Did your dinner fail, and have guests arrived?

Mostly everyone knows about this awful experience and moment in the kitchen. It could have been a failed timer, distracting kids, or a wrongly measured ingredient. 

There are ways to save your meal!

For undercooked cakes and cookies

Or try layering the best pieces of cookies or cake with whipped cream and fruit for a dessert parfait. You can also use the crumbled pieces can for an ice cream or cream pie topping.

For too sweet

Just add a little lemon juice or vinegar.

For too salty

Just add a little vinegar or sugar. For sauces or soups, add a raw peeled potato.

For greasy stew or soup

Try refrigerating and removing grease once it congeals on the surface. Another trick is to lay cold lettuce leaves over the hot stew for about 10 seconds and then remove them. You can repeat this if you need.

For sticky rice

Just rinse the rice with warm water.

For the thin sauce, gravy, or soup.

Try adding 1 tablespoon of flour to the hot sauce, gravy, or soup. Whisk well while the mixture is boiling to avoid lumps, and repeat as necessary.

For stale sandwich bread

Briefly toast or microwave bread. Otherwise, make it into breadcrumbs. For the future, try a breadbox to make your bread last longer.

For overcooked carrots or sweet potatoes

Put them in a soufflé with the addition of eggs and sugar. They can also be used as a pie filling.

For no honey in the cupboard

Try substituting 1 ¼ cups sugar dissolved in 1 cup of water.

For no tomato juice

Mix ½ cup of water with ½ cup of ketchup.

For lumpy sauce or gravy

Simply strain. Use a blender or a food processor.

For too stiff Jell-O

Try heating on low microwave power for a really short blast.

For hard brown sugar

Just place hard chunks in a food processor or put them in a paper bag and microwave for a few seconds.

For garlic or onion smelling hands.

Rub your hands with a large stainless steel spoon while rinsing them under cold water.

For forgetting to thaw your whipped topping

Just thaw on the defrost setting in the microwave for 1 minute. Then stir to blend. Be sure not to melt.

For chocolate seizes

Meaning-turning course and grainy when it comes into contact with water. Just place the chocolate in a metal bowl over a large saucepan with an inch of simmering water. Slowly whisk in the warm heavy cream over medium heat. Use ¼ cup of cream to 4 ounces of chocolate. The chocolate will become smooth when it melts.

For burned food in pots and pans

First, let the pan cool on its own. Get rid of as much food as possible. Then, fill it with hot water and add a capful of liquid fabric softener. Let it stand for a few hours. It will make the burnt food removed more easily.

For acidic foods

When your tomato-based sauce is too acidic, add baking soda, just one teaspoon at a time. Use sugar if you need a sweeter alternative.

Did your dinner fail, and have guests arrived?

Mostly everyone knows about this awful experience and moment in the kitchen.  It could have been a failed timer, distracting kids, or a wrongly measured ingredient.