How not to ruin a meal!

HELP, I RUINED DINNER! HERE’S WHAT TO DO. READING THE RECIPE COMPLETELY IS BY FAR THE NUMBER ONE RULE OF COOKING! THIS MAY SEEM LIKE A MUNDANE TASK, BUT YOU’LL BE SO THANKFUL YOU TOOK THE TIME TO DO IT.

A few common cooking mistakes we make

• Packing your pans to the brim

• Improper preparation

• Adding food and other ingredients too early

• Going rogue

• Overcook or undercook

Make sure to avoid these cooking mistakes to ensure your dish is as close to perfection as possible.

Too salty: Let’s dismiss what doesn’t work, which is throwing a potato into the dish to soak up the extra salt. Instead, simply add more of everything else. If its soup, add more liquid and if it’s a stew, add more vegetables or meat. Once the salt is diluted, your dish should be back on track.

Too sour: Ingredients containing lots of acid like tomatoes, vinegar and wine require a bit of sugar or cream. As a last resort, you can add a bit of baking soda to make the dish more alkaline – not too much since baking soda can be off-putting.

Too sweet: Add a bit of lemon juice or vinegar to a dish that is too sweet. Even a pinch of salt will round off those sweet flavours.

Too bitter: Sometimes, certain spices can make your dish a bit bitter. Add a spoonful of sugar, cream, or butter to tame that bitterness.

Too bland: Add a pinch of salt because salt enhances the flavours of other spices and herbs. For sour notes to the dish, you can add a bit of vinegar. Remember, with dried herbs and spices, a little goes a long way.

Too spicey: Fresh cream or butter reduces spiciness in food. A pinch of sugar is also effective.