How to Fix an Over‐Seasoned Dish

You’ve put in hours into preparing a fancy dish or even a big dinner party––only to find out that it tastes slightly off—too salty, spicy, sour, or sweet! While ending up with an over-seasoned dish can be discouraging, especially if it runs the risk of ruining an entire meal with your guests, don't rush to throw out the food just yet. By using a few simple tricks, you can quickly learn how to fix an over-seasoned dish and still enjoy a delicious meal.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Balancing out the Flavors

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If you have over-seasoned a soup, stew or sauce, you can fix the problem by diluting the dish. Add a splash or two of water and then taste the dish. By adding water, you will cause the overall flavor of your dish to be less intense, but if you have over-seasoned, the results can be positive.^{[1]XResearch source}
If you have more of the other ingredients you’ve used in the dish, try adding them in to even out the over-seasoning. Try increasing the other ingredients one spoon at a time (without the seasoning) and see how it tastes.^{[2]XResearch source}
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Sweeteners such as sugar, honey, and molasses can round up and highlight the flavors in a typically savory dish. If your dish is too acidic or sour, like an overly acidic bean soup with dried tomatoes, try adding a pinch of sugar or other sweetener and a pinch of salt to soften the tartness.^{[3]XResearch source}
If your dish or dessert is too sweet, try adding bitter ingredients such as beer and cocoa, depending on the nature of the food. Definitely do not add salt to overly sweet desserts as that will bring out the flavor even more.^{[4]XResearch source}
Adding a pinch of baking soda to overly bitter or sour food can neutralize the taste.^{[5]XResearch source} If you’ve added too much vinegar or lemon juice to your salad, or your tomato sauce tastes a little too tart, try this trick. Use very small amounts, such as ⅛ or ¼ of a teaspoon of baking soda.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Fixing an Overly Salty Dish

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1
Add raw potato to your dish. If your soup or stew is too salty, adding raw potato is a good option. Slice the potato into small chunks (to expose a good bit of surface area) and then stir them in. The potato acts like a salt sponge, absorbing some of the salt right out of your dish. Cook the potato in the dish for several minutes, and then discard it.^{[6]XResearch source}
- Be cautious with this method since potatoes can also absorb the other flavors, running the risk of producing a less tasty dish. In this case, you can taste the dish afterwards, and adjust any seasonings that might have been absorbed along with the salt. Remember to add seasonings in very small amounts and taste the dish after each addition.
If your dish is a soup, you can add starches such as rice or noodles for them to absorb the salt. If it’s a stew, puree some rice and add it as a thickener—it will help even out the salt.^{[7]XResearch source}
You can try squeezing some lemon juice or adding some vinegar to your dish in addition to a pinch of sugar; the increased acidity and sweetness will help mask the overly salty taste. The idea is to distract the taster from the salt by adding opposing flavors.^{[8]XResearch source}
Making the dish creamy by adding cream, coconut milk or mashed avocado can temper the salty taste. Think about tomato sauce with heavy cream or salty tacos with sour cream.^{[9]XResearch source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Fixing an Overly Spicy Dish

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1
Balance the heat with some sweetness. If you were a little heavy-handed with the chili peppers, add some sugar or honey to the dish to correct the problem. Make sure to use very small amounts of sweetener so your savory dish does not turn into a dessert.^{[10]XResearch source}
- If you make a curry too spicy, add in a little bit of coconut cream or coconut milk—it'll add a nice, natural sweetness that might cut through the spiciness a bit.
Use acidic liquids like lemon or lime juice or vinegar to counteract the spiciness. You can even add a little ketchup or diced tomatoes to increase the acidity.^{[11]XResearch source}
Dairy complements spicy foods nicely, since the casein in milk prevents the pain receptors on the tongue from feeling the heat. Most cultures with spicy cuisine exploit this fact. Spicy Mexican food is served with sour cream, hot Indian curries or some Turkish kebabs are paired with yogurt, and Buffalo wings come alongside bleu cheese.^{[12]XResearch source}
Just like with dairy, starchy foods will help diffuse the spicy taste. Try serving your dish with potatoes, rice, pasta, or bread to make it easier to eat for you or your guests.^{[13]XResearch source}

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How do you tone down spicy soup?
Jillian Fae Downing
Private Event Chef & Chef Educator
Jillian Fae Downing is a Private Event Chef, Chef Educator, and the Owner of Jillian Fae Chef Services based out of Temecula, California. With 12 years of experience, she specializes in menu planning and menu research and development. Jillian Fae holds an Associate of Science in Culinary Arts from Orange Coast College and a BA in Mass Communication and Media Studies from Arizona State University. She is also a member of the American Culinary Federation and the American Personal and Private Chef Association.
Jillian Fae Downing
Private Event Chef & Chef Educator
Expert Answer
Add some form of neutral liquid—depending on this soup, this might be cream, water, or stock. Just be sure to add in more seasonings when you do this, as diluting the soup will also dilute the flavors.
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I made Manhattan-style clam chowder and accidentally put too much pepper in it. How do I fix it?
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You could dilute the soup with more stock, or you could add sugar to absorb some of the heat. For future reference, it is easier to spice up an underseasoned dish than it is to remove or dilute an overseasoned one.
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What do I do if I added too much honey and it is too sweet?
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You can add a little bit more of whatever thing you're making to kind of even it out, or you could just try and take out some of the honey (if you didn't mix it in).
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Tips

Use ingredients that are appropriate for your dish. If your homemade salsa is too salty, for example, add sugar and lime juice. To fix the same problem with a dish of braised pork, you could add sugar and red wine.
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Taste your dish throughout the cooking process; this is the best way to avoid over-seasoning. Also, try to add salt towards the end and only once.
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