Tips from Grandma’s Kitchen

They are undoubtedly the superheroes that even your resident superhero( your mum) looks to for advice. Age does after all come with wisdom and over the years your grandmothers have collected and stored tips and tricks that they use in the kitchen that even world renown chefs would clamor to know about. A grandmother is a very special person indeed. She is the one who you run to when your parents scold you. She is the one who has told you all the magical fairy tales. She is everything a mother is, and she sure is Grand!

Here are ten Tips from her to use the next time you venture in to the kitchen :

1. Add Cloves to the Sugar container to keep the sugar from clumping.
   Sugar is highly hygroscopic and in humid conditions, it tends to clump together and get wet. Cloves act as a dessicant and draws any excess moisture into it. An added bonus is that your sugar will have a very mild spice scent to it that will make people sniff the tea you give them a little while longer.
2. Add a pinch of sugar while cooking green beans to retain their bright green colour.                                                          We were not able to find out the exact scientific reason for this, but the general thing is that the chlorophyll in the beans reacts with the sugar molecules and keeps them brighter. The most important reason to try out this method is because a grandmother said so and we must always trust what they say.                                                                                                                                                        
3. Add a little camphor to Coconut Oil to prevent it from becoming rancid.                                                                                  Camphor in very small amounts has anti oxidant properties that will help to keep the oil fresh for longer. It is best suited for coconut oil rather than other oils. A small piece in the oil jar will do the trick.
4.   Add a few dried red chillies into your rice bin to prevent mites.                                                                                                      We assume that the mites do not like the fiery capsaicin that comes out of the chillies and thet stay far away.
5. Add a little oil to dal to cook it faster                                                                                                                                                               Ever needed to make that small quantity of dal which didnt need the pressure cooker and you were just standing there waiting in front of the pot? A little oil speed up the process for you.
6.  Add a cooked boiled potato or a ball of mashed cooked rice to a curry or dish that you have accidentally over salted.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       This one is self explanatory and in the end you will have a salty potato or rice ball to eat too.
7. Keep ants at bay by drawing lines with Turmeric powder.                                                                                                                 Tumeric powder is a magic spice and even the ants know it.                                                                                                                                    
8. Prevent milk from boiling over and spilling by placing a long spoon on the vessel while boiling.                                    The spoon pops the air bubbles formed as the milk boils and keeps it nice and low.
9. Slice both ends of cucumber, apply a bit of salt on both sides and rub with the chopped head till froth appears.  This will get rid of any bitterness that is in the cucumber.
10. Add a pinch of sugar while frying spices in oil for a curry. This will give the curry a richer look.