Tips and Advice - Cooking Tips and Techniques

Some days, everything seems to go wrong, and that can included our culinary attempts, which can often end in disaster. Here are some hints and tips to rescue you from common kitchen disasters. Keep cool in the heat of the kitchen and be resourceful. The end result is never as bad as you fear!

Lumpy Sauces

OK, so you took your eyes off the sauce for a second, stopped stirring, and now all that is left is a lumpy goo. Don´t panic! Just press the sauce through a fine sieve, reheat slowly and add a little more water mixed with cornflour if the sauce is now too thin.

If you have a food processor, you can rescue greater quantities of sauce by whizzing therough the processor prior to sieving. 

Burnt Sauce

Place the pan in cold water to stop the burning. Pour any unburnt product into a clean pan or bowl. Do not attempt to scrape any off the bottom,as this will only add to the burnt flavour.

Add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of sherry or brandy to livenup the sauce and improve the flavour. This method works equally well if you burn a stew, although if you have lost a lot of the meat you may need to bulk up the protein. Add a can of kidney beans, butter beans or lentils to add bulk and protein. 

Curdled sauce

If you have managed to curdle your sauce or custard, don´t despair. Pour the sauce into a VERY cold bowl ( place one in the freezer for a while) and once cold, return it to a clean pan and gently heat the sauce through again. 

Burnt rice

Tip any unspoiled rice into a saucepan, place a fresh crust of bread over the top and cover the pan. The bread absorbs the burnt flavour. Keep an eye out for further tips to help you avoid culinary disasters!