• Use a pair of kitchen scissors to chop chillies finely. It will keep hands from burning, and the job is done much faster too.
  • To slice vegetables with smooth skins like capsicum, tomatoes, remove a thin sliver of skin vertically. Place knife over this strip while making the slices. This will cut much easier, neater and quicker.
  • Always wear plastic gloves or slip hands into 2 transparent plastic bags while handling and cutting chillies to avoid hands from burning sensations.
  • Chop chillies, etc. either with a steel knife or steel scissors. Do not use iron knives, etc. since the paste will tend to turn blackish later.
  • Add 1 tbsp. vinegar to a litre of water in a blackened cooker. Cover and boil for a few minutes. Wash regularly. This will remove blackening of the cooker.
  • This may sound funny, but while cutting onions, to avoid the burning of the eyes, if you have swimming goggles you can wear them and then cut. This will prevent the eyes from watering.
  • Always use a clean pair of kitchen scissors to trim edges of bread. Much neater and less messy edges as compared to those trimmed with a knife.
  • Use a pair of scissors instead of a knife for cutting hot vegetables like chillies and also leafy greens like spinach, celery, coriander, etc. Your work will get done much faster. Take care to use a clean, non-rusty pair of scissors used only for kitchen purposes.
  • When very finely chopped greens or chillies etc. are required in a recipe, use a pair of sharp scissors instead of a knife. The job will be made faster, more efficient and safe to cut.
  • Wear an old sock while doing dirty scrubbing and cleaning jobs to protect your hands from abrasions.
  • Wrap hands in either plastic kitchen gloves or just plain plastic bags while handling chillies. These will keep the hands from the burning sensation later on. Rub ghee on palms if chillies cause burning hands. After the sensation cools, rub the peel of a used lemon for 2-3 minutes and wash off.