Today I didn’t follow my own advice and make a half batch when trying a new recipe. So when the Butter Chicken I made ended up a bit too spicy, I had to make a decision. Throw it out? Absolutely not! We don’t waste food in this household! But what to do?

With my lips still tingling, I decided to add some sour cream to it to cut the spice and add some cool. It’s traditionally served this way (now I understand why), so I knew the combination would be OK. You could also do this for a Mexican dish that has a few too many peppers for you to tolerate. Just add sour cream (or even yogurt) to cool it off a bit.

That got me thinking…. if something is not salty or spicy enough, it’s easy to add to taste. But what if something is too much? Too salty, too spicy, too thin, too thick, too sweet, too whatever? You don’t want to throw it out, but it’s not exactly prime leftovers at this point. How can you fix it?

TOO SALTY: Again, sour cream (or other dairy) to the rescue. It depends on what you are cooking, but adding dairy can less the salty taste. Also adding something acidic like lemon juice, vinegar, or tomatoes balances out the flavors where the salt isn’t so noticeable. Raw potatoes are also great at absorbing extra salt. A pinch of sugar may help. As a last resort, you can remake the dish (if it’s like soup) leaving out the salt, then mix the two together.

TOO SPICY: Sour cream or yogurt works wonders. My lips are now not on fire. Adding some starches (I guess I could have added more rice to my butter chicken) can help, along with a pinch of sugar. Remember that peppers (and other spices) can vary a lot depending on growing conditions and how they are processed. What you used last week may be too hot or not hot enough this week.

TOO THICK: Add water or milk slowly to get the consistency you want.

TOO THIN: Make a slurry of 1 part cornstarch to 2 parts water and mix well. Add to your liquid and heat for about 10 minutes. Repeat as necessary.

TOO SWEET: Is there such a thing? You can add something sour (sour cherries) or tart (berries) to balance out the sweet, or again…. sour cream. Or maybe cream cheese if appropriate to cut the sweetness. And drink water or unsweetened tea with it to cut the cloying stickiness.

What are things that you have made that were ‘whoa – that’s way too much….?’