I am creating this thread to share cooking tips and secrets.

Here are some of mine:

* It is easier to cut tomatoes if you refrigerate them first.

* To ensure fermentation of idli or dosa batter in cold weather, keep it enclosed for example in a pressure cooker or microwave, or cover it with a woolen cloth to insulate it. Fermentation releases some heat and keeping this heat from getting lost will improve fermentation.

* To prevent rice from being sticky, add some salt, lemon juice and ghee after washing, and keep aside for half an hour before cooking. This is particularly helpful for new or fresh rice.

* To avoid black coating on edges of pans, always add oil or ghee over the food being cooked and not directly on the pan.

* To remove black coating or buildup inside a pan, boil salt water in it.

* When cooking in a pressure cooker, lower heat once pressure is built up. Boiling point of water is constant at a given pressure, and applying a higher amount of heat will only waste energy, but not reduce cooking time. When cooking in a pan, lower heat once it comes to a boil for the same reason.