Does your kitchen need to be rescued? If you’ve fallen victim to one of the common cooking disasters, it might be time for rescue efforts.
Some foods can’t be saved. No matter how much CPR you try to give it, some foods get ruined, and you’ll have to ditch them and head out for dinner. That said, there are some ways to save some cooking and baking mistakes that don’t require you to start over or give up. Understanding how to save some foods can be the difference between becoming the victim of common cooking disasters and having a wonderful meal.
Burned Rice
The smell of burned rice is terrible and will make your house stink. If you smell the rice burning, you might think you’ve got to toss the food and the pan out and start over. If the rice is black or brown or it is getting to that point, it might be too late, but you can save rice as long as it hasn’t reached this point. The easy fix is to take the rice off the heat and place a piece of white sandwich bread in the pot with the rice. Replace the pot cover and wait several minutes. You won’t taste any burn in your rice.
Salty Soup
Soups and stews often call for salt and bouillon, both of which have salt in them. Unfortunately, that can mean you’ve got salty soup which is one of the most common cooking disasters that needs to be tamed down before you serve it to your family or guests. One solution is to add more plain water to the soup, which could dilute the salt. I that doesn’t work, add some noodles, or rice to the mix and let them soak up the flavor from the broth.
Overcooked Vegetables
If you’ve overcooked your vegetables, there’s not a lot you can do to save them as simply cooked vegetables. Instead, you’ll need to pivot and create a vegetable soup. The water and stock will blend in with your vegetables and create a wonderful and nutritious dish that is great when you serve it alongside the rest of your meal. You can puree the overcooked vegetables, and nobody will ever know you ruined the vegetables. They will simply enjoy your soup.
Overcooked Meat
When meat gets too well done and becomes tough and not as desirable as you like, you’re facing one of the most common cooking disasters. Thankfully, by performing a pivot to another type of meal, you’ll save the meat. You can shred the meat and make tacos or sandwiches using the meat. This allows the meat to be edible and enjoyable for all and allows you to save it from disaster.
Dry Cookie Dough
Some people think the only way to bring something dry back to life is with water, but that’s not the case. If you have dry cookie dough, you’ll want to use a teaspoon of cooking oil and place the dough on a piece of wax or parchment paper. Knead the oil into the dough until its as soft as you need it to be and then wrap the dough and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking, which is a normal procedure with cookie dough.
Too Much Spice
If you love to cook with spices but happen to put too much into one of your dishes, there are some great ways to fix one of the most common cooking disasters. You can turn down the heat with some sugar, using ½ teaspoon measurements at a time, and taste until you are satisfied. Another solution is adding some veggies or meat to the dish to dilute the spices. Finally, serve the dish with some cooling dairy to let people neutralize the burn after they eat the spicy dish.
Sticky Pasta
Don’t you hate it when your pasta comes out of the boiling water and it sticks together? There’s a simple solution to this that will make your pasta look and taste wonderful. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the pasta and mix it in and toss the pasta to free up the noodles. This is a great way to add some light flavor to the mix and some healthy fats to the dish. You’ll love the improved consistency of your noodles when you serve them to your family.
These are just a few great ways to solve some of the most common cooking disasters. Just because it seems like the dish is ruined doesn’t mean it is. You’ve simply got to know what to do before starting over.
