Good cooking is mostly small habits: how you store things, how you prepare, and how you look after your tools. These are the habits that save the most time, money and waste in an Indian kitchen.
Storage hacks
1. Coriander that lasts a week. Trim the roots, stand the bunch in a glass of water, cover the leaves loosely with a plastic bag and keep it in the fridge. Change the water every two days. Or wrap the dry leaves in a paper towel and keep them in an airtight box.
2. Curry leaves for weeks. Strip the leaves off the stem, wash and dry them completely, then store them in an airtight box lined with a paper towel in the fridge. For longer, freeze them in a zip bag and use them straight from the freezer.
3. Green chillies that don’t rot. Pull off the stems (rot often starts there), then store the chillies dry in an airtight box with a paper towel in the fridge.
4. Ginger-garlic paste that keeps. Grind it with a little salt and a spoonful of oil, and store it in a clean, dry glass jar in the fridge. Always use a dry spoon. For a month’s supply, freeze it in an ice-cube tray and pop out one cube at a time.
5. Onions and potatoes apart. Store them separately in a cool, dry, airy place. Kept together, potatoes tend to sprout faster and onions soften.
6. Tomatoes out of the fridge until ripe. Unripe tomatoes ripen and taste better at room temperature. Move them to the fridge only once they’re fully ripe and you need a few more days.
7. Keep atta, rice and dal free of insects. Store them in clean, dry, airtight containers and don’t add new stock on top of old. Many Indian homes add dried neem or bay leaves to the container, a traditional method worth trying, but airtight storage does most of the work.
8. Masalas that keep their aroma. Buy whole spices and grind small batches. Keep ground masalas in airtight jars away from the stove’s heat and steam, never above the cooktop.
Cooking hacks
9. Softer rotis. Knead the dough with warm water until it’s soft, cover it, and rest it for 20–30 minutes. Cook on a properly hot tawa, then stack the rotis in a casserole lined with a cloth.
10. Fluffier idlis. Soak urad dal and rice separately. Grind the urad dal with cold water (or a few ice cubes) so the batter doesn’t heat up. In winter, ferment the batter somewhere warm, such as inside a switched-off oven with only the light on.
11. Crisper dosas. Make sure the tawa is hot: sprinkle a few drops of water, and they should sizzle away at once. Wipe the tawa with half an onion dipped in oil between dosas, and spread the batter thin.
12. Fixing a dish that’s too salty. Dilute it. Add more of the unsalted base (water, cooked dal, tomato purée, cream or coconut milk), then rebalance the spices. A potato absorbs a little liquid but removes very little salt.
13. Rice that doesn’t stick. Rinse the rice 2–3 times until the water runs clearer. Soak basmati for 20–30 minutes. Cook it in plenty of water with a few drops of lemon juice, or a little ghee.
14. Soft paneer. Soak packaged paneer in hot, lightly salted water for about 10 minutes before you add it to the gravy.
15. Crisper pakoras. Add a spoonful of rice flour to the besan batter, and a spoonful of hot oil from the kadhai just before frying. Fry in batches so the oil stays hot.
16. Faster garlic peeling. Soak the cloves in warm water for 10 minutes, or put them in a closed steel dabba and shake hard for 20–30 seconds.
17. Quicker tamarind. Soak tamarind in hot water for 15 minutes instead of cold water for an hour, then squeeze out the pulp.
18. Saving gas. Cover the pan when boiling water or dal, keep the flame under the vessel (not licking up the sides), and soak dal and rajma beforehand so they cook faster.
Pressure cooker hacks
19. Fill it half full for dal and rice. Never more than two-thirds full for anything else, unless your manual says otherwise. Foaming food can block the vent.
20. Less froth with dal. A few drops of oil or ghee in the dal reduce the froth that spits from the whistle.
21. Check the gasket and vent. Clean the vent pipe regularly, and replace the rubber gasket when it’s hard, cracked, or steam leaks from the rim. Use only the brand’s original replacement parts.
Cleaning hacks
22. Burnt kadhai or pan. Boil water with 2 tablespoons of baking soda in it for 10 minutes, let it cool, then scrub with a soft scrubber. Repeat for stubborn burns.
23. Turmeric stains. On a countertop, rub on a paste of baking soda and water and wipe it off after a few minutes. On cloth, wash it and dry it in direct sunlight, which fades turmeric remarkably well.
24. Mixer jar in 30 seconds. Half-fill the jar with warm water and a drop of dish soap, run it for a few seconds, then rinse. Don’t soak the bottom of the jar, where the blade assembly is.
25. A clean microwave. Heat a microwave-safe bowl of water with lemon slices for 3–5 minutes, leave the door shut for a few more minutes, then wipe. The steam loosens dried-on food.
26. Fridge smells. Keep an open bowl of baking soda on a shelf and replace it every month or two.
27. Drains. Never pour used oil down the sink; wipe greasy pans with paper first. Flush the drain with hot water once a week.
Appliance hacks
28. Mixer grinder. Run it in short spells (a minute or so), not continuously, and fill jars only to the mark. If the motor stops, let it cool and press the overload reset button underneath.
29. Air fryer. Pre-heat for just 2–3 minutes, don’t overcrowd the basket, and shake or flip halfway through. More in our air fryer buying guide.
30. RO water purifier. Collect the reject water in a bucket and use it for mopping or flushing. See our RO vs UV vs UF guide to check you need RO at all.
Myths worth dropping
- “A potato fixes salty curry.” It only dilutes slightly. Adding more unsalted base works better.
- “Adding salt to the oil stops it spitting.” It doesn’t do much. Dry your ingredients well before they go into hot oil.
- “Washing chicken removes germs.” It spreads them around your sink. Cook it thoroughly instead.
Have a hack we’ve missed? Write to us; the best ones go into the next update.
Frequently asked questions
Does a potato really fix a curry that's too salty?
Not really. A potato absorbs some of the liquid, and the salt in it, but it removes very little salt overall. The reliable fix is to dilute: add more of the unsalted base, such as water, cooked dal, tomato purée, cream or coconut milk, then adjust the other spices.
How do I keep coriander fresh for longer?
Trim the roots and stand the bunch in a glass of water, like flowers, then cover the leaves loosely and keep it in the fridge. Or wrap the dry leaves in a paper towel and store them in an airtight box. Either way, it usually stays fresh for a week or more.
How full can I fill a pressure cooker?
Follow your cooker's manual. As a general rule, manufacturers say not to fill above two-thirds, and only half full for foods that foam or expand, like dal and rice. Overfilling can block the vent.
How do I make rotis stay soft?
Knead the dough with warm water until it's soft, then let it rest, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes. Roll the rotis evenly, cook them on a hot tawa, and keep them in a casserole or box lined with a cloth so the steam keeps them soft.
