There’s nothing like an over-salted meal to cause your heart to skip in all the wrong ways, especially if you have guests around. Imagine you had to cook for someone special and the meal smells heavenly. While you’re feeling like you should switch careers quickly, you taste the meal and voila! That’s not what you expected as you spit out all the saltiness.

 

***Plat4om giveaway: Check the picture at the end for a surprise.***

 

If you haven’t been in that moment when it seems like your life is flashing before your eyes just after you taste a meal, then that’s good. For every time you sprinkle salt in a meal, it seems like there’s a little devil on your shoulder telling you to add just ‘one more pinch of salt.’ Sometimes, you do need to add a little more for improved flavour; other times you may get carried away.

 

For moments like the latter when you wish you could take back time, you can perform a simple kitchen CPR. Now, we don’t mean on yourself (it’s not that bad), we mean on the meal. You can save that aromatic meal with simple tips. Even if you have your mother-in-law coming over for dinner, don’t panic. Whatever the reason is, here are tips to saving all sorts of over-salted meals.

 

Tips for fixing an over-salted meal

The first thing that may come to your mind when you taste a meal and it’s salty may be to throw it away. Okay, before that you may probably want to cry. But your labour shouldn’t be in vain, neither should all that recipe go to waste. Therefore, try out these kitchen tricks now.

 

Ready…

Set…

Get fixing!!!

 

 

1. Double the recipe

This can be a lifesaver. If you have more ingredients, you should get chopping and washing fast. This would increase the meal potion, but that’s not half as bad as serving an ocean-like meal. When you add the extra ingredients, ensure you skip out on the salt. Remember to also taste to ensure the flavour is secure.

 

For example, if you cooked porridge beans, simply boil another portion of beans. Add the oil, pepper, crayfish and whatever other ingredients you choose to use (but the salt). When it’s ready, mix with your already salty dish. Simmer and taste for salt. It would definitely taste better than it did before.

 

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2. Dilute with unsalted liquid

Diluting works better for soup, stew, sauce or braising liquid. You can simply add unsalted liquid to the meal to dilute the saltiness. You may want to be careful with how much liquid you use so taste constantly as you add in small portions. Also, you may lose the flavour of the other ingredients used, so be careful. If your only option is water at the moment, use moderately. Taste for salt.

 

3. Counteract with a different flavoured liquid

You can add liquids like wine, unsalted broth, citrus juice like lime and lemon, sugar, unsalted diced tomatoes, cream, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar or simply anything that can add flavour to the meal. Add moderately so you don’t end up with a sour-tasting meal.

 

 

4. Toss in a potato

Potatoes are very greedy for salt, therefore they make the right tool in a salted meal disaster. Cut out the skin, rinse and toss into the salted meal as it simmers. Then you can fish them out before they break out or become too soft. The potatoes absorb excess salt from your food. You can as well eat it while you’re at it. If you’re making curry sauce or stew, you can dice in raw potatoes and even leave them in there.

 

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5. Add more starch

Just like the potatoes, you can add starch like uncooked rice, quinoa, barley, pasta or couscous. They will help soak in the excess salt from the meal. Just ensure they don’t have added sodium. Then you can soak in the excess salt like a sponge. You can either leave there or sieve out. It depends on the meal you’re working with. There’s no harm in being innovative in the kitchen.

 

6. Serve your meal with something mild

If your meal is beyond repair, you can serve with something mild. For example, if you prepare stew or a sauce, you can serve with pasta or rice cooked without salt. The bland taste of the pasta or rice would mix well with the over-salted meal. It may not be what you imagined, but it’s better than wasting the dish.

 

What are your quick tips for saving an over-salted meal? We should love to get feedback.