Moms' kitchen hacks to save too salty soups

You could say that our moms and grandmothers had their culinary tricks for everything. Is soup too salty? No problem: glancing into the vegetable drawer is enough for effective intervention. Can't find what you need there? Don’t worry — grandmothers had more tricks up their sleeves...

The fact that over-salting soup can happen to anyone doesn't make it any less frustrating when it happens to us. There may be no comfort in that; it is what it is. When faced with an entire pot of overly salty soup, you either bid it farewell or react quickly and decisively. We recommend the latter approach. A bit of introductory chemistry can return the dish to its optimal taste. Grandmothers indeed knew everything!

Before you serve too salty soup to your loved ones and hear the standard reply, “Someone must be in love,” don’t take the pot off the heat. Instead, reach into one of the kitchen cabinets. What should you grab? One large, ripe... potato. Don’t worry, we’re not suggesting making pancakes and replacing the soup. What should you do? Peel the vegetable, wash it, cut it in half, and drop it into the soup. That’s all.

Now, the cooking potato should absorb the excess salt from the soup. Cook it until it begins to turn soft. If you overcook it, the vegetable will release the absorbed flavor into the soup. So, when you think it’s done, remove the potato and taste the liquid. Is it better? Good. Not quite there? Let’s move on to other tricks.

You can also use an apple, just like with the potato. However, be very cautious of the consistency change mentioned earlier. The fruit's sweet taste might make the soup less salty, but it won’t taste as intended.

What else works? Bread crusts or rice (in a bag, so you won’t have trouble fishing it out of the soup later). Grandmothers sometimes used egg whites to “desalinate” the soup. This ingredient excellently absorbs the salty taste. Just remember to remove it before serving the soup. Otherwise, your family members might be shocked!