Cookery Encyclopedia of ingredients and kitchen utensils:

A simple encyclopedia of ingredients and kitchen utensils: The Cook's Thesaurus

Step by step recipes

Websites giving step by step instructions to cook (most of them with pictures)

Visual Recipes - Appetizers, Bread, Dessert, Snacks, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Sauces & Dip, Beverages.
Anna Maria’s Open Kitchen (If you like Italian Food)

Cooking For Engineers - Have an analytical mind? Like to cook? This is the site to go for.Waitrose

Micro wave oven – things to remember.

Use only micro wave oven safe vessels – glassware and ceramic vessels do not normally break even if they are not oven proof. (They may break if there is any metal lining or etching in it).

If you use microwave oven safe plastic vessels, the lids come with them need not be oven safe.

Don’t use plastic vessels. Using them may cause severe health problems.

Roast Nuts, Popcorns etc. in paper bags. If glass or ceramic ware is used they will break.

Bananas, potatoes etc will not get cooked unless you break the skin by pricking with pin or making gashes using a knife. Keeping a glass of water near by will help them to cook better.

Bananas will go rubbery if not fully ripe.

Thawing (food from freezer) will be done better only at low power settings.(Look for the marking for thawing).

On cooking food chose the vessel with a oven proof lid  to avoid splashing(paper plate are the safest lids).

Don’t boil egg in microwave oven. It will burst.

Avoid watching through the glass window of the oven for long. Unlike conventional oven, here it may cause health hazard as microwave leaking through glass is not fully blocked.

Micro wave attracts cockroaches into the control box. [You may even see cockroaches running around while cooking in progress]. Draw lakshman rekha around the oven to avoid cockroaches getting in.

(Suggestions are welcome from readers on using microwave oven properly).

On buying, using and storing kitchen appliances and vessels

Traditional way of cooking is disappearing and making way for modified recipes using ready mix masalas, pre-cooked and semi finished curries and food items. Above this modern appliances totally or partially eliminate the tediousness of mixing and grinding. Pressure cookers, rice cookers, microwave ovens etc save your time  to a great extend. New type of vessels have special scratch proof Teflon coatings, the bottoms of vessels have heat dissipating copper coating etc. Though fast and easy to use, they get damaged if not handled in proper way.

On buying new type of vessels and kitchen appliances you will have to use a lot of commonsense. You budget, conveniences in the kitchen and who uses them should alsp be of primary concern

Be aware that none of these items will last long unless you know how to use and maintain them.

Write to holkerala@gmail.com for getting flurther guidance (This service at present, is available over your phone through WhatsApp.)

Foods that ward off stress

Experts blame an erratic diet as a predominant cause of stress, which usually spans into snack breaks, tea breaks and more snack breaks. Though we can do better by tweaking our diet chart to include foods that curb stress.

Read more: 8 foods that ward off stress - The Times of India

How to prepare sour dishes with milk without curdling?

Sour items like pineapple syrup, orange syrup etc. if poured on to milk, the milk will curdle.  To avoid this, cool the milk and the syrup and mix them in a cool vessel.

Very good Indian cookety site for beginners

Vahrehvah.com - Indian Cookery Site with South Indian and North Indian Recipes demonstrated by Chef Sanjay Thumma in videos also with provision for printing the method of preparing. Ideal for beginners.

Origin of Iddely, Dosa and Sambar - Controversies in history

Origin of Iddeley is claimed by Kannadigas, Gujarathis, Maharashtrians and Malasians. 

Origin of Dosa is claimed both by Tamilians and Amdhraits. Sambar is of recent origin and is from  Tamilnadu.
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References: 
http://controversialhistory.blogspot.com/2008/09/origin-of-idly.html
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idli

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambar_%28dish%29
 

Send your opinion to holkerala@gmail.com