Chris's post last week on cooking mistakes was a catalog of every kitchen snafu we've ever had the joy of experiencing. Ouch!
There's nothing worse than realizing that you forgot to chop the spinach just as your onions turn translucent. Or even worse: that tell-tale aroma of singed vegetables wafting from the stove.
Next time you find yourself facing a dinner disaster of the burned variety, here are two quick tips to help save the day.
Turn off the heat. Makes sense, right?! And yet, in the heat of the moment (no pun intended...), it's easy to forget this simple trick. If you have an electric stove, move the pan to another burner until it cools off.
Add another ingredient. A splash of chicken broth or a handful of raw veggies will absorb the extra heat and give you an extra minute to assess the situation. Even a splash of water will do in a pinch!
Anyone else have any good tips for rescuing dinner?
(Image: Emma Christensen for the Kitchn)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Call it "blackened" and serve it with plenty of flair and confidence.
view Likey's profile
@Likey - hahaha excellent!
I tend to misread the salt in a recipe. For some reason I think tablespoon when I should be thinking teaspoon. This has happened several times.
It's usually too late by the time I realize it. Any tricks to un-salt a recipe?
view Darby's profile
@Darby - None that don't violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics. (Well, except proportionally increasing all the other ingredients to dilute the salt.)
view mrestko's profile
Having just done this the other day, I have to make an addition to the first tip: Turn off the heat, and pick the pan up off the burner!
Even a gas stove has some residual heat in the supports, and I'm quite sure that waving the pan in the air disperses at least a little heat. My stove is electric, and turning the heat off doesn't do much in the short term. So there I am, burner turned off, watching my garlic sizzle into little crusty bits, when it suddenly occurs to me to pick up the pan!
view RebeccaCT's profile
Darby, adding unsalted fat such as unsalted butter or heavy cream (sauces, mashed potatoes, etc... what doesn't go better with heavy cream) does the trick without dilliuting the other flavors too much. Adding more of a starch ingredient (pasta, potato) will help a lot. If it's something that can take water, try adding water and then straining some off.
None of these are ideal of course, but they can turn something from inedible or blah, into totally decent.
Remember to correct the seasoning and acid balance afterwords... it is often easier to overcompensate than it would seem.
view f00d's profile
Darby - Adding sugar will help counteract the saltiness in a lot of recipes. Also, adding half a potato or a carrot will some times soak up some of the saltiness and can be taken out before serving.
view zhasmene's profile