I am pretty sure that anyone who has ever spent much time in the kitchen has at some point or another hit that dreadful moment when a dish has failed and guests are arriving. Maybe there was a distraction (oh, I don't know ... a sick dog, a crying child, a "quick" phone interruption) or a missing or mismeasured ingredient, but now what to do? These handy tips might just save the day next time!
Too Acidic -- If a tomato-based sauce becomes too acidic, add baking soda -- one teaspoon at a time -- to the sauce. Or use a little sugar as a sweeter alternative.
Melted Chocolate Seizes and Gets Coarse -- When melted chocolate comes into contact with water, it can seize (become coarse and grainy). Place the seized chocolate in a metal bowl over a large saucepan with an inch of simmering water in it. Over medium heat, slowly whisk in some warm, heavy cream. Use 1/4 cup cream for each 4 ounches of chocolate. The chocolate will melt down and become smooth again.
Lumpy Gravy or Sauce -- Use a blender, food processor, or blending stick to blend out the lumps, or simply strain to remove lumps.
Soup, Sauce or Gravy is too Thin -- Remove a little of the hot soup, sauce or gravy from the pan and mix it in a separate bowl with 1 tablespoon of flour; then pour back into hot soup, sauce or gravy and whisk well (to avoid lumps) while mixture is boiling or simmering. Repeat if necessary. Or try mixing a little cornstarch with some cold water in a small separate bowl and then stirring that mixture into the soup, sauce, or gravy (definitely no lumps).
Sticky Rice -- If the rice has turned sticky, carefully rinse rice with warm water; this works especially well with a colander.
Greasy soup or stew -- Try placing cold lettuce leaves over the hot stew for about 10 seconds and then remove them; repeat as necessary, to absorb excess grease. Alternatively, refrigerate the soup or stew and simply scoop grease from top once it congeals.
Food is Too Salty -- Add a little bit of sugar and vinegar to offset the saltiness. For soups or sauces, add a raw peeled potato and continue to simmer (remove potato before serving).
Cakes or Cookies are Undercooked -- Crumble them up and serve over vanilla ice cream. Or layer pieces of cake or cookies with whipped cream and fresh fruit for a delightful dessert parfait. Crumbled cookies can also make an excellent cream pie topping.
Dish is Too Sweet -- Add a little vinegar or lemon juice to counteract the sweetness.
Pots and Pans with Burnt-on Food - Allow the pan to cool on its own, then remove as much of the food as possible by scraping with utensil. Fill the pan with hot water and add a cap full of liquid fabric softener to the water; let stand for a few hours. The remaining burnt-on food will be much easier to remove.
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Lumpy Gravy or Sauce -- Use a blender, food processor, or blending stick to blend out the lumps, or simply strain to remove lumps.
Soup, Sauce or Gravy is too Thin -- Remove a little of the hot soup, sauce or gravy from the pan and mix it in a separate bowl with 1 tablespoon of flour; then pour back into hot soup, sauce or gravy and whisk well (to avoid lumps) while mixture is boiling or simmering. Repeat if necessary. Or try mixing a little cornstarch with some cold water in a small separate bowl and then stirring that mixture into the soup, sauce, or gravy (definitely no lumps).
Sticky Rice -- If the rice has turned sticky, carefully rinse rice with warm water; this works especially well with a colander.
Greasy soup or stew -- Try placing cold lettuce leaves over the hot stew for about 10 seconds and then remove them; repeat as necessary, to absorb excess grease. Alternatively, refrigerate the soup or stew and simply scoop grease from top once it congeals.
Food is Too Salty -- Add a little bit of sugar and vinegar to offset the saltiness. For soups or sauces, add a raw peeled potato and continue to simmer (remove potato before serving).
Cakes or Cookies are Undercooked -- Crumble them up and serve over vanilla ice cream. Or layer pieces of cake or cookies with whipped cream and fresh fruit for a delightful dessert parfait. Crumbled cookies can also make an excellent cream pie topping.
Dish is Too Sweet -- Add a little vinegar or lemon juice to counteract the sweetness.
Pots and Pans with Burnt-on Food - Allow the pan to cool on its own, then remove as much of the food as possible by scraping with utensil. Fill the pan with hot water and add a cap full of liquid fabric softener to the water; let stand for a few hours. The remaining burnt-on food will be much easier to remove.
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