Really stupid questions about cooking/cleaning/household!

Lindsay

Okay, I've never actually cooked for myself here before, but now I'm determined to. But I have questions! Hopefully somebody can help.

1) I don't have a water filter in my new place. Should I just boil the tap water for drinking (and if so, for how long), or is it worth it to find someone who will deliver those 20 liter bisleri bottles?

2) Do you wash your dishes in the tap water? If so, is the key to not getting sick simply making sure that the dishes are totally dry before you use them?

3) Dish drying racks: I've never seen them. I'm making do with a towel right now. Am I just looking in the wrong stores?

4) Milk: everyone says to boil it. I assume this means a rolling boil -- but for how long?

5) Trash management: am a bit nervous about leaving (food-based) trash in the house overnight due to potential bug issues. Any recommendations on how to manage this? I don't see many stainless-steel garbage cans with lids!

6) Chicken: is there anything I need to know about buying chicken fillets? Like, should I rinse them before cooking them? (In Bisleri, I guess?) BONUS if you know how to cook these in a microwave, as in the USA, I was strictly an oven-baker!

7) There's a washing machine in my flat, but no dryer - and no terrace or anything to dry the clothes on. Any ideas about what I'm meant to do, here? Are there drying racks you can buy (to hang up clothes indoors), and if so, what sort of shop would I buy one from?

Whew. I think that's all for now. Told ya they were stupid questions! But I will be very, very grateful for any tips you can give!

jyotirmoy

1. The water must be boiled for at least 10 minutes.
2. We wash our utensils in tap water and let them dry.
3. Stainless steel racks are widely available.
4. Again at least 10 minutes, to save this trouble we have started using milk packed in tetrapacks.
5. All sorts of trash bins are available with spring actuated lids.
6. Since you will be cooking the chicken fillets there is no sense in washing these with bottled water, use tap water.
7. Aluminium & stainless steel drying racks are easily available.

Lindsay

Thanks for your quick reply!

So, you think boiling water is the way to go for drinking water, instead of ordering the 20 liter Bisleris?

Also, what do you mean by "tetrapacks"? I have some milk in plastic bags right now -- are those tetrapacks, and therefore would not require boiling?

Edited -- okay, I googled and it seems tetrapacks are actually boxes!

jyotirmoy

I would rather suggest installing a water filter at home. Go for filters which employ reverse osmosis, there are quite a few well known brands like Aquaguard.

Tetrapacks are packs made with aluminium lined cardboard. Milk is first treated with ultra high temperature to kill all bacterias and then vaccum packed in these cartons. you will find these in all good departmental shops, Nestle is a good brand. since you live in Delhi go to Bikaner house in India gate and buy tetrapacks of cow's milk sold at Rajasthan Govt. outlet called Saras.

Lindsay

Yes, I thought about that, but I don't think I'm going to stay in this flat very long. The place is a bit of a dump, and the landlord is charging an outrageous rent - the same amount I'd pay for this size place in San Francisco! *Sigh.*

jyotirmoy

Ok in that case use bottled water. BTW where do you live?
For good chicken, cold cuts & pork go to Pigpo in Jorbagh and for other meats and grocery visit Steak house in the same locality.

Lindsay

I'm in Jangpura Ext! Hmm, Jor Bagh is a bit of a trek - I was just there yesterday. Is there no place in Def Col to get okay chicken? Somebody told me The Taste, although when I was there recently, the whole place was in black-out -- their inverter had failed, even! Which doesn't leave me hopeful about the quality of the meat...

jyotirmoy

Yes there is that place in Def col and also look out for the chain Republic of Chicken, I frankly don't much like farmed chickens I buy free roaming country chicken from C.R. Park.

jyotirmoy

Check out
www.republicofchicken.com/

Nick-H

You can get very fresh chicken in India --- pick your chicken at the shop, and they will kill and pluck it for you there and then.

Have to confess: I send our maid to do the chicken buying!

You can get high-tech (ie RO, UV, etc) water treatment units that are pretty-much portable, but probably best buy 20-litre cans if you really think you won't stay in your current place long.

jyotirmoy

Oh Nick I don't like those white meat, try the area near thousand lights or some thing, very good country chicken & also turkey meat by weight, you don't have to buy whole bird and also rabbit... this is one place I always stop by on my way to airport when I visit Chennai to bring these goodies to Delhi.

suricate

By the time it reaches the boiling point, all micro-organisms are already gone.
So you don't need to go any longer! Just to make sure you've really attained
the boiling point, some suggest that you let it boil for a minute.
Why waste fuel and time by boiling longer? Here is a useful link :

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/faq/emerg.html

Of course, you should be aware that boiling doesn't remove chemical contaminants.

To avoid the hassle of boiling (and letting the water to cool) you could go for
the 20 litre bottles.

As for milk, again, just bring it to rolling boil for a minute or so. You could go for
the ultra-high-temperature (UHT) treated boxed milk (e.g. Amul Taaza, Nestle,
etc.). But it is twice as expensive, and would certainly not taste as good as
the boiled milk. The UHT treated milk is not the same as the regular milk
sold in cardboard boxes or plastic bottles in the US supermarkets.

Lindsay

This looks great! I love the idea of ordering already-cooked smoked chicken breast. But it looks like it's only in Chandigarh?

OOPS never mind -- looks like the website is just for Chandigarh, but I see there's a store in Safdarjung Enclave, and also in South Ex! Wonder which one I would call from Jangpura?

Anyway, wish me some luck for today's experiment -- I just bought chicken breasts at the local chicken shop. Now I'm going to google for microwave recipes... Eek!

CMS

One other suggestion I've not seen here (and as I do until my new flat is finished with centrally filtered water!) is to boil it in a large pot & when cool, pour through a stainless-steel filter unit containing ceramic filter "candles". This will remove any harmful heavy metals and stuff that only boiling the water doesn't. The lower half of the filters have a tap for drawing the "good" water as needed. They're cheap and readily available (as well as replacement candles). It sits on the kitchen counter and becomes part of the routine after a while.

Lindsay

Hmm, okay! Thanks for the detailed description, CMS. It's so amazing to me how many tricks you've got to learn about daily life when you're setting up a household somewhere you weren't born and raised. Very cool process, actually.