Kitchen Tips: Start 2020 With These 5 Tips And Make Your Life In Kitchen Easier

The one place that is more crammed than all other rooms in the house is kitchen. For cooking a variety of foods every day, we need scores of things to help us come out with a delicious dish or drink every time. More often than not, we start making something that crops up in our mind and suddenly realise we don't have one or more of the raw ingredients we need. We are sure this happens with many of you too. Human mind can remember only so much, after all. Instead of beating yourself up for not penning down those foods in your last grocery shopping list, try a more structured way to organise your kitchen routines.

With a well-equipped pantry, you won't have to stress that much. This New Year 2020, make a resolution to keep your kitchen more organised and cooking-friendly. To help you out, we listed down some basic kitchen tips you should follow at the start of the year to make your life easy in your kitchen for the rest of the year.

5 New Kitchen Tips You Must Follow This Year

1. Grow Your Own Herbs

There are many foods you can grow in your little kitchen garden, which will ensure you consume unadulterated, fresh produce that is available all the time. Common foods like basil (tulsi), curry leaves, tomatoes and mint leaves can be easily grown at home with minimal effort. And don't fret if you don't have a kitchen garden, you can always plant the seeds in small pots and keep them near your kitchen window or in your balconies. 

(Also Read: Kitchen Tips: 5 Desi Kitchen Hacks To Make Cooking Easier And Fun)

^{Grow herbs and other foods at home to access fresh produce.} 

2. Stock Different Types Of Cooking Oils

Stock your pantry in January 2020 with different types of cooking oils to help you make a variety of foods. For instance, olive oil can be used for salads and Italian foods, vegetable oil for Indian cooking and frying, mustard oil for some traditional recipes, coconut oil for south-Indian dishes, red or white cooking wine for creating gourmet treats on special occasions.

3. Keep Baking Ingredients Ready

There are times when you crave for something sweet but hold yourself from eating from outside. You can whip up various sweet treats for yourself easily if you have baking ingredients handy at home. So, stash you kitchen cabinet with baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, corn starch, corn syrup, yeast and brown sugar.

4. Pre-Make Homemade Sauces And Pastes

Plan in advance and make-ahead base sauces and pastes for you dishes. Pesto sauce for pasta, schezwan sauce for Chinese meals, hummus and curd dips for snacks and sandwiches, ginger-garlic paste for all kinds of cooking, marinade mix for non-vegetarian dishes - all these can be planned and kept ready in advance to save last-minute effort and time.

(Also Read: 5 Kitchen Tips To Peel And Cut Your Veggies The Right Way)

^{Make common sauces like pesto sauce in advance and store them.} 

5. Powder Your Spices

Some spices are used in their powdered form for cooking. Grinding them right at the time of cooking may be cumbersome. You need jeera powder for raita, cinnamon powder for smoothies, black pepper powder for almost all dishes, and so on. Good news is - you can powder your spices and store them in air-tight containers, which will be good for use for a long time.

Follow these kitchen tips and ace your kitchen escapades like a pro throughout the year.