At some point almost every cook faces a dish malfunction. It may have been a momentary distraction, a mismeasured or forgotten ingredient, or a failed timer and it’s too late to start again. Below are some tips that might save the dish.
Acidic foods – Sometimes a tomato-based sauce will become too acidic. Add baking soda, one teaspoon at a time, to the sauce. You can also use sugar as a sweeter alternative.
Broken Hollandaise – Hollandaise can be tricky and it’s not uncommon to have it separate on you. Simply mix a tablespoon of the sauce with a couple tablespoons of hot water in a small bowl. With the sauce on low heat, and whisking briskly, slowly pour the sauce and water mixture back into the saucepan with the hollandaise. Start whisking in one small part of the pan and you’ll see the sauce start to come together, as it does, slowly incorporate other parts of the broken sauce with the fixed sauce until it is all back together.
Chocolate seizes – Chocolate can seize (turn coarse and grainy) when it comes in contact with water. Place seized chocolate in a metal bowl over a large saucepan with an inch of simmering water in it. Over medium heat, slowly whisk in warm heavy cream. Use 1/4 cup of cream to 4 oz of chocolate. The chocolate will melt and become smooth again.
Hard brown sugar – Place in a paper bag and microwave for a few seconds or place hard chunks in a food processor.
Lumpy sauce or gravy – Use a blender, food processor, or simply strain.
No honey – Substitute 1 1/4 cups sugar dissolved in 1 cup water.
Sauce, or gravy is too thin – Add 1 tablespoon of flour to hot soup, sauce, or gravy. Whisk well while the mixture is boiling. Repeat if necessary.
Soup is too thin – Add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 1/2 cup of water. Slowly add the mixture to the hot soup stirring constantly until it starts to thicken.
Red pasta sauce (marinara) is too thin – Roll 1 tablespoon of butter in flour and add to sauce or pan with pasta and sauce. Heat until it is bubbly and the sauce starts to thicken.
Sticky rice – rinse with hot water.
Stew or soup is too oily – Refrigerate and remove oil once it congeals. Or lay cold lettuce leaves over the hot stew for about 10 seconds and then remove. Repeat as necessary.
Soup or stew is too salty – Add a raw potato; be sure to discard before serving. You can also add a little sugar and vinegar.
Too sweet – Add a little vinegar or lemon juice.