Can you make something less salty

Sometimes you can even rinse off the excessive seasoning from your salads or steamed vegetables and start over. Just place them in a colander and wash them off with ice-cold water. When in doubt, this solution is one of the best. When a meal is cooked, taste it and season it more if needed. This method is very useful because you will have some leftovers that you can freeze in containers for later.

Often, people think food might need a bit more salt, but the answer is it only needs a little acid to enhance the flavor. A splash of lemon juice or white vinegar, for example, will add a subtle freshness to your meal and mask the saltiness. Fats in dairy are great neutralizers, it contrasts saltiness very well.

Depends on the type of meal you are making you will choose specific dairy products. For sauces, it is always better to use milk or heavy cream, it makes them richer, and it tones down the salt nicely.

If you oversalted your mac and cheese, for example, use some low-sodium cheeses like ricotta. Ingredients like sour cream and plain yogurt are great rescue solutions for chili, casserole, or some tasty stuffed peppers.

Butter mixed with an equal amount of flour will save your over-salted gravy for sure. We all heard about how putting the whole potato in over-salted soup or stew will absorb the excess salt. Well, unfortunately, that is not true. Use a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of a mild vinegar to help mask some of the aggressive salt with a new flavor.

Acid will bring out the best of salty potatoes or salty fish fish and chips , anyone? Cover the offending pork with water and let it sit for a couple hours. The excess salt will leach out into the water.

Adding starch is a quick fix for a too-spicy soup, like in a Thai chicken curry. Add a raw potato no need to cut or peel it to a liquid dish like a soup or a curry to soak up some of the extra salt as they cook and will add some starch that will dilute the saltiness further.

The results however, are mild, so don't depend on this to fix everything. Adding a creamy component can change the perception of taste and make dish's flavor seem more mild. Cookbook author and New York Times writer Melissa Clark says that if a gravy or sauce is too salty, you can add a roux made from butter and flour to the pan.

Gail Simmons, Top Chef judge and food writer, pairs overly salted veggies with a mild cheese like fresh mozzarella or ricotta, and adds more butter or oil to dressings and sauces that are too salty.

Cookbook author Ellen Brown adds milk or cream to soups that are too salty — the richness helps balance the salinity.

The potatoes did absorb the salty liquid , but the liquid that was left over was still just as salty. Instead, use one of the methods above to tame your overly seasoned dishes. Get more cooking tips to make you feel like a pro by following us on Pinterest. Privacy Policy Terms of Service. Looking for sweet cookie recipes , the latest fashion trends and inspo , or a way to up your calligraphy game? Inspiration delivered to your inbox Subscribe to our newsletter.

Sign Up. Food Food Adulting. Add yogurt Chef Marc Maron shared this advice on an episode of Chopped.