Too Salty? Too Sweet? How To Fix Your Flavor Faux Pas

Last time we talked to you about how not to screw up your meal’s flavor in the first installation of our “Don’t Fu@% it Up! Series“.  Well, this week, in case you didn’t learn a damn thing last time, we wanted to give you some tips on how to fix or treat the most common flavoring catastrophes you encountered when you in fact, did fu@% it up.

1)   Too Salty: If you find that you accidentally knocked the opened container of salt into your dish, or misinterpreted “tsp” to mean “cup”, then you have over-salted your dish. This fix is much easier if you are dealing with a soup, stew or sauce of some sort. In that case, you will simply add more of all of the other ingredients to help balance out the flavor. If you are working with a stir-fry or other “drier” dish, you will want to try to add a little acidity and sugar to help balance the salt.  Add lemon juice, vinegar and some sugar. Remember, add only a little at a time until the flavors have balanced, you don’t want to over-acidify or sweeten. A fool-proof way to get the perfect seasoning is to use a pre-mixed blend by an expert.  Oh, and B-T-Dubs, we have 8 such International blends. Just sayin’. Visit the Bit@h Store!

2)   To Acidic or Sour: You can dilute the acidity of a dish with a pinch of baking soda. Another great fix is to add a small amount of sweetener like honey or sugar.

3)    Too Sweet:  Counter sweetness with acidic or sour flavors such as vinegar or lemon juice. Fats like olive oil or butter can rectify “too sweet” flavors as well.

4)    Too Bitter:  Counter bitterness with a little salt and even less amount of sugar.

 

Remember, it is imperative to counteract these flavor faux pas gingerly. Add a little of the counter-agent at a time until the problem is fixed.