The egg whites aren't firm, the soup is too salty, the curry is too spicy: kitchen mishaps happen to the best of people. But no reason to panic. We'll tell you four SOS tricks that will save your food.
Table of contents
- Kitchen mishap 1: The egg whites don't set
- Kitchen mishap 2: The food is too salty
- Kitchen mishap 3: The food is too spicy
- Kitchen mishap 4: Sauce or dough has curdled
Don't worry, just because you slipped on the salt or the sauce flaked doesn't mean you're a lousy cook. Because cooking mishaps like this happen every now and then, even to professionals.
But instead of throwing down the wooden spoon and throwing the food in the bin, you should take a quick breath and read on. We have four last-minute tricks for typical cooking mishaps that can save soup, sauce, etc.
Kitchen mishap 1: The egg whites don't set
If the egg whites don't set despite beating for minutes, fat is often the culprit. Either a bit of egg yolk got into the bowl or the beaters were still a bit greasy.
What you can try: Entera few drops of lemon juice and a little saltinto the egg whites and then beat them again. The mixture can help the snow become solid. If that doesn't help, unfortunately it's time to try again.
Make sure that only egg whites end up in the bowl. You can simply use your hands to do this. Crack in the egg so that the yolk remains in your hand and let the white flow through your fingers into the bowl.
Before beating, wash the beaters again with hot water and a little dishwashing liquid so that they are completely clean. Then dry off.
Kitchen mishap 2: The food is too salty
Pour too hard once and hey presto – a huge portion of salt ends up in the soup. A real classic that even professional chefs probably know. The good news: you can save over-salted food!
You can dilute soups and sauces first. Fat is best for this as it masks the salty taste.Simply add a good dash of cream, a dash of crème fraîche or sour cream to the overly salty food.
Also a real secret weapon against too much salt: thePotato– best when waxy. You can grate them raw into clear soups and then let them cook. Finally, skim off the potato pieces. For stews, you should cook large pieces of potatoes and remove them later. The potato acts like a sponge that absorbs the salt.
By the way:This also works with a thick slice of bread, but it breaks down more quickly in liquids.
Kitchen mishap 3: The food is too spicy
When I first tasted it, the spiciness was okay - but now the food is way too spicy. You know that?
Then try the fat trick here too:Add some milk, cream or a pat of butter to your food.With Asian curries, you can also reduce the spiciness with thick coconut milk or high-fat yogurt.
The great thing about yoghurt is that you can also use it to create a quick dip that you can then serve with a meal. This allows your guests to adjust the spiciness of the food themselves.
Reading tips:
Kitchen mishap 4: Sauce or dough has curdled
This can also happen to the best people: the dough or sauce is flaky. By the way, professional chefs call this phenomenon “fucked up”. This happens when the ingredients have different temperatures. When baking cakes, you should first “warm up” the butter, eggs, etc. at room temperature.
If the dough has coagulated, you can try the following:Place the mixing bowl in a bath of hot waterand let the dough warm up briefly. Then beat the dough again. It usually becomes smooth again.
Sauces can flocculate when acid and fat come into contact. This often happens when sauces are made with sour cream and at the same time with wine or lemon juice. Here you can try stirring the sour cream in a cup with a little hot sauce until smooth and then stirring it into the sauce. Also very important: Do not heat the cream or cheese sauces too much, otherwise the protein can flocculate.
If the mishap has already happened and the pasta or meat sauce is flaky, you can try to thicken it. Simply mix some cold water with a teaspoon of flour or starch and add to the sauce while stirring vigorously. Pour in some more cream and let it simmer gently (!) while stirring.
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