This post was inspired by a Tweet tonight from Tanis; she tweeted:
Cream, Cream Cheese and Sour Cream were the popular answers, however, with a homemade tomato sauce.. adding a cream can easily go wrong. That’s a delicate balance and can go bad on you, very quickly.
Truly, the answer is quite simple and is probably in your pantry right now:
Honey.
I know, you’re sayin’: “Honey, please”
Honestly, y’all.. Honey. Just a little bit of the sweet combats the heat from too much cayenne, too much red pepper, too much hot sauce. A little bit of honey goes a long way and won’t compromise the integrity of your dish.
So, this got me thinking… what other quick kitchen fixes do I know?
Too much salt in a soup or stew?
- add in a few thick slices of peeled potato, potatoes absorb salt. Just add the potato slices and slowly simmer until the potatoes become translucent.
Bitter Coffee
- Add a dash of salt to a pot of coffee that tastes too bitter, yet you can’t bring yourself to throw it out.
Undercooked Cake
- Scoop out the center and fill with frosting or fresh fruit
- Crumble up the usable parts to serve over ice cream or make into a beautiful parfait.
- Whatever you do, don’t tell them it’s a mistake!!! Just smile, wink and accept the compliments and praises on your delicious concoction
Too Thin Sauce
- if your sauce is too thin, you can add a bit of cornstarch mixed with water, mashed potato flakes or even a quick flour and butter roux
Recipe Substitutions:
Did you run out of buttermilk or another key ingredient? There are some surprisingly simple fixes for that.
- 1 tsp baking powder = ¼ tsp baking soda + 1/2 cup buttermilk or ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup buttermilk = 1 Cup Skim Milk + 1 Tbsp vinegar or Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp cornstarch = 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cream = ½ cup butter + ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 cup honey = 1 ¼ cups sugar + ¼ cup water
- 1 cup molasses = 1 cup of honey
- 1 cup sour cream = 1 cup of yogurt
- 1 cup brown sugar = ¾ cup of granulated sugar + ¼ cup molasses
- 1 cup granulated sugar = ¾ cup honey or ½ cup corn syrup
- 1 cup powdered sugar = 1 cup granulated sugar + 1/8 tsp cornstarch (blended in food processor)
How To Take The Gamey Flavor Out of Venison
- Soak the venison in a mixture of buttermilk and worcestershire for 24 hours.
and I can’t believe I forgot this one! Thanks, April!
What Can I use in Place of Oil during Baking?
- I use applesauce in place of oil in a LOT of my baking recipes: Like in my Easy homemade Granola
- April also suggests: pureed pumpkin, sweet potato and even pureed black beans!
These are just a few ideas, a few quick tips to fix those “happens-to-everyone” kitchen oopsies
What are your favorite tips, hints and tricks?
