4 Ways to Save a Ruined Recipe

If you’ve ever made a cooked dish that turned out bland, overly sweet, too spicy or too salty, I’ve got good news. You can fix it!

Below are four common blunders and how to recover from any of them.

If you’re dish is…

1. Too spicy:

• Add acid – lemon, lime, orange juice or vinegar
• Add dairy – yogurt, milk or cream
• Add alcohol – wine, beer or sherry
• Add sugar – any kind of sugar, honey, maple syrup or agave

2. Too sweet:

• Add spice – cayenne, chili powder, hot sauce or hot peppers
• Add acid – any citrus fruit or vinegar
• Add more of the savory ingredients
• Add salt

3. Too salty:

• Add acid – vinegar, lemon or lime
• Add water
• Add sugar or other sweetener

4. Too bland:

• Add salt – lack of salt is the primary cause of a flavorless dish
• Add fresh herbs – fresh herbs add a punch of fresh flavor, as well as great color and texture (Note: dried herbs need to be added at the beginning of cooking otherwise the dish will taste bad)
• Add acid – citrus, vinegar or wine provide a much needed “bite” and some tang