7 Issues in My Pakistani Kitchen That Make Cooking Simpler + Faster

I’ve just lately been down and off the scenes as a result of an unlucky bout of the dreaded carpel tunnel syndrome. For many who do not know what that’s, it is some fairly painful nerve ache within the wrist and fingers which limits my hand motion and grip.

It is not extreme, fortunately – however I do nonetheless must take it straightforward and relaxation my hand as a lot as doable. So naturally, one of many areas this has impacted me is within the kitchen.

We’re on month 3 of life with carpel tunnel, and through this time I’ve discovered A LOT about how you can optimise issues within the kitchen for the sake of my wrists. This spurred on the concept for this put up – issues I exploit across the kitchen to make issues simpler, which might do you good too. I’ve all the time been large on having an arsenal of instruments that assist make cooking simpler and faster, while nonetheless maxing out on flavour. The final 3 months have simply actually drilled house the significance of that arsenal.

Notice that not all of those suggestions are straight associated to my carpel tunnel. I have been fully unable to make use of a knife or do a variety of my normal cooking, however every thing I am sharing with you might be issues which have helped me out frequently. I hope you discover some inspiration from this listing!

Makes use of: to make cooking simpler, faster and extra palms off (amongst a plethora of different issues). Full overview right here.

This gadget tops my listing. Fairly frankly, this single buy has completely remodeled the way in which I prepare dinner and method my time within the kitchen.

A standard, normal stove-top strain cooker shouldn’t be for the faint hearted… or the forgetful, or these occupied with a dozen different duties. In a nutshell, the Prompt Pot takes all of the tense components out of a stove-top strain cooker, with further perks too.

I’ve all the time owned a stove-top strain cooker however not often used it. I completely despise preserving monitor of when it is sealed, so I can calculate when to show the warmth off – as a result of even an additional minute or so of strain cooking can imply overcooked meals. When you have children, you may know generally you simply can NOT persist with these instances. An pressing, catastrophic combat, a spilt drink, an emergency booty name – you recognize the drill.

With the Prompt Pot, the timer perform throws all these worries out of the window. You need to prepare dinner your mutton for quarter-hour? Set it up for quarter-hour, and stroll away just like the easy home queen/king that you’re. I can attend to any offspring emergencies, put the children (or myself) to sleep, interact in prolonged calls and even go away the home and I needn’t fear for a single second concerning the meals I am cooking as a result of that child will flip off in quarter-hour 💅🏼.

The Prompt Pot I’ve is especially neat as a result of it additionally has an air-fry, bake, grill and dehydrate setting. I exploit the air-fry setting nearly every day and I *love* how a lot use I get from this one gadget.

To learn extra about my Prompt Pot, I wrote a full overview about it right here.

Makes use of: to conveniently infuse the flavour of complete spices into meals, while not having to fish them out manually afterwards.

I am a pulao lady through-and-through. My pulao recipes all use a heavy hand on the entire spices. However hey, nobody likes biting into peppercorns and cardamoms. Previously, I’ve used a muslin fabric or a clear, permeable dish fabric to create a spice ‘bag’ – a potli, to wrap the entire spices in, so that they infuse into the rice and will be eliminated seamlessly.

And this works nice, however generally I am a lazy lady and neglect to clean my fabric. Or I neglect to purchase new ones. I am unable to be the one one, certainly.

I bought this spice infuser some time again and it has categorically made making pulao SUCH a breeze that I am unable to imagine it took me 10 years of cooking to find it. It might work nice for something you need to infuse a heavy hand of complete spices into, like Korma. It might even work nice for masala chai!

Makes use of: to cut finer and faster, which reduces prepare dinner time and improves meals texture

I by no means actually understood individuals who acquired excited over cooking knives. I simply need to reduce an onion, how a lot luxurious do I want?

Nicely, I used to be flawed. I used to be really despatched a pair of serrated knives as a present from an Etsy vendor who is unfortunately not energetic, and so they’ve created a domino impact within the kitchen for me that goes like this:

1. I chop my onions and tomatoes. As a result of the knife is so exact and sharp, I get a wonderful tremendous wonderful cube, which may be very satisfying.
2. As a result of the knife is so sharp, I whizz by way of it at speeds I by no means knew have been doable, saving me time.
3. As a result of the onions and tomatoes are finely diced, they soften into my curries faster, saving me extra time.
4. As a result of every thing integrates so superbly into my curries, my meals has a greater texture and visually appears higher. And likewise, I need not get out an immersion blender to get a clean texture.

See that domino impact? You will by no means return as soon as you recognize this life.

I’ve linked the type of knives I exploit and love here.

Makes use of: for clean bases for curries like Aloo Gosht, for fast raitas and chutneys with out the trouble of a stand-alone blender.

This can be a godsend for instances once you want one thing clean ASAP and haven’t got the time to cut something finely or wait round for issues to prepare dinner down. The immersion blender wins my coronary heart over a countertop blender as a result of it is very handy to whip out, you possibly can mix straight in your cooking pot, and it would not take up useful kitchen actual property.

I like to recommend getting an immersion blender with a removable blades as a result of it makes cleansing up quite a bit simpler. I like to recommend this one.

Makes use of: handy method to mince contemporary garlic

In the event you love contemporary garlic, however have bother doing it in bulk as an environment friendly and sensible particular person would, and do not love doing it contemporary in a blender/pestle and mortar each time, I’ve discovered this garlic press hits the precise stability for me.

I favor the form of the garlic press pictured above as a result of I simply discover it simpler to wash and use than the extra normal sort you possibly can see here – however truthfully, you possibly can choose whichever you favor!

Makes use of: palms off dough kneading in an equipment that has different capabilities not simply associated to dough

We’re a roti household through-and-through, however one factor I’m NOT is a fan of kneading the dough. And with my current struggles with carpel tunnel, kneading has been a complete no-go space for me.

I bought this meals processor some time again, and my largest requirement for it was a kneading attachment together with all the opposite normal attachments. Who would not like an equipment that does a number of jobs in a single? I like how a lot house it saves, how cost-efficient having one equipment is over having a number of, and naturally I really like having all these jobs completed for me 💅🏼

By way of kneading dough, it is not as streamlined as a Kitchenaid could be, however that is wonderful by me. I am a easy gal. So long as the job is getting completed, I am not complaining.

This meals processor additionally has a chop, grate and emulsify setting which come in useful too.

Makes use of: to shortly crush complete spices into powder

Admittedly, this hasn’t been getting a lot love since my carpel tunnel conundrum. However I’ve all the time favor a pestle and mortar over another equipment to crush my complete spices. Perhaps it is simply in my head, however I’ve all the time discovered it faster and simpler to wash up afterwards, and I really like the management over how wonderful I get my spices. I feel my choice originates from when my children have been youthful and a sudden loud noise would have woken them up from their valuable naps.

Additionally, utilizing freshly floor spices actually elevates the flavour profile SO a lot. My Kofta and Palak Rooster recipes additionally begin with this course of for this very purpose.

Phrase of word although, your pestle and mortar must be fabricated from an excellent, stable materials for this to be of any use to you. In case your pestle and mortar is made out of a light-weight wooden or metal, it will offer you GRIEF getting them floor down right into a powder. I like to recommend utilizing marble or granite – the spices break down SO shortly and simply in right here!

One other factor I have been wanting so as to add to my kitchen arsenal since my carpel tunnel is this nifty vegetable chopper field. Perhaps sooner or later I am going to get it, and can then report again with my ideas on it.

Till then, I might love to listen to about what you utilize across the kitchen to make cooking simpler and faster for you. Please do go away me a remark sharing, I am wanting to know!

With love,

Fatima x