Here Are 6 Common Cooking Mistakes And Hacks To Fix Them

I’m not the best cook on the planet.

I like to cook, but I usually do something — that I don’t even know I’ve done — that ruins the entire dish.

And, it’s usually a mistake that happens when I’m cooking for groups of people — food for that family that just had a baby, church potluck food, food for my work family, BFF food, etc.

Maybe you can relate? Please say yes.

Luckily, there are some pretty cool cooking hacks that can fix most of my cooking blunders.

And, these hacks are pretty easy — which makes them perfect for my non-culinary, master-chef self.

6 Hacks To Save Cooking Mistakes

Too Much Salt —

Maybe you didn’t realize the cap was off when you went to sprinkle a dash of salt into your food. Yep. I’ve done this.

Don’t worry. There’s a fix.

You can add a little sugar and vinegar. I know, it sounds weird, but I promise, it works!

Don’t add a TON of sugar and vinegar. Add a little at a time, and taste the dish.

You can always add more sugar and vinegar. You can’t take it away once it’s in there.

If you add too much salt to soup, you can add potatoes. They will soak up the salt, and taste yummy.

Too Sweet —

If you taste your dish, and it’s too sweet, there’s a fix for that.

Add a little bit of lemon juice or white vinegar.

Again, don’t add a ton of lemon juice or vinegar all at once.

Start with a little bit, and taste it. Adjust as needed.

Too Spicy —

Spice is life, at least to me. BUT, there are some in my family who can’t take the heat.

If they need to tone down the spice, I simply add sour cream or milk to the dish. It will tone down the space, making it a bit more manageable.

Too Sour —

It happens. Again, I like sour, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

To make your dish have a little less pucker, try adding some sugar.

Don’t just dump the sugar in there. Add a little bit of sugar, and adjust as needed.

You can also add a touch of honey — I do this to tone down the acidity in my spaghetti sauce.

Lumpy Gravy —

Why is gravy so hard to make? It’s just milk, flour, a bit of salt, and maybe some pepper. You’d think it would be easier.

My gravy turns out lumpy a lot of the time.

To fix this, just use an immersion blender to smooth it out.

Too Runny —

Sure, soup is supposed to be runny.

But, there are some things — like chowders — that should be a bit more on the thick side.

There are a couple things you can do in this case.

First, you can add a bit of instant mashed potatoes. Be careful not to add too many potato flakes. It can go from too runny to too thick quickly.

You can also mix a tablespoon of corn starch into 2 tablespoons of cold water in a separate container. Mix it up until it’s smooth, then stir it into your dish.