Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Save a dish that is too salty
• Method 2 of 2: Prevent the food from getting too salty
• Tips

Have you been a little too enthusiastic with the salt shaker? See it as an opportunity to expand your culinary knowledge. If you know how salt reacts to other flavors, you can save your dish.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Save a dish that is too salty

1. Replace some of the overly salty liquid. If you're making soup, curry, or any other liquid dish, the easiest way to save your dish is to add more liquid. Pour some of the salty liquid away. Add water, unsalted stock or milk, depending on your dish.
2. Add acid or sugar. Adding a completely new ingredient is a daring move, but it can turn out well. With sour and sweet flavors, you can neutralize excess salt.
   • Acidic ingredients work in almost all dishes. Try lemon juice, vinegar, wine, tomato, or canned foods.
   • In addition to regular sugar, you can add honey or condensed milk. This works especially well in combination with acid. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, and repeat until perfect.
3. Double the amount of ingredients in the recipe. If you have enough time and stock, you can add more ingredients. For example, add more meat and vegetables when making a stew, or add more unsalted butter to your sauce. This way you reduce the amount of salt compared to the other flavors. This is the only way to save dough that is too salty.
   • If you prefer neutral flavors, you can finely chop cauliflower and add it to the liquid.
4. Serve it with starch. You can add rice, pasta or potatoes to almost any dish. Starch is actually no different from sugar, but it is an easy way to increase the volume of your recipe.
   • Don't believe the myth that you can put a potato in the liquid, which will then soak up all the salt and throw it away. The potato also absorbs liquid. Relatively the same amount of salt will then remain in the dish.
5. Rinse too salty vegetables. You can rinse partially cooked vegetables and put them back in slightly less salt water. Rinsing can ruin the texture and flavor of steamed, baked, or stir-fried vegetables, but it can work if you're just getting started with cooking.
6. Serve the dish at a higher temperature. Temperature affects flavor in a complex way, but a cold dish can taste saltier than a hot one. If reheating the dish is not an option, consider serving a hot drink such as coffee or tea.
   • This has little effect. Combine this option with other solutions.

Method 2 of 2: Prevent the food from getting too salty

1. Switch to sea salt. The small grains of table salt quickly stick together, so you quickly use too much salt. The larger crystals of sea salt are a lot easier to handle. You need a lot more to get the same taste, because the sea salt grains are looser on top of each other.
   • Use table salt for baking. The fine grains dissolve better in dough.
2. Sprinkle the salt over your dish from a greater distance. When sprinkling salt, keep your fingers about 10 inches (25 cm) above the food. The salt is then spread better all over the dish. Your guests will appreciate it if there are no lumps of salt in the food.
3. Always add small amounts of salt. Always add a little bit of salt to the dish. Taste each time to keep an eye on how the flavor develops. It's much easier to adjust the flavor halfway through the dish than five minutes before serving.
4. Watch out for liquid that is still thickening. Remember that the soup you are flavoring will be much stronger once some of the water has evaporated. Don't use too much salt at first, then add more once the soup has reached its final consistency.

Tips

• Herbs and spices can also help, but they are not as effective as acid or sugar. Make sure not to add a spice mixture that contains salt.