Common Kitchen Mistakes

Who hasn't made a mistake in the kitchen at one point or another? It is incredibly easy to do when you are trying to hurry and make dinner. Unfortunately, these common kitchen mistakes often lead to frustration over lost time, and ruined meals. However, there are some strategies that you can use to help prevent common kitchen mistakes from ruining your meal. Here a few suggestions, guidelines, and hints that you can use to help recover from some of the more common mistakes.

• Lumpy or greasy gravy. If you are really interested in having some lump free gravy, add just a pinch (no more) of salt to your water before you begin mixing the gravy. Also, if you find that your gravy is too greasy, add a pinch of baking soda to get rid of that nasty greasiness.
• Fatty stews and soups. Sometimes fat has a way of accumulating in things like soups and stews. If you find yourself faced with a this problem, all you need to do is drop a few ice cubes into the mix. Stir everything around, and then remove the ice cubes before they melt. The fat will stick to the ice cubes, allowing you to get rid of it when you remove the ice cubes.
• Soggy lettuce. If you lettuce has turned slightly soggy while it was sitting in the refrigerator, don't worry. All you need to do to do to fix this problem is to put a little bit (no more than a few drops) of lemon juice to a bowl of cold water. Place the lettuce into the bowl and set it in the refrigerator. Let everything sit for about an hour, and then dry and serve the lettuce.
• Salty soup. If you have some salty soup, solve the problem by simply adding some sliced potatoes. Allow the potatoes to cook, and then remove them. The potatoes will draw out a lot of the salt, and help return the soup to more acceptable levels.
• Wilted vegetables. Sometimes your lettuce, cabbage, or other vegetables will wilt before you can use it. Solve this problem by removing the wilted edges from the vegetables and then sprinkle with some cold water. Wrap everything up in a paper towel and refrigerate for at least an hour to return your vegetables to normal.
• Burnt cooking odors. No one really likes the smell of burnt food, so don't put up with it. All you really need to do to mask or eliminate the odor of burnt food is to burn (yes, burn) three teaspoons of sugar, and two of cinnamon. The sweet smell will mask the other odors, and have people thinking that you have been slaving away all day baking delicious goodies.