We asked a bunch of culinary pros to share their advice on how to elevate every meal. Chefs, cookbook writers, sommeliers, food bloggers and many more, gave us useful and resourceful tips with a heaping dose of passion.
A sprinkle of salt on chocolate
1. Add salt towards the end of the cooking process, as adding it in the beginning increases cooking time. -Rupali Dean, food consultant, writer and photographer
2. When making a whole roast chicken, salt it, then chill it, uncovered, in the fridge for the day. This helps season the bird and dries out the skin so it crisps perfectly when cooked. Remove it from the fridge an hour before you put it in the oven, and add herbs and aromatics. -Amanda Hesser, food blogger, Food52.com
3. When making a veggie juice, use a minimum of three different colours (for instance, a red tomato, spinach and an orange carrot) so that you'll get different varieties of anti-oxidants. -Pooja Makhija, celebrity nutritionist, Mumbai
4. Add a pinch of salt to dark chocolate to make it sweeter. -Rishim Sachdeva, chef, Uzuri, New Delhi
5. To make bananas last longer, wrap them in a brown paper bag and store them in the fridge; the skin will turn black but the bananas will last longer. -Janti Duggal, chef, Mamagoto, New Delhi
6. Store fresh herbs as you would fresh flowers: in a jar of water on your countertop. Pluck off what you need, change the water daily, and they'll last two to three times longer than they would in the fridge. You'll get the most extra mileage from flat-leaf parsley. -Jenny McGruther, food blogger, Nourishedkitchen.com
9. While cooking lentils or chicken, bring them to a boil for some time and separate the froth that accumulates on the top. This is collected dirt that should be removed before one covers the utensil with a lid. -Veena Arora, chef de cuisine, Spice Water Trail The Imperial, New Delhi
10. Don't throw away the peel of vegetables. Let them simmer in hot water and add some peppercorns and bay leaf to make vegetable stock. This stock can be used as a gravy base for dishes instead of plain water. This will add more flavour and nutritional benefits to your gravy. -Kapil Sethi, chef, Cavalli Caffe, New Delhi
Fried egg
11. When cooking brinjal, add a spoon of milk to a bowl of cold water; add the cut brinjal into it. The veggie will retain its colour without turning black. -Neha Malhotra, chef, Welcomhotel Sheraton, New Delhi
12. While cooking rice, add a few drops of lemon juice. The colour of the grains will become bright white. -Neha Malhotra
13. Always crack an egg on a flat surface, and never the edge of a bowl. Otherwise you'll risk shell shards and possible contamination of your food. -Aida Mollenkamp, food blogger, Aidamollenkamp.com
14. Mix soya flour or besan with atta (in 1:4 proportion) to make chapattis. This way you get all the essential amino acids for meal times. -Sheela Krishnaswamy, diet, nutrition and wellness consultant, Bengaluru
15. A runny-yolked fried egg adds instant richness and taste to pasta, rice and grain dishes. - Cara Eisenpress, food blogger, Biggirlssmallkitchen.com
16. If you have leftover gravy, take uncooked rice, measure out the gravy and add water (double the quantity of rice). Pressure cook for a couple of whistles, to make a pulao. -Rupali Dean
17. Always try and use fruit for sweetness-it lends added flavour, texture and colour, adding to the complexity. -Deeba Rajpal, recipe developer and food stylist
18. Make a slightly 'off' wine taste better by pairing it with cheese. Most cheese coat the palate and numb our senses to minor wine flaws. -Magandeep Singh, sommelier, New Delhi
19. Like food, drinks can benefit from quality ingredients. Fresh herbs, fruit, smoked salt and chillies are all wonderful additions to your bar. -Erin Scott
20. Assemble all your spices before you begin cooking, so you don't burn any. Preferably dry-roast them in the oven (120-140?C) for 3-10 minutes (depending on the spice and quantity-cinnamon for 3 minutes, star anise and black cardamom for 10). Your cue to taking them out: when they begin to release fragrant aromas. If you need to fry them, do so on the lowest heat, for a maximum of 35-40 seconds to avoid burning. -Rekha Kakkar, food photographer, New Delhi
An assorted platter of herbs and spices
21. Whenever possible, cook the whole chicken or fish to get more juiciness and better flavour. The carcass also makes a fantastic stock and can stretch your money by providing the base for a new meal. -Elana Amsterdam, foodblogger, Elanaspantry.com
22. Use wholegrains rather than refined ones for baking. In a recipe that lists refined flour as one of its ingredients; there's some form of fat in it (butter or oil). Take baby steps to ease maida out of your kitchen-try 50:50, gradually increase it. -Deeba Rajpal
23. Freeze fresh ginger and grate as needed. It will stay fresh for months. -Tara O'Brady, food blogger, Sevenspoons.net
24. Always roast (not boil) sweet potatoes in their skin. They're high in fibre, Vitamin A and anti-oxidants and are a great source of carbs. -Ishi Khosla, nutritionist, New Delhi
25. Anytime I turn on my oven, I think about what else I can cook. This saves energy and ensures that I always have healthy options available. -Tina Haupert, food blogger, Carrotsncake.com and a little of the boiling pasta water and stir like crazy (the heat should kill any bacteria). -Cara Eisenpress
26. Add dried fruit to oatmeal before you add the milk or water. The fruit will cook and plump up slightly, adding a juicier, more intense taste. -Sanura Weathers, food blogger, Myliferunsonfood.com
27. Always use the best extra-virgin olive oil you can afford in your pastas, for drizzling into soups, onto a risotto or for salads. Don't pour the extra-virgin olive oil into a hot pan or else it will burn. Heat the pan to a moderate temperature and either use pomace olive oil or drizzle the oil onto your meat, chicken or fish before cooking. -Saby, chef, Olive Bar & Kitchen, New Delhi
28. For a creamy pasta sauce that doesn't require a ton of butter or cheese, toss a room-temperature beaten egg with the hot pasta and a little of the boiling pasta water and stir like crazy (the heat should kill any bacteria). -Cara Eisenpress
29. Store tea in air-tight jars. Buy a little at a time (100-250 g), as tea absorbs moisture, so each time you open the jar you're exposing it, reducing flavour and freshness. -Sanjay Kapur, master tea taster, Sancha Tea, New Delhi
30. Do not use oil in the water when boiling pasta; it prevents the sauce from sticking to the cooked pasta and you do not get a mouth feel.-Sahil Arora, executive chef, Jaipur Marriott
A plate of freshly-made pasta
31. Make a non-messy version of dal to take to work easily: soak the dal, air-dry, add dry masalas (chilli powder, chaat masala, coriander, mint) and ovenroast them. -Pooja Makhija
32. The lack of a punt (The depression at the bottom of a bottle) is the sign of an average wine. Explanation: only cheap bottles are made without a punt and a winemaker would use a cheap bottle only for an entry-level product. -Magandeep Singh
33. For the smoothest mash potato, roast the potatoes with their skin (peel) on; peel and then pass it through a sieve. -Rishim Sachdeva, chef, Uzuri, New Delhi 34. To thicken soups, use boiled and mashed potatoes instead of white sauce to reduce the fat content of the soup. -Sheela Krishnaswamy
35. A good soup is made a day in advance. Let it sit in the fridge overnight, then warm it gently and all the flavours will marry beautifully.-Sara Forte, food blogger, Bysarahashley.com
36 Cut the crown of the pomegranate with a sharp knife, make a few cuts on the skin from the crown to the stem. Then, place it into a large bowl of chilled water. Break into sections, gently separating the seeds from the pulp, which will float to the top while the seed will sink to the bottom. Throw away the pulp and drain the seeds. -Manju Malhi, chef and author, UK
37. Wash your fruits and vegetables in apple cider vinegar and filtered water, including oranges, lemons and everything that has a skin (except bananas). -Soorya Kaur, raw food chef, New Delhi
38. To overcome the problem of undercooked dal add a tablespoon of oil to it before boiling. The oil helps to cook the dal/pulses perfectly; if using a pressure cooker, it also prevents the dal from overflowing out of the vessel. -Michael Swamy, chef, Mumbai
39. When barbecuing, place a whole whorl of garlic (unpeeled) on the grill. -Bakshish Dean, chef, Johnny Rockets, New Delhi
40. When seasoning a salad, use coarse sea salt mixed with a little olive oil; the salad will stay crunchy when combined with the vinaigrette, for a long time. -Sahil Arora
41. When sauteing onions, add a pinch of baking soda. It speeds browning and cuts cooking time practically in half. -Susan Voisin, food blogger, Blog.fatfreevegan.com
42. Brew tea this way for maximum flavour and benefit: boil 1 cup water; pour it over 1 tsp black tea leaves; steep for 5 minutes. In the case of green tea, use only 1/2 tsp leaves to 1 cup water, but never allow the water to boil. -Sanjay Kapur
43. Even if you're serving a simple meal, add a touch-garnish by adding an herb or vegetable garnish. You can also use spices. Enhance the setting with flowers or candles. Serve hors d'oeuvres on a rustic wooden cutting board. -Rekha Kakkar
44. Don't overcook your vegetables. Their nutrition value lies in them being eaten as fresh as possible or lightly cooked. -Rocky Singh, TV show host
48. To set yoghurt, add a litre of lukewarm milk (30?C) to a tablespoon of culture. Let it sit in a warm place, like over the refrigerator or set top box. Cover with your grandmother's tea cosy. If you find it doesn't set very well, change the culture. -Sharad Dewan, chef and area director, Park Hotels, Kolkata
46. To get a great side of green veggies, boil and salt water. Only then should you throw in vegetables so they don't lose flavour and colour. Let them boil for a couple of minutes, take out and shock with ice water, so they don't become mushy. -Vicky Ratnani, chef, TV host and cookbook author
47. When using herbs always use the stronger flavours such as rosemary at the start of your cooking when working with slow-Soak bitter greens, in a bowl of ice water in the fridge for about an hour to cut their bitterness. -Dina Avila, food blogger, Leeksoupblog.com
49. When cooking meat in a skillet, make sure to add it to hot oil and then cook at moderate heat to help seal in the juices. For added flavour and to reap in health benefits, cook in an iron skillet. -Tannie Baig
50. When baking with grain-free flours like amaranth, sorghum and almond, separate the eggs and whip the whites to soft peaks. It makes notoriously heavy flours light and cakelike. -Jenny McGruther
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