9 Common Kitchen Disasters & How To Fix Them

Those of us who love to cook know that no cook or chef is perfect. No matter how good you are in the kitchen, you are bound to have faced disaster at some point or the other. So, fret not, it happens to everyone!

But this also doesn’t mean that whatever you think you’ve “ruined” is beyond salvage. It’s like that moment in the movie “Ratatouille”, where Remy the rat who is a chef rescues a soup that tastes horrible by adding a bit of this and that. If you know what to do in the right moment, you can save any “ruined” foods without too much wastage most of the time!

Here are some common cooking disasters and how you can rebound from them:

1. Burnt Cookies

Forgot about those cookies you put in the oven for an extra two minutes and now the bottom’s all burnt? Don’t worry, you don’t have to throw them away! Just grab yourself a grater or a zester and rub the bottom of the cookies until all the burnt bits are gone. Trust us, no one will be the wiser! You can do this to the top of things like pie crust as well.

2. Too Salty or Spicy

Accidentally over salted or spiced a soup or stew? No worries, there are plenty of ways to bring your dish back.

The key here is to add more ingredients in that can absorb the excess salt or spice. You could add liquids like milk, cream, water, or vinegar, or things like unsalted cooked rice or even more of your ingredients (like vegetables, meat) minus the offending salt or spice. You could even add a bit of sugar to bring the balance back.

If none of these are an option to you, add a potato that’s peeled and cut into large chunks into the pot. Once it’s absorbed all the extra salt or spice, you can remove it.

3. Over Whipped Egg Whites

Making a meringue, but you took your beating too far and now the glossy mixture has separated and become all clumped up? A simple solution to this problem is to add an extra egg white (one for every 2 over-whipped ones) and beat again until the mixture returns to its original thick and glossy form.