Kitchen and Cooking Tips – Fruits and Vegetables

1. Wet onions make peeling easier.
2. Onions with skin on keep better in the refrigerator so do not peel the whole onion when you only a small portion required for your cooking. Instead, cut out the size you need and peel it.
3. To preserve the whiteness of the peeled lotus root, soak the root in a bowl of water that's pre-mixed of vinegar.
4. While storing green chilies, remove the stems. This will help them to stay fresh for long.
5. For extending the life of fresh tofu: Store tofu in water sprinkled with a pinch or two of salt and keep in the fridge .
6. Never refrigerate fresh tomatoes. Cold temperatures make the flesh of a tomato pulpy and destroys the flavor.
7. Freezing makes tofu thicker and firmer; it also makes it absorb sauces and flavors more readily. Drain before freezing it.
8. Dip overripe tomatoes in cold water, add some salt and leave overnight. They will be fresh and firm to the touch the next day.
9. Avoid preparing onions too far in advance, since they tend to lose their juice when cut, and it is absorbed by countertops and wooden cutting surfaces.
10. When boiling fresh sweet corn, don't add any salt to the water as this will only toughen the kernels. Instead, add a little sugar which will help sweeten the corn and keep the corn soft.
11. The skin of peeled fruits is very useful. Leave the skin to soak in your dishwashing liquid overnight and it will give off a refreshing and fruity aroma. You could also use the fruit peels (not the ones soaked in dishwashing liquid) as fertilizer for your plants by leaving them out on the soil. Your vegetable or flower patch will thrive.
12. To keep cauliflower white while cooking - add a little milk to the water.
13. Let raw potatoes stand in cold water for at least half an hour before frying to improve the crispness of french-fried potatoes.
14. Buy mushrooms before they "open." When stems and caps are attached snugly, mushrooms are truly fresh.
15. Lettuce keeps better if you store in refrigerator without washing first so that the leaves are dry. Wash the day you are going to use.
16. Microwave a lemon for 15 seconds and double the juice you get before squeezing.
17. Microwave garlic cloves for 15 seconds and the skins slip right off. 
18. The best way to store fresh celery is to wrap it in aluminum foil and put it in the refrigerator--it will keep for weeks.
19. A dampened paper towel or terry cloth brushed downward on a cob of corn will remove every strand of corn silk. 
20. When mincing garlic, sprinkle on a little salt so the pieces won't stick to your knife or cutting board. 
21. Sunlight doesn't ripen tomatoes, warmth does. Store tomatoes with stems pointed down and they will stay fresher, longer.
22. Lemons stored in a sealed jar of water will produce twice the juice.
23. When using dried beans and peas, keep in mind that 1 cup dry beans or peas makes 2 1/2 cups cooked.

Courtesy: http://www.indianfood-recipes.com