You can save almost any overseasoned or oversalted soup, stew or sauce with these tips


Olde Hornet

Well-Known Member

Too much salt. It’s easy to over-salt anything, but especially dishes with multiple components or steps, such as soups, stews or sauces. If the recipe is based on a meat-based stock, or contains bone-in meat, know that bones are a source of sodium. Most store-bought stocks contain some salt, meat- or vegetable-based, and any stock will contribute saltiness to a final dish, especially if the broth reduced as the dish cooked.

Start by playing defense: “If more than one of the added ingredients is salty, especially for ingredients like miso, soy sauce or dried shrimp, I would wait to add any salt the recipe calls for until I’ve tasted it at the end,” says Nik Sharma, author of “Season,” and the new book, “The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained in More Than 100 Essential Recipes.”

But if it’s too late, there are a few things you can do. If it’s just a little bit too salty, sometimes a touch of sweetness will help, advises Andrea Bemis, author of the new book “Local Dirt: Seasonal Recipes for Eating Close to Home,” and co-owner of the Mt. Hood, Ore.-based Tumbleweed Farm. “I’ll add some honey, a tablespoon at a time, and taste to see if that helps balance the flavors,” she says. Sugar, maple syrup or molasses can work, too.
 
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