What you need to know to prevent cooking disasters

Even a kitchen witch can't prevent all kitchen mishaps. With a little improvisation you can solve most problems — even if your guests are already at the door.

Even a kitchen witch can't prevent all kitchen mishaps. Luckily, when they do pop up, those many little mistakes can be remedied quickly and easily, and some can be avoided altogether. So if the roast is burnt or the soup is too watery, try some of these home remedies. With a little improvisation you can solve most problems — even if your guests are already at the door.

• Add a dash of vinegar to the pot of water if an egg bursts while boiling; the whites will immediately thicken.
• Wrap cracked eggs securely in aluminum foil before boiling.
• Tough stewing meat becomes tender when you add a dash of vinegar to the water.
• Quickly beat an egg yolk and a little salt stiff, and stir into homemade mayonnaise drop by drop to prevent it from congealing.
• Egg whites won't stiffen? Add a few drops of lemon juice and a little salt.
• Put excessively firm semolina dumplings into cold water for 10 minutes. They'll swell up more and become tender when boiled.
• Hold noodles that stick together over steam to separate them.
• If gelatin clumps together, warm it up carefully while stirring constantly or mash it through a strainer.
• Place a cake (pan-side down) on a warm, damp cloth for 10 seconds, then invert it onto a plate to ensure that it comes out of the pan more easily.
• Remove the grease quickly from an excessively fatty gravy, sauce or soup by skimming the top of the liquid with a couple of lettuce leaves or pieces of paper towel. The fat will stick to them.

• If your boiled or salted potatoes are burned, carefully remove all but the last layer of unburned potatoes, put them in a pot of fresh water to finish cooking, then add a dash of salt.
• Don't stir scorched sauces. Quickly pour the unburned sauce into another pot and add a piece of dry bread or a raw, peeled potato.
• If you burn the top of your roast, cut out the burned parts and roast the meat in a clean pot with more fresh fat.
• Have you burned the casserole? Remove the topmost layer, sprinkle it with cheese, bread crumbs or ground nuts and dabs of butter and finish baking it.
• Put a pinch of salt into a pot of slightly-burned milk to absorb the taste.

• Milk won't burn if the pot is rinsed out with cold water before heating it up.
• Add a little canola oil to the pan to prevent butter from browning.
• Beef broth will stay clear if you boil a clean egg shell with it.
• Boiled sausages won't split if a little milk is added to the boiling water.
• Keep a roast from getting tough by basting it only with hot liquids.
• Rub your frying pan with salt before cooking hash browns and eggs. This will ensure that they don't stick to the pan.
• Keep fried fish from sticking to the pan by dusting it with flour or putting a little salt into the frying oil.
• Fish holds together better during cooking if you dribble it first with lemon juice and set it aside for a moment. The acid in the lemon juice cooks the fish slightly, creating a thin seal.

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