PART 2 – Cooking Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Have you found that the curry you’ve made has become too watery or your soup has turned out too salty? Maybe your rice turned out too sticky or your French fries turned out too soggy?
Well, these are common cooking errors and in this article, I will tell you simple methods how to fix them!
Cooking Mistakes and How to Fix Them
1. Your curry, sauce or soup has become too watery
In case your curry, sauce or soup has become too watery, all you need to do is dissolve 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in ¼ cup of water, make it into a slurry and add it into your dish. Note: Increase or decrease as per the quantity of your dish. You can also add bread crumbs to your soup and using a hand blender, blend it in.
Egg yolks are the ideal addition to pasta sauces, salad dressings and custards that need thickening. Drop a yolk into the pan or pot just after it’s come off the heat, so that it’s hot but not boiling. Whisk or stir quickly to break the yolk.
2. Your French fries or potato chips aren’t crisp
If your French fries, potato chips or any other fried item isn’t crispy enough once fried, all you need to do is double fry it. A quick dip in a countertop deep fryer will breathe new life into soggy fries. You can also throw the fries into a hot skillet on the stove top. Additionally, an air fryer will crisp up a smaller batch of fries in just a few minutes.
3. Your rice has become too sticky
If your rice has become too sticky or gummy, it means that you’ve overcooked your rice. Nevertheless, you can pour the rice into a colander and pour cold water over it, gently using your fingertips or a fork to separate the grains as much as you can.
Another easy way to fix sticky and soggy rice is by spreading them over a parchment paper and heating/baking them for 10-15 minutes at 200 degree celsius, this will extract the excess moisture from the rice and give a perfect texture to the rice.
4. Your dish has too much garlic
If your dish has become too garlicky, you can simple add in just a little bit of citrus (like lemon juice or vinegar) or some sweetener (honey, maple syrup or sugar), to dissipate the garlicky taste.
5. Your herbs/greens are wilted
If your herbs or greens are wilted, simply dunk them in a large bowl filled with cold water or ice water. Keep them submerged for about few minutes to revive them.
6. Your pasta has become sticky
If your pasta is sticky once boiled, toss it into a colander, pour in some cold water and try separating the pasta with your fingertips or a fork. Thereafter, toss it with some olive oil or any other neutral oil of choice.
Your other choice is to toss or sauté the pasta with a bit of oil or fat to coat it — slippery noodles will slide apart from one another.
7. Your boiled eggs have become rubbery
Take the eggs out of the hated water and immediately drop them into a bowl or vessel filled with cold water. This will help stop it from cooking boiling any further.
8. Your food isn’t browning properly
If your food isn’t browning, it could mean you’ve overcrowded your pan or the heat isnt high enough. It could also mean that items have been overlapped.
Thus, you should avoid overcrowding and also overlapping of items, as well as turn your heat up if needed.
9. Your deep-fried food has become oily
If your first lot of a fried item has become too oily, it could be because your oil was not hot enough or you’ve fried too many pieces at one time.
Therefore, let the oil be fully hot (between 325 to 400 degrees at least) and make sure to fry your items in a small quantity.
10. Fix broken Mayo
Simply add another egg yolk, strictly at room temperature in a bowl. After whisking the egg in a separate bowl, gradually add the broken mayonnaise, one spoon at a time, until it becomes dense enough.
11. Ways to use overcooked meat
Shred the overcooked chicken and add mayonnaise, salt, pepper and other spices of your choice for homemade chicken salad sandwiches. For steak, slice it up, and soak it overnight in your favorite marinade. Use it in wraps, soups, shepherd’s pie or pastas. for overcooked pork, shred it, and place in the slow cooker with barbecue sauce for barbecue pulled pork sandwiches.
12. Clean used oil with this simple hack
Ever wondered how to reuse and clean used oil? Whisk ¼ cup water and 1 tbsp cornstarch for each cup of frying oil. Mix cornstarch water into room temperature oil, then bring it to a boil. As the oil coagulates, the dirt will stick to the cornstarch. After removing the cornstarch water, if the oil is still hazy, bring it to a boil again for it to clear up. Enjoy cooking!