We've all been there: Whether you forgot you already salted a dish and added the salt again or your hand slipped and you just included too much, the result is the same. Your soup, stew, meat, side, or sauce is now too salty. So, how can you fix it so you can still serve the dish for dinner? We're sharing four time-honored ways to bring the balance back—and our best tips to help you season your food properly every time.
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How to Fix a Too-Salty Dish
Add an Acidic Ingredient
It won't reduce the sodium level of your dish, but adding an acidic ingredient, such as lemon juice, vinegar, or even a tomato product, can neutralize the saltiness of a dish. Start with a dash or a squeeze, stir well to combine, and give it a taste before adding any more.
Try to choose an acidic element that will mesh well with the flavor profile of your dish—for example, you'd use lime juice for carnitas, not balsamic vinegar. When in doubt, use a neutral-tasting acid like rice vinegar or white wine vinegar; these are compatible with a lot of different dishes.
Add a Sweetener
Similarly, try adding a touch of sweetness to counteract a too-briny sauce or stir-fry. Brown sugar or maple syrup will add a distinctive caramel-y flavor to your dish, which might work well. If a more neutral sweetness is desired, stick with granulated sugar.
Add Dairy
A creamy dairy product will coat your mouth, essentially tricking your palate. Heavy cream, half-and-half, or a pat of butter are good solutions for a dish that needs to simmer for a little longer. Add sour cream or a knob of cream cheese at the end and off the heat source to prevent them from breaking.
Dilute or Bulk Up Your Dish
Diluting your dish with a splash or two of salt-free liquid or adding more vegetables, pasta, or meat, will help a dish that's too salty simply because you are increasing the overall amount of whatever you're making. Instead of just masking the salt like the tricks above, this will actually reduce the sodium per portion of your dish—so it's a good route to take if you have dietary concerns.
The Potato Trick
Legend says that if you toss a raw, peeled, and diced potato into a pot of simmering soup or stew, it will absorb some of the salt as it cooks. While there is some merit to this, we think this old trick should be taken with a grain of salt (pun intended). In reality, the potato will absorb liquid because it is so starchy, but it will have a very subtle effect on the final salt level of the dish.
There's no harm in trying this method if you have an extra potato on hand. Keep in mind that it's more likely that the extra water you will need to add after the potato absorbs some of the liquid will help more than the spud itself.
How to Prevent Adding Too Much Salt to a Dish
When it comes to over-salting a dish, an ounce of prevention really does beat a pound of cure. It's always going to be easier to add more salt than it will be to take it out. Keep these guidelines in mind before you start cooking.
Season in Layers
In culinary school, chefs in training are taught to season in stages in order to enhance each layer of flavor you are building. For instance, if you are sautéing onions for a soup or sauce, add a couple of small pinches of salt before you move on to the next step.
Be Aware of Hidden Sodium
At the store, choose products that advertise that they are lower in sodium than their counterparts. Broth, beans, and tomato products can contain loads of salt, which will mean you will end up having less control over how something tastes.
Taste as You Go
This can't be stressed enough: Taste your food while you're cooking! If you follow the tips above and season in layers, you'll be able to pull back or add more depending on how your dish tastes at any given moment.
Pick a Salt and Stick With It
There are all kinds of salts available that vary in flake size, which means their flavor varies, too. Here's the perfect example: Because table salt is dense, it is twice as salty as kosher salt. If you get comfortable with using the same kind of salt, you are much more likely to know exactly how much "a pinch" will affect your food. Many professional chefs reach for kosher salt when cooking—the coarser flakes are easier to grip and it dissolves quickly.
FAQs
Add an Acidic Ingredient
It won't reduce the sodium level of your dish, but adding an acidic ingredient, such as lemon juice, vinegar, or even a tomato product, can neutralize the saltiness of a dish. Start with a dash or a squeeze, stir well to combine, and give it a taste before adding any more.
How do you fix a dish that is too salty? ›
Add an Acidic Ingredient
It won't reduce the sodium level of your dish, but adding an acidic ingredient, such as lemon juice, vinegar, or even a tomato product, can neutralize the saltiness of a dish. Start with a dash or a squeeze, stir well to combine, and give it a taste before adding any more.
How do you stop something from being too salty? ›
Lemon or lime juice or vinegar are all acidic and will tame the salt taste. Adding a creamy or fat component like yoghurt, sour cream or butter (unsalted) will also help to reduce overly salted flavours in your dish.
How do you reduce sodium in a dish? ›
Use less soy sauce, ketchup and other condiments, or try the lower sodium option. Prepare your own condiments and season with non-salt seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder or celery powder. Use less of the seasoning that comes with taco kits, packaged macaroni and cheese, pasta and rice mixes.
How to stop using so much salt? ›
Here are five simple ways you can reduce sodium in your diet:
- Choose fresh foods over salty, processed foods. ...
- Go “low or no” with sodium-free or low-sodium foods. ...
- Use more herbs and spices. ...
- Limit the condiments, “fixins,” and side dishes. ...
- Talk to a nutrition expert about ways to control your sodium intake.
Add a small amount of fresh herbs to the soup and stir until well combined. Acidic ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar, or tomatoes can also help to reduce the saltiness of soup. Add a small amount of acid to the soup and stir until well combined.
How to counteract eating too much salt? ›
First, make sure you drink sufficient amounts of water to help your body regain its desired sodium-to-water ratio ( 2 , 7 ). You can also try eating foods that are rich in potassium, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and dairy.
How to remove excess salt from cooked food? ›
7 ways to remove excess salt from your dishes
- Raw potatoes. Add raw potato cubes in salty gravies. ...
- Rice balls. Make small rice powder balls and drop them in the curries. ...
- Fresh cream. Fresh cream can neutralise the saltiness in dishes. ...
- Curd. ...
- Milk. ...
- Onion. ...
- Vinegar and sugar.
Drink Plenty of Water
This is because water helps the body flush out excess sodium. Not only is hydration important for managing sodium levels, but it is also important for overall health.
Does sugar cancel out salt? ›
So, if you've added just a pinch of extra salt, you can add a pinch of sugar to balance it out. It's a calculated move, therefore, if your recipe is really salty, you should refrain from using this trick as you can end up with a weird sugary dish.
Enjoy high-potassium foods regularly.
These include sweet potatoes, potatoes, greens, tomatoes and lower-sodium tomato sauce, white beans, kidney beans, nonfat yogurt, oranges, bananas and cantaloupe. Potassium helps counter the effects of sodium and may help lower your blood pressure.
What are five ways to reduce sodium? ›
How can you reduce your sodium intake?
- eat mostly fresh, minimally processed foods.
- choose low-sodium products (less than 120mg/100g sodium)
- cook with little or no added sodium/salt.
- use herbs and spices to flavour food, rather than salt.
- limit the use of commercial sauces, dressings and instant products.
Whisk in fresh lemon juice or good vinegar one teaspoon at a time. The goal is to balance the saltiness, not turn the gravy citrusy or sour. Whisk in a big pinch of sugar. Again, the goal is to balance and counteract the saltiness, not make the gravy sweet.
How to fix a dish that is too salty? ›
Adding a splash of something acidic such as vinegar, lemon juice or even wine to an over-salted dish can help to correct your meal and give it an extra tasty tang. Begin by adding a tablespoon at a time, stir well and taste.
How to avoid salty foods? ›
When cooking, use alternatives to replace or reduce the amount of salt you use, such as garlic, citrus juice, salt-free seasonings, or spices. Prepare rice, pasta, beans, and meats from their most basic forms (dry and fresh) when possible. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
How to fix too much salt in pasta? ›
Dilute With Unsalted Ingredients
For example, you can add more pasta and sauce to the dish to distribute the salty flavor. You can also add unsalted cream or milk to cream-based sauces to balance out the saltiness. Another trick is to add a squeeze of lemon juice or a pinch of brown sugar to counteract the salt.
What flavor cancels out salt? ›
Squeeze some lemon juice or orange juice over your dish. The sour flavor provides a new layer of complexity to the meal and should mellow out the salt. Drizzle in a mild vinegar like all-purpose vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar to help mask the salt with acidity by distracting the taste buds.
Does adding a raw potato absorb salt? ›
According to Wolke, while the potato does absorb some of the liquid and therefore tastes salty itself as a result, it doesn't actually remove excess salt any more than dipping in a dry kitchen sponge would. It just becomes saltwater-logged.
How to remove too much salt from cooked meat? ›
Rinse the meat using hot water, "give it a really quick re-grill or sear, let it rest, and then serve," Southern says. But if your rinsing rescue mission fails, you can still save the meat by slicing and tossing it into a hardy salad, suggests Massachusetts chef Jim Booth.
How do you counteract too much salt in gravy? ›
Milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half: Stir in 2 tsp of one of these dairy products to the gravy to reduce its saltiness. Yogurt: Add 1 tsp of plain yogurt to salty gravy. Sour cream: A dollop of sour cream can help balance the flavor of over-salted gravy.
