The puja space is ready, the family WhatsApp group has already decided who is coming over and by the time flowers are arranged, the kitchen is already full. There is a rhythm for Janmashtami cooking. It may be necessary to prepare prasad, finish the sweets, prepare vrat friendly dishes and serve the snacks when guests […]
The makhana needs roasting. The vrat-friendly potatoes are still waiting to be cooked. Someone has just remembered the prasad, and there is a very good chance that another batch of guests will arrive before the kitchen is ready. That is Janmashtami at home sometimes. Joyful, devotional, busy and rarely as perfectly organised as the plan […]
It is only noticeable when it doesn’t work. It is just a tad above 45°C on one afternoon. Your air conditioner is running as hard as it can, the curtains are closed and the ceiling fan is simply moving hot air around. The room doesn’t cool off, however. We’ve all heard about how it is […]
Open a refrigerator after storing chopped onions, leftover curry, cut fruit and yesterday’s dessert together, and you immediately understand why freshness is about more than temperature. Odours travel. Food releases moisture. Different ingredients share the same enclosed environment for hours or even days. This is where refrigerator hygiene and freshness technologies become relevant. One feature […]
A refrigerator can look completely full and still have very little food that is actually easy to use. There is coriander somewhere behind the milk. Half a capsicum has disappeared into a container. Tomatoes bought two days ago are sitting under a heavy bag of vegetables. And that bunch of spinach? By the time somebody […]
There is a familiar kitchen dilemma. You buy a fresh batch of tomatoes, some firm, some almost ripe only to find a few turning overly soft before they make it into the next curry. The problem is not always how long tomatoes are kept. Quite often, it is where and how they are stored. Tomatoes […]
You bought fresh carrots, capsicum, coriander and cucumbers only a few days ago. They went straight into the refrigerator. Yet when it is time to cook, the carrots have lost their snap, the leafy vegetables look tired and that cucumber feels strangely soft. Why do vegetables become soft in the refrigerator when refrigeration is supposed […]
A refrigerator rarely gets an easy job in an Indian household. One shelf may have yesterday’s dal and sabzi, another has vegetables bought for the week, the door is packed with bottles and sauces, there is a box of sweets somebody insisted on bringing home, and the freezer? That has its own story. Ice cream, […]
There was a time when buying a washing machine was surprisingly simple. You checked the capacity. Maybe the spin speed. Turned a familiar knob, pressed Start, and that was it. Walk into an appliance store today, though, and you’ll notice something has changed. One machine greets you with a colourful touchscreen that looks almost like […]
You know what’s interesting? The one thing most people consider when buying a washing machine is, “Does it wash clothes correctly? Fair enough. This is what it’s supposed to do. Rinse off the grime, but better cleaning isn’t simply a matter of washing longer or with more detergent. Indeed, this can sometimes work against you. […]
If you’ve ever opened your electricity bill after a particularly hot Indian summer, you already know this feeling. The AC kept the house comfortable, yes but the monthly bill? Not so comforting. Here’s the thing though. An air conditioner doesn’t have to be expensive to run. In many homes, the biggest reason for higher electricity […]
There are days when stepping outside feels like opening an oven. Then, just a few weeks later, the same city is battling sticky humidity, unexpected rain, and dust carried by strong winds. That’s India for you. One season doesn’t simply replace another; it overlaps, surprises, and often pushes home appliances harder than we realise. That […]