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Of course you can buy dried herbs from the superstore. But it is far more economical to dry herbs at home for use in various food items.

You can dry herbs on racks, slats or by placing upside down by their stems. They don’t need sunlight for drying and a well-ventilated, dry and cool environment is good enough. The vital requirement is that the herbs should be exposed to air and turned around after 2-3 days.

You can always place the herbs on an absorbent paper in a microwave and cook on the lowest setting for about 3 minutes for quick drying.

The very presence of spices in our kitchen is due to their unique flavor. So it is important to store them in a cool and dark place if you wish to preserve the flavor for long. Heat, humidity and excessive light damage the flavor of the spices.

You can safely store spices and dry herbs in small plastic or glass containers with a tight lid. Ensure that the plastic you use is food-grade. If all these factors are taken care of, dried herbs and ground spices can remain fresh for around a year too, while whole spices last for up to three years.

After a while of using spices in your food, you can get bored of the predictable taste that these spices give to the dish. One of my neighbors shared this tip with me.

You can try replacing herbs and spices required to be put in recipes with some other things such as Marjoram instead of oregano, savory in place of thyme, cilantro instead of parsley, and anise seed instead of fennel. Other than Indian dishes, limit the number of spices to three at a time.

This way you can gain expertise in food preparation and you can surprise your guests at the party!

Spices add a lovely aroma to the food preparation. Did you know that cooking spices for a long time leads to strong flavors? There are some other tips for including spices while cooking.

Some dishes that require a long time for cooking like soups and stews need to be seasoned with herbs and spices only an hour or lesser before actually serving them. You can also crush the herbs slightly prior to adding them.

Dry spices should be added when you start cooking a dish, while fresh herbs or spices should be added towards the end of the cooking for better results.

My kid loves the kiwi fruit but does not like its outer appearance. I did not know how to peel the kiwi conveniently for consumption, so I asked a friend. Here is what I learnt.

To start, use a corer to remove the root and stem end of the kiwi. After this, take any spoon from your flat kitchenware. Insert this spoon between the skin and the meat of the kiwi. Turn the spoon entirely around the fruit till the skin is separated from the main fruit.

This is easy and the peeled kiwi slips out of its skin, ready to be sliced and served!

I am going to tell you how to cook eggs in proper ways today. There are several cooking techniques such as poaching, hard cooking, scrambling, frying and baking that are safe.

Remember to cook the eggs wholly till the yolk is firm. Scrambled eggs must not be left runny. Casseroles and other recipes that use eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees F to destroy any possible bacteria like salmonella. Use the food thermometer to actually measure the temperature and avoid any risk.

Let me know what else can be done to cook eggs safely and some egg recipes will also do!

I am really crazy about attractive plastic containers. I am sure you too love to watch such colorful containers stacked one upon another in a super store.

Whenever you buy such containers, check that the plastic used is suitable for storing fresh food and other dry food items that last for a few days. This plastic has to be ‘food-grade’ as the food will remain in it at least for a few hours.

A low quality plastic will be cheaper to buy, but it will react with the food contents and can cause deterioration of food stored. So be careful!

Check out the packaging of meat prior to buying it. Be careful about any holes in the pack, any wear and also make sure that this package is cool when you touch it. It is dangerous to buy meat that is not kept in the refrigerator or cooled in some way or the other as it may harbor bacteria.

You already know that raw meats must not be brought into contact with other food items to prevent cross-contamination. Use plastic bags to store the meat and seal it well. This will not let the juice leak from the stored meat.