A few cooking tips for you

Sticky Okra:

When we cut washed okra, it will be more sticky. To avoid this, wash your okra and leave it over night in a strainer. You can either leave it outside or refrigerate if it is too hot out there. This way you can avoid the stickiness due to washing.

Ripe Bananas:

Are your bananas getting ripe and you have no time to make banana bread? Then peel them and put them in a zip lock bag and freeze. You can use it later when you are free to bake.

Storing Onions:

Whenever I have extra cut onions I seal it in a zip lock box and refrigerate it for future use.

You can also saute cut onions with a little butter and freeze it in zip lock bags and use it whenever you make soups or stews.

Avoid storing onions and potatoes together because when they are close they produce gases that spoil each other.

For dry onions, chop the onions, spread in a tray and dry it in oven at the lowest setting avoiding them from becoming brown or burnt. When it is brittle, remove it and store it in an air tight container at room temperature. This takes a long time. Toss the onions in between. You can also sun dry it following the same procedure till transferring it to a tray and then keep it in a ventilated area with full sun until brittle (2 to 3 days).

Celery:

To keep celery fresh, stand it up in a pitcher of cold, salted water and refrigerate.

When buying celery check for the crispness and freshness. It has to feel solid and look for stalks with a glossy surface and nice green color.

Rinse celery well to avoid dirt from their ribs.  If the ribs are wilted, place it in ice water for several minutes before serving.