Make your own garam masala (all spice). You can chose to include or exclude any spices that you may not like. 100 grams of cumin seeds (jeera), 50 grams of black pepper corn(kali mirch), 25 grams of cloves (laung), 5 brown cardamom (badi elaichi) and 5 bay leaves (tez patta). Roast them in microwave moving it after every minute. Roast for 3-4 minutes or until brown. Grind it coarsely and save in an airtight jar.
Category: Tips
How do I manage excess cooked food? Freeze or not?
Freezing food is a good way to have meals on the go! Whether it be leftovers or extra big batches made for future consumption, it is important to know how to store different foods. Here are some steps to make sure that frozen/refrigerated food is safe to eat and the taste is well preserved for your next meal:
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- Freeze any fresh cooked food only once it cools down and reaches room temperature. You can quicken the cooling process by placing food in a shallow container on a cooling rack to allow air to circulate all around the container. Limiting the depth of food in containers to 2 inches or less leads to quick cooling.
- You can refrigerate practically any recipe of fresh cooked food if you are not going to use it for the next 2-3 days. If you plan to use the cooked food within this time, it is perfectly safe to keep it in fridge, it does not need to take up freezer space!
Store/freeze excess cooked food in small differently sized containers or freezer bags (not storage bags) so that you only reheat/thaw the amount needed for that meal. 
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If using freezer bags try to flattened the food into a thin layer. A lumpy or rounded shape takes longer to thaw through to the middle.
Flat packages are also better for stacking in your freezer.
4. If you had to freeze a large container but want to eat a part of it at a time, be careful when refreezing partly thawed food. The thawed food can be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals. Try to reduce the time between thawing and refreezing to ensure that the food to be refrozen does not thaw completely.
Also check- How best to thaw frozen food? and Facts to know with freezing and thawing cooked food.
Tested home remedy to fade scars
Some scars that result from measles or severe acne can be with you for life. I recall an easy home remedy that I tried and found very useful in my University days after I had an encounter with measles. For this scrub that takes away the scars and marks all you need is:
- 1/4 cup of rice, soaked overnight in water
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder (optional)
- milk-30 ml.
Here are the steps to follow:
- Coarsely grind rice in a grinder
- Add turmeric powder and milk
- Scrub affected area gently in circular motion for 3-4 minutes.
- You may want to spread the mix on all of your face and neck and leave it on for 5-10 minutes to get your skin glowing in addition to fading the scars you are working on.
Adding turmeric powder will bring glow to your skin. Turmeric is an antiseptic and is highly recommended all skin types to cure skin problems like acne, burn marks, psoriasis and much more. Its anti-inflammatory powers are used to reduce the signs of ageing, exfoliate dead skin, clear the skin and ease eczema.
Is your freezer empty? Save energy- fill it up!
Did the title surprise you? I am sure it did, but it is a fact that it is more economical and energy efficient to have a full freezer. Getting rid of empty space ensures that the cold air doesn’t need to circulate as much, so less power is needed and consumed!
Consider filling up all this free space with anything you can freeze. Everyday items such as frozen herbs/vegetables or breads are good options, as well as course chopped garlic, ginger and green chillies. If you do not have much to freeze though, you can also fill plastic bottles half full of water and use them to fill gaps.
It may sounds crazy, but a third option is to fill the freezer with your unwashed jeans! They would need to be properly wrapped in plastic covering, with all the air released from the plastic bag. This is actually the latest method of washing jeans that Levi’s CEO Chip Bergh advises. Freeze your jeans to kill the germs that make them smelly! People are getting on board with this whacky technique, and you can too!
Whether it’s everyday food items, space fillers or unwashed jeans, get that freezer filled up and save on energy!
How best to thaw frozen food?
Plan ahead! Smaller items can thaw overnight in the refrigerator, however foods weighing 1 kilo or more will take about 24 hours in the fridge to thaw.- It is best to thaw the freezer bags on a plate or a pan so that moisture does not drip.
- Food may be transferred from a freezer bag to a microwave safe container for thawing in the microwave.
- Food thawed in the microwave tends to quickly reach temperatures that boost bacterial growth, so plan to cook or reheat it right away.
Also check- How do I manage excess cooked food? Freeze or not? and Facts to know with freezing and thawing
Facts to know with freezing and thawing cooked food
- Always discard any items in the freezer that have come into contact with raw meat juices.
- Do not leave cooked food at room temperature for too long before freezing. Remember, we freeze food because bacteria develops when its left at room temperature.
- Thawing completely and then refreezing food not only loses taste, texture, and nutrients but could also result in the development of bacteria due to frequent temperature changes.
- Never taste food to determine whether it is safe to eat. You also should not rely too heavily on appearance to determine whether the food is safe. If in doubt, throw it out.
Also check- How do I manage excess cooked food? Freeze or not? and How best to thaw frozen food?
Plant in a vase-पानी में पौधा
Green looks beautiful indoors, more so if it is in water. Here is a nifty trick to being some greenery inside your home on your kitchen counter or into your family room. A green herb or indoor plant with its roots showing in clear water not only adds vibrance to a room but also has other benefits. Like a mint twig in a room keeps bugs and mosquitoes away. Easily available indoor plants like a creeper, English Ivy, bamboo plant or money plant in water adds beauty and freshness to any room decor.
You need minimal materials for this project. A glass vase, water, a plastic drink cap and a plant. Check out the video above to see how to get through with this quick project.
Handy Tips:
- Make sure you do not leave any detergent residue in the glass vase where you want to put this plant as it may result in developing bacteria that may kill the plant.
- Do not change water often as all algae that has developed will be lost. Algae helps keep plant healthy.
Healthy Water-पुदीना पानी
All of us know drinking enough water is good for general health. And what if you can drink some healthy water every time you take a sip. Mint has one of the highest antioxidant capacities of any food.
Mint has a natural acid which has been studied for its effectiveness in relieving seasonal allergy symptoms. Mint is known to be a natural treatment for common cold, indigestion, pain relief, heart burns, gastric ulcers, skin and oral health.
Every time you fill up a pitcher of water for yourself, family or the guests, add a few mint leaves. Squeeze or crush them with clean hands before putting them in water. Add a few pieces of lime or lemon to help cleanse your digestive system. Lemon and lime also help to control fat and grease in your body.
Enjoy this healthy yet simple concoction every day.
Kitchen Freshness Advice-महकती रसोई सलाह
When doing a lot of cooking with spices and herbs and your kitchen and home is filled with the aromas and odours, keep a pot of water on the stove constantly boiling with few cut pieces of lemon or lime while you finish with the cooking. It will keep the strong smells away and will neutralize the unwanted redolences in the kitchen space.
Roasted Garlic-भुनी लहसुन
As healthy as garlic is, it adds a distinct flavour to our foods. This stinking rose, if roasted does wonders and turns an ordinary recipe into a gourmet meal. Check out the steps below for a quick way to always have roasted garlic ready with you to add to any recipe.
STEPS:
Step 1. Cut the garlic bulb into half horizontally.
Step 2. Wrap the halves of bulbs in silver foil and throw it in the oven when the oven is already in use for something else. Roast for 15-20 minutes.
Step 3. When the foil cools down, open the foil and hold the half cut bulb in the foil and press it to squeeze roasted garlic out of it. It will smoothly come out completely mess free leaving the shell of the cloves within the foil.
Step 4. Store roasted cloves in an airtight container in the fridge. These can be stored for months without it going bad.
Handy Tip:
Add mashed roasted garlic to yogurt dips, hummus or any other recipe that requires garlic as an ingredient.
Four Steps or Less 