Activity around the kitchen always seems to ramp up as the end of the year approaches. First there’s the big Thanksgiving spread, and almost immediately after that, you have cookie trays, dinner parties, potlucks, and meals cooked and delivered with love to friends, family, and even strangers.

I love spending time in the kitchen and I’ve had my share of mistakes and mishaps in there. I like to think I’ve come a long way from the first time I ever gripped a spatula, and I attribute that to two main things: learning from my mistakes (and wounds and scars), and learning from others.

It’s been a rough weather week for many of us in the US so I thought it would be a great time to pour a cup of coffee—or tea, or hot chocolate—and sit and chat a bit. Our topic for today is:

What’s your favorite problem-solving trick in the kitchen? And what gives you the most trouble?

It would be lovely to share what we’ve learned over the years, and who knows, we might be able to help someone else struggling with a problem we’ve finally been able to nip!

I’ll start us off. I have two weaknesses when it comes to flavor: salty and sour, preferably at the same time. I really enjoy it when there’s a balance of both salt and acid in one dish. But it’s a delicate balance to achieve because it’s easy to overdo it in either direction. The tricks I’ve learned to fix either too much salt or too much acid are courtesy of my husband, who happens to be great in the kitchen (yay for me!).

Too salty: If a dish happens to be too salty, throw in a potato or two to soak up excess salt. The size of the potato pieces will depend on you; make them larger if you want to fish them out before serving, or make them the appropriate size if you intend to just leave them in the dish. You can also use a tomato in place of the potato, whichever suits the dish best. This also works when you add too much spice to a dish, which is my husband’s more-often problem.

Too sour: If too much acid is the problem, stir in the tiniest—and I mean tiniest—pinch of baking soda. Let it foam a bit, then taste. Add baking soda in very small amounts until the acid is neutralized.

Of course, the best tip is to always season carefully and incrementally so you don’t have to fix anything later. But sometimes I’m impatient or distracted and can’t help it, so those are my favorite troubleshooting tricks for when I end up heavy-handed with the salt or acid.

The one thing I have yet to master? Tempering chocolate. The chocolate still manages to seize up on me now and then. Any tips for me?

How about you? What nuggets of wisdom can you impart? What favorite problem-solving tip has saved you in the past? Or maybe it’s a favorite quick substitute for an ingredient you don’t have. And what would you like help with? Come share!

  Okay, today’s post starts with a little exercise. No, I’m not going to ask you to get on the treadmill—after all, where would you hang all those clothes piled on top of it? It’s very simple and you won’t even break a sweat. Ready? Quick, go to your kitchen. Think of all the great […]