Articles and Contests

A lot of us who cook everyday like to optimize our time in the kitchen. When we have busy schedules of work, school and other chores, a lot of times we become dependent on the ready to eat foods which is very easy to prepare and get ready in no time. But what if you had a magical machine in your kitchen, that can chop, slice, knead, mince, puree in no time. Would this help you cook more often.

We have been reading a lot of news lately about the Frozen Desserts on the unhealthy fats like “Dalda” that is being used. We did a quick research and found some information that we thought will be useful for you.

How many of us can definitively distinguish between an ice-cream and a frozen dessert for that matter? Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has categorised cold treats or ice-creams into “Frozen Desserts” and “Ice Creams”. Many of the cold treats that we enjoy from prestigious brands in India might technically fall under “frozen dessert” category.

Here is how the day looks for a working individual - wake up in the morning, rush to the toilet, wake kids up, catch a brisk walk (may be), have a shower, get a quick breakfast and into the car or the bike to head to work. Work until end of day, sitting on a chair and possibly changing chairs to go into meeting rooms. And when you get back home, you are back to spending time with family, doing homework, fixing dinner, catch up on news or books and wind down to bed.

The summers are finally here and the hot weather has us looking forward to some of the refreshing food items, which can get ready effortlessly and quickly. As all we want to do is spend less time in the kitchen to prepare the meals, as it is really getting hot outside. Well, there are many kitchen equipments that makes our process easy, but from all of them hand blender is a must in every kitchen. When we talk about blending vegetables with a minimum of fuss, there's nothing like a hand blender.

Hand Blender comes with different types of blades which helps in various different tasks such as making purees, smoothies, chutneys and even chop the vegetables very finely. Above all of this, the hand blender is easy to operate, clean and store. It is very portable and is a great kitchen appliance when it comes to puree or blend the food items.

As India opens up to the world cuisine, the necessities of kitchen equipment have increased from griddle, skillets, tandoor, pots and pans to hand blenders, air fryers and ovens, to name a few. Many of us get curious about the yummy baking possibilities that are illustrated in the DIY recipes that we come across in media, magazines and internet. The tricky part comes in choosing an oven when you decide to buy one. It greatly depends on the purpose of buying and your level of interest in cooking. Choosing an oven should be a thoughtful decision since you should not feel lost upon buying an oven which doesn’t fit the expectation.

Jaggery is a traditional form of sweetener that has been used widely in our country for years together. Jaggery is made out of Sugarcane and has been used as a natural sweetener for sweets and other delicacies. But in recent times sugar has taken over jaggery and the usage has been extensive. Sugar also comes from sugarcane but it goes under extensive refining method where it loses its nutrition value.

We begin our day with a cup of coffee and it is in there, in our tasty biscuits and cookies, yes it is in there. We consume it every now and then without our knowledge or sometimes we don’t even know whether it is there or not.Can guess what we are talking about?

As we strive hard in busy lives to make the most of ourselves, it has become important more than ever to concentrate on the kind of diet that we follow to stay healthy in a longer run. Staying fit and healthy is scoring above any erratic option we pick to stuff in. Preparing food at home and eating healthy is the best option to avoid long-term side-effects of store bought ones. As we become choosier and health conscious in deciding our everyday diets, we need to explore more for healthier options to cook an interesting meal every time.

Aren't we all fans of our mothers cooking? With Mother’s Day is just a few weeks away, we wanted to celebrate it in a different way: by coming together and applauding moms everywhere for their fantastic home cooking.

It becomes really difficult for us sometimes to cut very thin slices of fruits and vegetables. If we try to cut it really thin, most of the times it gets cut into a different shape altogether. A lot of times we do feel a good quality kitchen gadget should help us do it - don't you think? So if you are looking for a kitchen gadget which cuts your vegetables and fruits into paper-thin slices or julienne sticks, your answer is Mandoline Slicer. Believe us, it will soon become one of those tools in your kitchen which is always in the sink to be cleaned.

Recently, we received some awesome comments from our viewers and contributors and we came to know that you all love Archana’s Kitchen contest the most. After receiving some amazing recipes for the Holi Contest, we are here again with a brand new contest, which is more interesting and exciting.

It's International Women's Day and we are so delighted to share that we are an all women's team with an almost all women contributor team as well. Now that’s just a coincidence, we would love to be all inclusive having men in our team as well - so calling all men who love to cook to start sharing your recipes with us. 

On this day, we are featuring all our women recipe experts who have come forward to share their love for food and cooking on Archana's Kitchen. As the world is changing around us, it is important to pay attention to the food and fitness so we can battle all the challenges that the lifestyles dump onto us. And these women are here to help you do that. I am so delighted to have these women share their stories with me and you and to the world. I want to thank each one of you for being part of this journey.

We all love the festival of holi! Not only because we get a chance to play with colours, meet our friends and family but also because we get to eat some delicious food. There is so much more than bhaang and pakoras. So here is a chance for your to share the special, traditional, fun, exotic recipes that you make at home for holi.

Dive deep into the tradition and get your grandmothers, mothers, aunts, uncles and friends to share the recipes. Every household has their own speciality and we want you to share that yummy recipe with us and celebrate the festival of holi in a foodie way. You holi recipes ideas can be from snacks, drinks, appetizers, main course, desserts, mithai and more. Don't forget to include bhang :)

Avocado is a pear-shaped fruit with a large seed in it. It has become very popular in Indian kitchens these days, as people are becoming more conscious towards their health with the passage of time. In order to get a healthy diet, they are substituting their daily food with avocados as it can be used in different forms and is highly recommended for health benefits. While avocados have a high fat content, they are also packed with nutrients which adds health to many dishes.

You don’t really need a lot to get started in the Kitchen, we all look at cooking the simpler and smarter way, spending less time in the kitchen at the same time being creative and perfect in flavours.

This is possible if you have the right tools, pots and pans and appliances for cooking. Investing a really good quality cookware will make your life a whole lot easier and allow you to cook with ease. For most of us the “essentials” evolve over a period of time and slowly we tend to collect kitchen stuff to suit our cooking needs.

Also if you are setting up a new kitchen, this list of useful and essential pots and pans will surely help you to set it up. These pots and pans are enough for your basic cooking and can be used for making different delicious recipes.

After due research, we have collated the must have “Essential Pots & Pans for Every Kitchen” that will help you cook better and smarter.

Steaming vegetables and meat is one of the best possible ways to cook food as it not only retains the colour but also the vitamins and nutrients. Fresh steamed vegetables and meat are a healthy alternative to canned or frozen varieties. With a little time and patience and also using a good quality steamer you can have fresh steamed vegetables and meat in a matter of just a few minutes.

Why You Should Drink More Water?

Water is an important constituent of yogic diet. Like oxygen, water is vital for health and life. Our brain and spine need water for proper functioning, our lungs need water to facilitate breathing, our cells and blood need water to move nutrients and toxins and our kidneys need water to efficiently eliminate waste matter.

Water is the healthiest beverage; no other beverage can replace it. To make up for everyday losses, from the lungs, skin, brain and kidneys and to maintain good health, one must drink at least twelve glasses of clean water every day.

Our body often feels dehydrated because water intake has reduced when compared to your physical energy output. You feel tired, drained out, when our body has not received enough water. Below are some of the ways our body gets benefited with the consumption of water.

Jan 6th was when Archana's Kitchens', first ever office space got inaugurated. The first team lunch was to Monkey Bar on day one, but we were all so stiff that easing out was out of the question with no selfies and no photos of food. That's so unlike Archana. We got into the grind with a little bit of ups and downs (few team members leaving). But that did not shatter us as a team. We worked hard, delivered our OKRs and even managed to roll out a fabulous Valentine's Day Contest, which did so well. This surely needed a celebration for team work and support.

We are back! Atta/Wheat Flour is something which we include almost daily in our meals and everybody knows how to cook the basic recipes out of it.

But we at Archana’s Kitchen want to see what new you can make using whole wheat flour (chakki atta) because creativity is what we are looking for! You can even make something from leftover rotis too, so imagination is purely up to you. If you have a passion for food and love to cook, this is a great chance to show your cooking skills.

Click here to buy the Vivatta whole wheat flour to make your recipes for this contest (optional)

With ever emerging ideas, new recipes and inspirations but also with a very little time in hand, the Hand Mixer is a must have addition to your kitchen to make your daily baking and cooking simple. If you love baking, then by investing in this little buddy is definitely going to earn its position in your kitchen.

If you are new to baking or have already mastered baking, the Hand Mixer is a very useful tool to possess. Baking is a combination of art and science where you need to have the perfect cake batters, cookie doughs, bread doughs and whipped cream to achieve the best results. Baking is usually perceived as time-consuming and tiresome with manual whisking and mixing required but Hand Mixer makes it effortless and quick.

As you all know Valentine day is coming closer and we here at Archana’s kitchen are confused about what to cook for the special day. Well, you can help and it is also a great opportunity for all you foodies out there to win vouchers worth Rs. 3000 and Rs. 2000 from Flipkart.com. If you have a passion for food and love to cook, this is a great chance to show your cooking skills.

At 6 AM in the morning, when rest of the world is still rising, cutting, chopping, whisking, and baking; this is how most mothers start their day with. The pressure cooker whistling for countless times, sounds of the utensils, kitchen full with mixed delectable aromas, this is how a typical morning kitchen scene is in most households and you mothers can identify yourself with it. As mothers, your constant effort is to pack healthy snack and lunch boxes for kids and optimize the efforts and save on time.

In today’s era, everyone’s efforts have been directed at one thing, which is making life easier. Right from household to the workplace, manpower is replaced with new and innovative machines which are very easily available in the market at affordable prices. Simple machines in the kitchen and household are one of our secrets to living the pleasure of a simple life. With the help of these machines, people have become more versatile as now they are able to do multi-tasking at their comfort level.

People are becoming health conscious with every passing day and to meet what they want, they are sacrificing on many things when it comes to food. But sometimes it becomes really difficult to give up on something which is a part of your daily food habits. Work and family responsibilities often leaves no time for cooking, and it is easier to go out to restaurants or prepare meals with the ingredients available at home. And thus many people could not achieve their motive of healthy food.

Most of us are genuinely trying to do our best to stay healthy, so instead of leaving some things to stay healthy and fit, you can always make simple ingredient substitutions to create healthy recipes so that you don't have to sacrifice on taste, flavour and enjoyment. We're always looking for ways to make our favourite foods healthier, so we compiled a list of our best substitutions: