Tips for preparing hygienic food

-     Buy food from shops which are clean and hygienic.
-     Try to purchase cooked meats, raw meats and poultry from shops which have chilled displays.
-     Food and vegetables that have been in contact with soil should be washed well in cold running water.
-     Fruits and vegetables that may have been in contact with chemical sprays should be washed and wiped before being eaten.
-     Disposable clean rag or paper should be used to wipe poultry, offal and meat. Clothes used for other purposes should not be used.
-     Raw and cooked foods should not be handled at the same time, as bacteria could easily be transferred by a knife or board from the raw to the cooked food.
-     Frozen meat and poultry should be allowed to thaw thoroughly, preferably in a refrigerator, before cooking.
-     Foods that have defrosted should be treated as fresh foods and not be left standing around at room temperature.
-     Hot food which is to be cooled and eaten cold should be cooled as rapidly as possible to avoid keeping it for a long time at a temperature where bacteria multiply. As soon as the food is cool, place it in a refrigerator.

Baking a cake
The common faults while baking a cake and the reasons are:
-     Often the cakes rise unevenly. If that happens then either the batter has spread unevenly in the baking dish or the baking dish has been placed too near the source of heat in the oven. One should also check the level of the shelves in the oven as they should not be tilted.
-     If there is peak or the top of the cake is cracked, then that means that the oven was too hot or the cake was placed too high in the oven.
-     If the cake has a sunken top, then the mistake that has happened is that too much raising agent has been added. The top of the cake will also sink if you will open the oven door during the baking. If the cake is undercooked, then also this problem arises.
-     The collar edge on the baked cake is caused if cake has risen too rapidly and sunk.
-     If there is sugary or speckled crust, then the fault is that too much sugar has been used. It is preferable to use granulated sugar instead of castor sugar. This problem also arises if too little liquid is present and sugar does not dissolve properly.
-     if the cake has a close and heavy texture, one should check the temperature of the oven. This problem is caused if the oven is too cool or there is insufficient cooking or whisking or creaming, while preparing the batter. This problem can also arise if enough raising agent (baking powder) is not added.
-     To avoid a coarse or open texture, use granulated instead of castor sugar. Also do not add too much of raising agent and always make sure that your batter has been evenly mixed.
-     The cake will turn out to be very dry, if insufficient eggs or liquid is added or if it is baked at too low a temperature.

Miscellaneous tips for cooking

-     If you don’t like the smell of the eggs in the puddings, cakes and other desserts then add powdered lemon rind to the batter.
-     Add a little sesame oil while cooking lentils to enhance the taste.
-     Turmeric powder prevents the pickles from getting spoilt.
-     Often while deep frying, the hot oil starts foaming and spill over. To prevent this add a piece of tamarind.
-     To cook the pasta faster, add salt in the water when it comes to boil.
-      Keep a small piece of bread inside your cookie jar, cake box etc to keep your baked items fresh for a longer time.
-     To add that exotic bit of aroma to your rice, add a teaspoon of ghee to almost cooked rice before removing it from the heat.
-     To make crispy potato or banana chips, sprinkle salt water over them before frying.
-     To cut very soft bread, heat the knife slightly in flame and then slice the bread with it. The bread will be sliced neatly.
-     To hasten the cooking process of lentils, add a pinch of turmeric powder.
-     Don’t salt the meat before you cook it. Add halfway through the cooking, the salt will mix and penetrate the meat better. Always use a little less salt than required, then taste the meat when it is done and add extra as needed.
-     The air bubbles in the batter make the idlis softer. So do not beat the batter just before pouring the batter in to moulds as beating the batter removes these air bubbles.
-     While preparing dough for rotis, parathas, add left over cream or a little milk to the flour. The rotis and parathas will turn out very soft.
-     To retain more nutrients, always slice the vegetables into big pieces while cooking or boiling.
-     Beware of food poisoning! Some fungi and many berries are poisonous if eaten and each year cases of poisoning are reported where people have picked and eaten them.
-     Natural toxic substances are found in some foods, e.g. rhubarb leaves, horseradish and green potatoes but only cause poisoning if eaten in very large quantites.

Grades of Olive Oil
1 Extra Virgin Highest Grade
2 Super Fine Next Best Grade
3 Fine A Step above the Lowest Grade
4 Virgin Lowest Grade
Store onions in the refrigerator. You will find that the cold onions will keep you from crying!

Pancakes Adding a little sugar to the batter of pancakes and waffles will make them brown more quickly.

Fresh Egg Test
Fill a bowl or pan with cold water and add some salt. Place the egg in the water. If it sinks to the bottom, it is fresh. If the egg rises to the top, the egg is no good.

Like Poached Eggs?
Add a few drops of vinegar to the water. It will help keep the egg whites from separating.

Tips for fruits and vegetables

Precautions while cooking vegetables

-     The vegetables should be prepared immediately before use to avoid vitamin C from getting readily oxidised either by exposure to air, or by the action of cut surfaces to air. The oxidation is also caused by the action of the enzyme oxidase present in the plant tissues.
-     Always wash the vegetables thoroughly in the water but never soak the vegetables in the water as Vitamin C is water soluble and will dissolve in the water.
-     The vegetables should be plunged into boiling water as this action will destroy the enzyme oxidase due to high temperature which will prevent the oxidation of vitamin C by the oxidase.
-     Vegetables should be cooked in the minimum of water needed to prevent burning. Any vegetable liquid remaining after cooking should be used in a gravy or sauce because during cooking, vitamin C, thiamine and soluble mineral salts pass from the plant tissues into the cooking liquid.
-     Do not add sodium bicarbonate to the cooking water as the alkaline medium increases the destruction of vitamins.
-     Always try to cook vegetables for a minimum time, using a tight –fitting lid on the saucepan as the prolonged heating will increase the vitamin loss.
-     Serve immediately after cooking as vitamin losses are greater when vegetables are kept warm.