Weight, Measures, Cooking Times, and Cooking Tips, collected by Carlos Mirasierras

31) You can soak beans of different kinds in advance and store them in the fridge once
done. So when you want to have rajma, you can just take out from the fridge the
amount needed at that moment.
32) If you are using a whole onion to make a stock, make cut an X at the base of the
peeled onion. This will help release the flavor into the stock.
33) Whenever you are deep frying potato wedges, croquettes or similar ingredient, add
pinch of salt to the oil to reduce the amount of oil absorbed by the food.
34) When making a tomato based pasta sauce, add a little grated or ground carrot. It
adds a small element of sweetness and reduces the acidic, and sourness of tomatoes.
Also, a tsp of sugar, when cooking the tomato sauce, is helpful.
35) It better to wipe or brush mushrooms clean of any dirt. They absorb water easily,
and washing them under a running tap or leaving them soaked will make them taste
watery.
36) Before frying a fillet of fish, let it rest on a kitchen towel for a few minutes on each
side. The excess water will be absorbed and this will enhance the flavor of pan fried or
sautéed fish. Also, as with meats, don't salt it to avoid the release of natural fluids that
will render the meat (fish, beef, poultry, etc.) dry and tasteless; once the meats are
cooked, fried, sautéed, etc., salt can be added to taste on them.
37) To get the maximum juice out of a lemon or a lime, roll it hard on the kitchen
countertop using your palm. This helps release more juice.
38) Cutting bacon or pancetta is easier after they have been sitting in the freezer for a
little while and have become firm.
39) If a recipe calls for fresh herbs, and you don't have them, you can use dried ones.
However, you will have to use one fourth the quantity, as dry herbs have a much more
intense flavor.
40) Avoid using tamarind, lime or other souring agents in green leafy preparations. Acid
reduces the nutritional properties of greens.
41) To give mashed potatoes a creamy consistency, stir in warm milk.
42) Before grating cheese, rub some oil onto the grater. This will ensure that the
cheese doesn't stick to the grater.
43) When boiling pasta add salt generously, at least one teaspoon per liter of water.
The pasta will absorb only as much as it needs.
44) To maintain the freshness of herbs like parsley, coriander, basil or curry leaves put
them in a plastic bag, blow air into the bag so that it puffs up like a balloon and put the
inflated bag in the refrigerator.
45) To prevent pieces of cut apple or pear from turning black, squeeze a little lime juice
on them or sprinkle a little bit of crushed mustard (or mustard powder).

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