Little tricks and tips go a long way in the kitchen. It may enhance a flavour, save time, help in organisation or even mindset. Professional chefs often pick up these habits with experience, from mentors, family traditions or through trial and error. My Kolkata asked a few Kolkata chefs to share the one kitchen tip they swear by.
‘Soak greens in ice-cold water to retain their crunch’
“One kitchen tip that I always follow, and one that can truly revive greens that are looking tired or starting to go limp, is to soak them in ice-cold water for five to ten minutes to make them crisp again. Even better, if you want to make something like a papaya salad, grate the papaya, place it in ice-cold water and keep it in the fridge for a couple of hours. The crispness and crunchiness honestly change the entire character of the dish.
You can do this with all your herbs and greens, and even with raw papaya, lettuce and cabbage. It really helps them retain their crunch.”
— Chef Urvika Kanoi, owner of The Daily Kolkata and Cafe Duco in Mumbai
‘Crush herbs before adding them to a dish’
“When adding herbs like curry leaves or kasuri methi to a dish, I always crush them lightly between my palms first. Rubbing them together generates a bit of heat, which helps release their essential oils and makes the flavours far more pronounced in the final dish. It’s a simple trick, but it really elevates the aroma. I actually learnt this from Michelin-star chef Vineet Bhatia, and I’ve followed it ever since — it truly makes a difference.”
— Chef Oindrila Bala, owner, The Sweet Spot
‘The most important thing in the kitchen is the energy you bring into it’
“People often say we cook with our hands, but I believe we actually cook with our minds, our intuition and our taste buds. For me, one of the most important things in the kitchen is the energy you bring into it — your focus, your concentration and your intent. When you cook with a clear mind and positive energy, it naturally reflects in the food. In a way, you are working with nature and recreating the energy of the earth through what you make. This is something I learnt from my family, especially my father and my great-grandmother. She would tell me stories like this when I was a child, and those ideas have stayed with me and continue to inspire the way I cook today.”
— Chef Amrita Bhattacharya, Handpicked By Amrita
‘Clean your workstation after every order’
“One kitchen tip that I personally follow a lot in my studio is a quick cleanup of the workstation after every service or order. A decluttered table allows you to be calm and composed while prepping for the next step. This is something that I have learned from my personal experience of being in the industry for almost 10 years.”
— Chef Suchi Dutta, owner of 21B, A Dessert Co
‘Cold rice makes fluffier fried rice’
“When frying onion, garlic, nuts, bread, do not wait for the ingredients to reach the desired colour. Take them out when they are lighter in colour, because once they are removed from the oil the cooking does not stop. If you keep them in the oil until the perfect colour, they will burn and darken. The same rule applies to rice. Take it off the heat when it is about 90 per cent cooked or it may turn mushy. Also, fried rice is best made with day-old rice from the refrigerator. Cold rice makes fluffier fried rice. This is something I learnt from my 22 years of experience.”
— Chef Rahul Arora, home chef
‘Sharpen your knife, not your tongue’
“Sharpening your knife every day instead of your tongue. With time, I learnt that kitchen operations are always hectic and stressful. But bad-mouthing people is not necessary to deal with that pressure.”
— Koyel Roy Nandy, co-head chef, Sienna