Kitchen hacks from my videos

Toast whole spices for 5 minutes, blend them to a powder and keep the jar ready. A pinch makes instant masala chai.

Cardamom and cloves grind into a much finer, more even powder with a teaspoon of sugar in the grinder.

Rub a couple of pinches over the curry at the end. It releases the aroma; use it sparingly, as it's bitter.

Tamarind's sourness balances fenugreek's bitterness, so add the seeds to any tamarind dish.

A little regular chilli for heat, and Kashmiri chilli for a deep red colour without the burn.

Serve whole dried chillies in the curry: milder eaters set them aside, others crush them in.

If it floats up straight away, the oil is ready. Check before every batch to avoid clumps.

Keep a plate of water by the stove and wipe the underside of the perforated ladle so the boondi stay round.

Add salt-turmeric water to the hot oil at the end. When the sizzling stops, every chip is evenly seasoned.

A few minutes in a little oil and the slime disappears before the okra goes into the gravy.

2 cups of atta take 1 cup of water. Measure it and you get consistent, soft dough every time.

Cold yogurt on hot rice can curdle, so let it cool first. And make it a little looser; it thickens as it sits.

Seeds stuck in the tempering pan? Wipe them out with a spoonful of cooked rice.

Grind a little boondi into a binder first; if that's not enough, warm ghee does the trick (mom's tip).

Slow cook the chicken with onions and tomatoes on low; all the gravy comes from their own juices.

Pressure cook the lamb with spices first, then add it to the masala, for full control over the gravy's thickness.

A tablespoon of store-bought cashew purée makes the curry creamy, with no grinding needed.

Cut a cross on top, boil briefly, dip in cold water and the skins slip off.

A milk-and-flour sauce is lighter, and you're never left with half a carton of cream going off in the fridge.

Both must be hot when you fill them, or the vacuum seal won't form. Listen for the pop.

Heat until the sugar dissolves, rest overnight, finish the next day: far less stirring.

Reuse the jars, never the lids, if you want a proper vacuum seal.

After the rinse, water is still inside. Start a drying cycle from the Maintenance menu to prevent rust and bacteria.

A generic descaler and a single tablet both caused errors mid-cycle.

Fill it about halfway and skip foil or parchment so the air can circulate.

Pick soiling level 3 for a dirty oven, add one bottle of HydroClean solution and let the pressure-clean cycle do the work.

Skip the chopstick hack. A lever pitter with a pit box is fastest; if its silicone insert rips, replace it and trim the edges.

1 cm headspace, fingertip-tight lids, 10 minutes at a rolling boil, then wait for the pop.