Summer is here! More importantly the holidays are here! Finally, you have a lot of time to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. Like take over the kitchen. Chase your mom out and make something that your entire family can enjoy. All it takes is some planning and following that plan to make yourself the master of your kitchen.
Let’s talk about the different ways of preparing food. Over the course of centuries, we have developed many ways of cooking food. You only have to watch the cooking shows on TV to see that people are still innovating methods of cooking. It is a never-ending quest for creating something new. Here are some techniques commonly used.
Raw
The most common raw dishes we eat are salads. There are endless combinations possible and you can experiment with adding fruits like apple or watermelon. You can also try different salad dressings like vinaigrettes or honey mustard and use variety of cheeses like buffalo mozzarella and feta too.
Bake
An easy way to cook is to let the oven do the work for you. You can make an easy bake with pasta, white sauce and veggies of your choice. Sprinkle grated cheese on top, bake it and amaze your family with your expertise. Or bake a cake. Or a pudding. Or some cookies.
Boil
I love mashed potatoes! Don’t you? One of the best ways to cook potato is to boil it. And then you can mash them or make a salad or aloo paranthas or poriyal too.
Grill
Grilling is a healthy way to cook food as we use less oil. You can get a grill pan for your stove, do a barbeque or use the grill in the oven. You may think grilling is mostly for meats, but try grilling pineapple slices, zucchini or asparagus and you’ll change your mind!
Fry
This is a favourite with many. It can be unhealthy too, but it makes everything so delicious that we don’t care. But let’s try and eat less of the fully fried stuff, ok? You can deep fry anything — delicious French fries, vada , pakoras , puris , bajjis , doughnuts, samosas , jilebis . Some people even fry ice cream!
Sautée
A quick way of cooking, which is also healthy, is to sauté. It is veggies or meats cooked in a hot pan with just a little oil or butter. The Chinese use this technique a lot. Have you seen them tossing food around in the huge woks? That’s a sauté.
Steam
Steaming makes for the healthiest of all foods. Idlis the south Indian favourite, and Tibetans love their momos . Get a bamboo steam basket and experiment with veggies too.
Frozen
The best thing for summer is frozen food — ice creams and sorbet will help beat the heat. You can also make any fresh fruit juice and freeze them for fabulous popsicles!
Remember
Don’t be afraid to try new combinations, for you never know what can be magic together.
While deep frying anything, stand back and let an adult help.
Plan a balanced meal so that you have healthy food along with some irresistible dishes
Try a new method for an old dish, like baking doughnuts instead of frying, or grilling paneer instead of boiling it.
