The Only Sure-Fire Way To Save Over-Salted Gravy

Whoever taught you to cook, whether a parent, significant other, or a Youtube chef, it's probably common that they remind you to avoid over-seasoning your food. Each time you go to twist the pepper grinder or overzealously pour the salt from the shaker over your vulnerable food, you may be more cautious depending on the dish. Point blank — you can always add seasoning, but salvaging a too-salty, spicy, or sweet dish can be difficult. 

While many of us try to carefully measure out our favorite spices and seasonings, others go by the philosophy of "season to taste." While we approve of this laid-back cooking advice, newer at-home chefs may be intimidated by even the simplest lax seasoning instructions. If this sounds familiar, you may have found yourself in a salty situation, having over-seasoned a dish that took you hours to make.

While it may be near-impossible to fix such a simple error with many dishes, other recipes are more forgiving. So, if you've attempted making your family's famous gravy recipe or were in charge of Thanksgiving dinner this year — and fear you may have over-salted it — don't worry. This quick tip will save your gravy time and time again from any heavy hands in the kitchen.

The best solution to address this problem is simply diluting the salt by adding in more gravy. Once your unseasoned second batch is ready, it can be mixed into your salty version, and doing this should even out the savoriness. Just be sure to limit the salt the second time around and taste the gravy before adding any additional seasonings to your bigger batch. 

There is a reason your gravy ends up being too salty. While simply shaking in too much salt is the obvious answer, another likely reason is that you season your gravy too early in the cooking process, which can result in a puckering situation. Although this simple error can lead to a concentrated, unpleasantly salty flavor in your gravy, it is fixable with this solution — so don't start pouring your fresh batch of gravy down the drain just yet. 

While this may make for an excessive amount of gravy at the end of it all, let's be real — who doesn't love an extra helping of it at the dinner table?