.99.246.61.touchtelindia.net) on: Thu Nov 4 04:41:27
  
  Another idea is to make a menu. If you have not done this before, begin by writing down all the meals that are your family's favorites. Keep this list posted somewhere (perhaps in a diary, on the back of cupboard door, your computer, etc). Each week take out the list and pick about 5-6 meals from it. Pull out all the recipes for that week and put them in one place for easy access. This will save you from wondering what to make and will also help you with the shopping
  
  
• From: Hermoine (@ l4duppx2.hewitt.com) on: Mon Nov 8 14:51:01 EST 2004
  
  Time management is all about having routines, that make your life simple. Check out www.flylady.net, for lots and lots of great ideas. Not only on how to handle things in the kitchen, but also around the rest of the house as well.
  
  

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