Top 10 fixes for cooking disasters

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Wednesday I bought a new measuring cup.
Then I accidentally melted it in the microwave. Sigh.

My grandmother once told me a really funny story about a time when she was young and a new cook. She made so much rice that in order to conceal her embarrassment from my grandfather, she buried the rice in the back yard.

Cooking disasters are not uncommon. They are much like the disasters that happen in our own lives, often when we are ill prepared it leads to an outcome that is unpleasant.

I myself have been the victim of one too many cooking disaster. It usually leads to shouting and tears. I  am not a keep calm and carry on girl. I am a when in doubt run in cirlces scream and shout girl.

This, like many cooking disasters had an easy fix. If the recipe had called for buttermilk and all I had was regular skim, I could have just added a teaspoon of white vinegar. Had my grandmother known that she could freeze the rice, and then perk it up later with a quarter cup of chicken broth, the ceremonial burial would not have been necessary.

 Cooking disasters are the one of the few things in life that can be easily remedied.

 Lydia’s top ten cooking disasters fixed: 

  1. Home made mac and cheese is runny – just ad flour to the mixture while it is still simmering, add two table spoons at a time.
  2. If a beef stew or vegetable soup is too salty add some potatoes.
  3. If you find yourself one egg short add one teaspoon cornstarch and one table spoon water.
  4. Not many people keep corn syrup handy, so one part water and two parts granulated sugar will fill in nicely.
  5. If you burn a pound cake make a pot of coffee, pour about a cup of coffee over the cake and then add a little powdered sugar.
  6. If a layer cake slides, or one layer breaks cut it into squares, put it in a glass pan, melt the icing and then pour over the cake. It isn’t as pretty, but it will taste delicious. If you are really feeling creative, make a torte.
  7. If you are making candy like Martha Washington’s or Buck Eye Balls and you are running low on chocolate, put the candy itself in muffin cups and pour over the top.
  8. If your pasta is a little al dente (under cooked) turn it into a casserole, cover in sauce, sprinkle it with cheese and stick in the oven for 15 minutes. Cheese covers a multitude of sins.
  9. If melting chocolate becomes hard, add a teaspoon of shortening or oil per ounce of chocolate.
  10. When all else fails, smile. Most mistakes can be eaten, buried in the back yard, or laughed about years later.