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To keep cottage cheese fresh, wrap it in a muslin cloth that has been dipped in lemon water.For a sweet and spicy flavour, place a small piece of star anise in the cavity of the chicken or duck before roasting or braising.
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To retain the crispiness of leftover fried poppadums while refrigerating, keep them in a plastic polythene bag.
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Chop chillies, etc. either with a steel knife or steel scissors. Do not use iron knives, etc. since the Pastes will tend to turn blackish later on.
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To prevent lumps while adding flour to any liquids, eg. Water, buttermilk,etc. first mix the flour in a little bit of the Liquid to form a smooth paste. Add this to the remaining liquid and stir well.
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To bake potatoes crisp and brown, soak the peeled potatoes in hot water for a while, pat dry and pierce all over with a fork before placing them in hot fat along with the roast.
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Iron
Synthetic fibres stick to the bottom of the iron. Cool the iron, then rub the affected surface with nail polish remover to get rid of the stickly matter.
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For use of green like sarson ki bhaji out of season, microwave to dehydrate till crisp. Soak in hot water for half an hour, before proceeding as for fresh bhaji.
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Fresh yeast should be stored in the refrigerator or should be frozen or else it will lose its effectiveness with age.
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Put leftover soup or soup stock in ice cube trays and freeze. The frozen soup cubes can be wrapped and stored in the freezer. This makes it possible to serve small amounts of soup or use the entire batch for another meal.
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Place cotton pads soaked in potato juice (grated and extracted from raw potato) over eyes, to remove puffiness. Regular use will reduce dark circles from under eyes.
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Jari Work - Shine
Bring the shine back on jari work of a saree by rubbing alum powder on the work with a small soft brush. Dust off and wipe.
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Clothing Appearence
Black and blue coloured clothes which have faded, look new if dipped in concentrated aquamarine blue solution.
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Sandwiches will keep fresh and moist if put in a polyethylene bag or wrapped in waxed paper or in aluminum foil.
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Fresh soft dates should be kept in plastic bags in the refrigerator. They will keep fresh for weeks.
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When the sewing machine gets stuck on a thick, coarse cloth, rub the area on which you wish to run the machine with a candle.
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For those who do not care for a spicy taste, you can sprinkle some grated cheese on the dosa while shallowfrying. Eat with sauce instead of chutney. This will suit the taste of those who are used to bland foods.
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Once the menu is decided for any party, write down the ingredients needed, next to each recipe. It avoids a lot of last minute shopping and running around.
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Mehndi
To make mehndi come out brighter, rub a little sesame oil on palms before applying, and dab a swab of cotton soaked in mustard oil after applying. This way the mehndi will not fall off soon after drying up.
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To quicken the process of making any vegetable where the vegetable needs to be cooked for long, wash, drain sprinkle a little salt, and microwave covered, till done. Simultaneously, proceed on stove, to make the remaining recipe. Add the microwaved vegetable and finish off cooking. This way, the vegetable is cooked with minimum water, in its own juices, and reduces cooking time considerably. But take care to add lesser water to masala, since the vegetable will not be cooked for so long.
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To keep carrots fresh for longer, cut the tops off and place them in a plastic bag in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator.
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