THE ACCIDENTAL CHEF: Top fixes for your next kitchen boo-boo

All I can say is this: They don't call me The Accidental Chef for nothing.

From oversalting to actually catching food on fire, I've had my share of cooking disasters both professionally and personally. Some of these mistakes were fixable, while others involved a quick trip to the closest take-out pizza joint.

Many chefs throughout the world are the first to admit they aren't perfect (although arguably some do an excellent job of feigning faultlessness). Mistakes happen in four-star restaurants as often as they do in Grandma's kitchen, and those in the know have found ways to fix many common cooking boo-boos.

Whether you're talking gluey mashed potatoes or lumpy gravy, there are ways to salvage the meal, and though your dish might not be at its personal best (I'm not a miracle worker) following a few basic steps just might help save the day.

Here are a few top remedies for when dinner plans go awry.

My soup tastes like the Dead Sea.

Oversalting is one of the most difficult boo-boos to remedy. Many folks believe that adding a raw cut-up potato to their oversalted soup will treat the problem. In some cases, a potato will help. However, all a potato does is absorb some of the cooking liquid, and not necessarily any of the salt. A better bet is to add more ingredients such as stock, water, wine, vegetables or heavy cream, if it is appropriate for the recipe.

Conversely, if you've incorporated too much sugar into a dish (such as cole slaw), you can balance the sweetness a bit more by adding a couple of drops of an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar.

My gravy resembles the mud pit at a monster truck show.

Lumpy gravy is all too common, and it's usually during the five-minute countdown to stuffing your face at Thanksgiving that things go completely wrong. Whether it's lumps, chunks or curdles, an easy fix is to simply strain the gravy through a fine sieve and toss out the leftover gunk. Swirling in a pat of butter just before serving will help give the gravy/sauce a nice sheen and add to presentation as well.

Got the reverse problem with a runny sauce or gravy? Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with ¼ cup of water and add it to the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and watch it thicken.

What happened to my expensive artisan-made loaf of French bread?

It was only yesterday that you plopped down $6 for that locally baked baguette, and it can already be used as a hand-held weapon. Never fear. You can give the bread new life by placing it in a dampened paper bag and baking it at 325 degrees until the bag becomes dry. If the bread is well past the salvage stage, make some breadcrumbs or croutons and store them in the freezer for use later.

There's a fault line the size of San Andreas running through my pumpkin pie.

Baking is tricky enough on its own without having to deal with a pie boasting a crack wide enough to suck in a small town, but this often occurs because the pie was overcooked. The best remedy is to remove your pie from the oven just before it begins to set and let it finish cooking on the counter.

However, when we're multitasking at lightning speed, that pie might get lost in the mix. In the event that you've got a large crack in your work of art, cover it up. Piping freshly whipped cream over the surface of the pie is a great way to add décor and hide a mistake. Another option is to pre-slice the pie and have it ready to go on a dessert plate. Cover the offending cracks with a pile of whipped cream (add some cinnamon or flavored liqueur to the cream for decadence) and serve.

Though no quick fix is foolproof, neither is cooking in general. Sometimes you've just got to go with the flow and that might mean trashing the whole dish and starting over or ordering Chinese. But whatever you do, don't let a mistake deter you. The best mistakes are those that ultimately result in wisdom.
Kendra Bailey Morris is a Richmond-based food writer, culinary instructor and author of "White Trash Gatherings: From-Scratch Cooking for Down-Home Entertaining" (Ten Speed Press). Send ideas, tips or culinary questions to or visit http://www.theaccidentalchef.net.