Category: Guides

Hung curd is one of the simplest things to make in a home kitchen. You need good curd, something to drain it through, and time.

What hung curd is

Hung curd is ordinary curd with the whey drained off. The whey is the thin, pale liquid that gathers on curd as it stands. Take it away and what is left is thick, smooth and spoonable, closer to soft cheese than to the curd you started with.

It is the base of many dishes: shrikhand, thick dips, a richer raita, and labneh, the soft cheese often rolled into balls. The longer it drains, the thicker it becomes.

Step 1 — set the curd

Start with fresh, well-set curd that is not sour. Curd set at home the night before is ideal, and curd from a shop works too. Sour curd gives sour hung curd: draining only makes the taste stronger.

Stir it gently once before draining, so it is even all the way through.

Step 2 — drain it

The old way is a clean muslin cloth:

1. Line a bowl with the muslin and pour in the curd.
2. Gather the corners, tie them together and hang the bundle over the bowl, or rest it in a strainer set over the bowl.
3. Keep it in the fridge while it drains, so it stays fresh.

After a few hours it is thick enough for most dishes; left longer, it becomes firmer still. Keep the whey if you like; many cooks use it in dough or in curries.

A strainer made for the job saves the cloth and the tying. The Sidfiy hung curd maker has a fine mesh strainer that lets the whey run off and holds 1200 ml, enough for a family batch. With it, curd reaches Greek-yogurt thickness in 3–4 hours and becomes thick hung curd in about 8 hours. Its parts go in the dishwasher.

Step 3 — use it

• Shrikhand: sweeten it with powdered sugar and flavour it with cardamom or saffron.
• A dip: stir in salt, pepper, chopped herbs and a little garlic.
• Raita: loosen it with a spoon of the whey and add cucumber or onion.
• Labneh: drain it for longer, until it is firm, then roll it into small balls.

Hung curd keeps in a covered box in the fridge for a day or two. Use a clean, dry spoon each time.

A washing machine that shakes, walks across the floor or rattles during the spin is a common problem. The cause is usually simple, and most of the checks below take a few minutes.

It is usually one of five things

• An unbalanced load. Heavy things such as towels, bedsheets or jeans gather on one side of the drum, and the machine swings as it spins.
• The machine is not level. If one foot sits lower than the others, the whole body rocks with every turn of the drum.
• The transit bolts are still fitted. A new front-loader arrives with bolts at the back that hold the drum still on the way to your home. Left in, they stop the drum moving on its springs, and the machine shakes hard.
• The floor is uneven or smooth. Many bathroom and balcony floors slope a little towards the drain, and smooth tiles give the feet little grip.
• The feet are worn or missing. Rubber feet harden and crack with age, and a missing foot leaves one corner standing on bare metal.

Five checks, in order

Switch the machine off and unplug it before you start.

1. Open the door and spread the load evenly around the drum. If you are washing one heavy item, add a couple of towels so the weight is shared.
2. Check the level. Place a spirit level on top of the machine, front to back and then side to side. If you do not have one, a glass of water filled close to the brim and set on the lid shows which way it leans.
3. On a new front-loader, look at the back panel for the transit bolts. The manual shows where they are. Remove them with a spanner and keep them safe for the next time the machine is moved.
4. If the machine stands on a loose mat or a wooden board, move it onto the floor itself. A soft or sliding base lets it walk.
5. Look at each foot. Turn the adjustable feet until the machine sits level and firm, and replace any foot that is cracked or missing.

Run a short test

Run a short rinse and spin with a normal load and watch. A little movement during the fastest part of the spin is normal. The machine walking, knocking against a wall or rocking from corner to corner is not.

When it is time to call a technician

If the machine still bangs or grinds after these checks, or the noise comes from inside the drum rather than from the floor, the trouble may be in the springs, the shock absorbers or the drum bearings. Stop using the fast spin and call the service centre or a technician you trust. Do not open the machine yourself.

Anti-vibration pads sit under the feet of a washing machine, a dryer or a fridge. They lift it a little, grip the floor and take up the shake of the spin. Choosing the right set comes down to two measurements.

Measure two things

The first is height. Each pad lifts its foot by its own height, so check how much room there is: the door must still open, the drain hose must still reach, and a machine that stands under a counter must still fit beneath it.

The second is weight. Find the machine’s own weight on the label at the back or in the manual, and remember that a drum full of water and wet washing weighs a good deal more. Choose a set that holds well above that total.

The Sidfiy sets side by side

Every Sidfiy set is four pads, one for each foot. The listings say they suit washing machines, dryers and fridges.

Set	Height	Holds up to
Premium Pads	7.5–9.5 cm, adjustable	300 kg
Heavy-Duty 300 kg	9.5–12.5 cm, adjustable	300 kg
Height-adjustable	9.5–12.5 cm, adjustable	Large appliances (no figure in the listing)
Heavy-Duty 200 kg	Not given in the listing	200 kg

On an uneven floor, an adjustable set lets you level each corner on its own. Where there is less room above the machine, the Premium set starts lower, at 7.5 cm.

How to fit them

No tools are needed, but ask someone to help you tilt a heavy machine.

1. Switch the machine off and unplug it.
2. Tilt it gently back and slide a pad under each front foot. Then tilt it forward and do the two at the back.
3. Turn the adjustable part of each pad until the machine sits level. Check with a spirit level, or a glass of water set on the lid.
4. Plug it in and run a short cycle with a normal load. If one corner still rocks, adjust that pad a little and try again.

Keep the floor under the pads clean and dry, so they grip well.