troubleshooting

Cooking requires practice — and, let's face it, encounters with more than a few mistakes. When something goes terribly wrong very quickly, it doesn't mean all is lost. In a new series, we offer advice to help you salvage the accidents you face along your cooking journey.

We've all experienced that dreadful moment when all you can taste in a sauce is salt. Whether you reduced the sauce to a thick sludge or went a little salt happy toward the end of cooking, try to fix it with these tips before you nix it.

The antidote depends on the nature of the sauce: for French cream- or butter-based sauces, add more cream or a little brown sugar to neutralize the salt. With tomato-based sauces, brown sugar creates a sweet counterpoint. And for a lighter sauce, such as an herb-based one, squeeze in a little lemon; its acidity will help to balance out the saltiness.

The same goes for the state of the sauce, too. If a sauce has been reduced too much, then dilute it (and its sodium level) with unseasoned stock. Adding wine is another option, although it's a little tricky; if the alcohol does not cook out entirely, then the sauce will become bitter. If you choose to add wine, then be prepared to simmer the sauce for a while until the alcohol burns off.

Have any other kitchen disasters that need a quick solution? Write us in the YumSugar Community so we can help rescue you!

Cooking requires practice and definitely learning from mistakes. When something goes terribly wrong very quickly, it doesn't mean all is lost! We're introducing the Rescue Me! series, in which we offer advice to help salvage the accidents you face along your cooking journey.

Sometimes seasoning dishes with too much salt is inevitable — whether the salt shaker top suddenly plops into the pot, sending a rush of salt into your beloved stew, or you just went a little overboard. It happens to everyone, and there's no need to toss your hard-earned work before trying out these quick fixes to salvage stews and soups.

Save soups and stews by diluting them with unseasoned stock, so the flavor isn't lost — only the saltiness! If you don't have any stock at hand, water will do. Or try the potato technique: cut a few potatoes into large chunks, let them simmer in the pot for 15 minutes, and then remove them after they have absorbed the salt. Other starches work wonders, too: toss in unseasoned grains, noodles, or white rice. In stews, the starches will maintain the thickness of the stew, while absorbing unwanted saltiness. As for soups, if you don't want grains floating around, try pureeing cooked white rice in stock or water and adding it to the soup. Or opt for potato flakes, which will dissolve.

Have any other kitchen disasters that need a quick solution? Then write us in the YumSugar Community so we can help rescue you!