Too much salt or spice in your dish? Here’s how to rescue a meal

Cooking Hacks

Too much salt or spice in your dish? Here’s how to rescue a meal

Four chefs share their tips on how to fix a dish that’s too salty, too sour, too spicy or too bitter

Have you ever cooked a dish and accidentally added too much of something, making your food inedible? We asked four chefs from some of Joburg’s top hotels for quick fixes that’ll help you rescue your meal.

How do you fix a dish that is too spicy?

Add coconut milk/fresh cream and lime to cut through the chilli, says Gouwah Kafoor, head chef at the Sandton Convention Centre.

How do you fix a dish that is too bitter?

I would add something sweet (like a pinch of sugar or honey) or something sour like a little bit of lemon juice or vinegar to try to neutralise the flavour, and make sure that it won’t affect the consistency of the dish. The ‘fix’ will depend on the dish,” says Precious Malebye, sous chef at Level 4 at 54 on Bath.

How do you fix a dish that is too salty?

Depending on what it is, either cream or milk normally does it for me, says Ntabiseng Phiri, demi chef de partie at Medeo Restaurant at The Palazzo hotel at Montecasino.

How do you fix a dish that is too sour?

Depending on what the mixture is, I’d use a bit of cream and drop of vanilla essence to cut down the sour taste. Also, some good quality thick cream cheese can help to tone it down, says Beverley Bogatsu, pastry chef at San Deck Bar & Restaurant at the Sandton Sun.