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" It happens to everyone. Despite your best efforts in the kitchen, something went terribly wrong and the dish is tough, mushy, too salty or lumpy. Whatever the case may be, you&amp;#039;re stuck with a lousy plate of food and a bad mood. But take heart: The most common blunders are also the easiest to prevent in the future\u2026and some can even be fixed now. To get you on the right track, we spoke with several renowned chefs to learn the cause of\u2014and solution for\u2014everyday kitchen failures. Prepare to never be disappointed again! Mistake #1: Too Much Salt  Cause: You didn&amp;#039;t taste the dish as you were cooking it.  Solution: If the saltiness is the result of an over-reduced soup or stew, add water, recommends Jesse Schenker, chef and owner of Recette in New York City. Another option is to add acid, which also works with braises. &amp;quot;A touch of lemon juice cuts the salt,&amp;quot; note Meredith Deeds and Carla Snyder, authors of Everyday to Entertaining. To avoid over-salting in the future, always taste a dish and then decide how much salt it needs, says Schenker. &amp;quot;Even if a recipe calls for salt, don&amp;#039;t just toss the suggested amount in.&amp;quot; Deeds and Snyder note that you should be &amp;quot;cautious when adding salt to a dish containing other salty ingredients such as canned broths, canned tomatoes, olives, capers or bacon.&amp;quot; Photo: Shutterstock Mistake #2: Tough Meat   Cause: You cooked it too long or the heat was too high. Solution: Marc Vidal, executive chef of Boqueria in New York City, says that once meat is overcooked, shredding it is a good way to expand your preparation options. &amp;quot;Make tacos!&amp;quot; he suggests with a laugh. Or whip up a ragu-style sauce by adding the shredded meat (cut up in a food processor, if necessary) to marinara, say Deeds and Snyder. To prevent overcooking, always use a meat thermometer\u2014don&amp;#039;t gauge cook time just by how the meat looks. Also, pay attention to your protein: &amp;quot;Cook the appropriate cut with the correct cooking method. For instance, flank steak should be grilled or broiled over high heat to medium-rare and then sliced across the grain,&amp;quot; advise Deeds and Snyder. The exception to this rule is braising: If your meat is tough when using this cooking method, it needs to braise for longer. &amp;quot;A pork shoulder or chuck roast should be braised in liquid over low heat for hours to become tender,&amp;quot; note Deeds and Snyder. Photo: Shutterstock Mistake #3: Soggy Rice  Cause: You used too much liquid. Solution: Save it for something else. Schenker recommends spreading the rice out on a baking sheet and putting it in the fridge, until &amp;quot;it gets cold and the starch comes together and coagulates.&amp;quot; The next day, use it in soup or for a stir-fry. Next time, watch your water levels. Deeds and Snyder recommend sticking your finger on top of the rice; the water should come up to your first knuckle, about 3/4 inch of water above the rice. Photo: Shutterstock Mistake #4: Oily or Non-Crispy Fried Food   Cause: The oil wasn&amp;#039;t hot enough and/or you overcrowded the pan. Solution: Unfortunately, unless you enjoy noshing on soggy, oil-soaked meat, your only option is to toss it. But Schenker says that if you&amp;#039;re frying vegetables or french fries, you can actually refry them\u2014that is, once you&amp;#039;ve heated the oil to the right temperature (depending on the recipe, it should be somewhere between 300\u00B0F and 400\u00B0F). &amp;quot;If the oil is too cold, whatever item you put in there is going to absorb the oil like a sponge,&amp;quot; he says. To test it, use a thermometer or throw some of your batter into the oil and see how it cooks. Once you&amp;#039;ve got the right temperature, be sure to fry in batches, allowing plenty of room\u2014more than you think you need\u2014around each item. Photo: Shutterstock Mistake #5: Burnt Food  Cause: The heat was too high or you cooked it too long. Solution: For some foods, like sweet-glazed barbecue ribs, this can work in your favor, but for nearly everything else, your options are pretty limited. Vidal says his grandmother used to drape a wet towel across the top of pot or pan that contained overcooked saut\u00E9s, stews and soups, letting it sit until the towel cooled slightly. &amp;quot;It can take out some of the smoky, burnt flavor,&amp;quot; he says. To avoid the problem, follow these three rules: Watch the temperature and time, don&amp;#039;t walk away while cooking and, Deeds and Snyder advise, invest in a cast-iron skillet or heavier, quality cookware (like All-Clad or Calphalon) that can better withstand the heat. Photo: John Block / Getty Images Mistake #6: Lumpy Gravy or Sauce   Cause: You added ingredients too quickly or at incorrect temperatures. Solution: The key to smoothing it out is sieving it. Buy an inexpensive chinois and pass the liquid through it at least once. The strainer will retain the chunky bits and leave you with super-silky sauce or gravy. Avoid this extra step the next time around by incorporating the ingredients slowly, especially with creamy sauces like b\u00E9chamel. &amp;quot;You have to add the milk little by little and mix, mix, mix,&amp;quot; Vidal says. And any liquid you incorporate\u2014particularly when you&amp;#039;re making gravy from a store-bought packet\u2014should be hot. Photo: Shutterstock Mistake #7: Gummy Pasta  Cause: There wasn&amp;#039;t enough water and/or it wasn&amp;#039;t hot enough. Solution: Add a little olive oil and serve it with a chunky sauce to add texture and break up the noodles. To prevent it from happening again, make sure your water is at a hard, roiling boil\u2014not just bubbling a little\u2014before you add the noodles. And make sure you&amp;#039;re using enough water and a big enough pot to hold it. Four quarts of water per one pound of pasta is a safe ratio to stick with since &amp;quot;as the water boils, it&amp;#039;s also evaporating,&amp;quot; Schenker explains. &amp;quot;The pasta also needs to breathe; it needs room to expand.&amp;quot; Check the pasta a minute before the recommended time for doneness, keeping in mind that it will continue to cook when you toss it in a heated sauce. Photo: Shutterstock Mistake #8: Charred Meat That&amp;#039;s Raw Inside  Cause: You saut\u00E9ed/panfried it too quickly at a too-high temperature. Solution: Put it in a 300\u00B0F oven and let it cook longer, Schenker says. To avoid the problem, take a low-and-slow approach, so the meat can cook from the inside out. &amp;quot;Cook meat gingerly, on each side,&amp;quot; he says, and always stay present when cooking on the stovetop. Photo: Shutterstock Mistake #9: Mushy Vegetables   Cause: You overcooked them. Solution: Pur\u00E9e the vegetables and use them in a soup. Alternatively, Schenker suggests refrigerating them overnight and then tossing with romaine, arugula, red onion and a balsamic dressing for a simple salad. To prevent overcooking, &amp;quot;pay attention to vegetable density,&amp;quot; say Deeds and Snyder. Not all vegetables cook at the same rate; for instance, &amp;quot;in a vegetable soup, don&amp;#039;t add the peas at the same time as the potatoes. By the time the potatoes are cooked the peas are mush.&amp;quot; Shocking certain vegetables (like green beans) also helps: After saut\u00E9ing them until desired doneness, place them in ice water to stop the cooking. &amp;quot;You&amp;#039;ll keep the color and the flavor will be much better,&amp;quot; Vidal says. Just don&amp;#039;t let them sit in the icy water\u2014once they&amp;#039;re cooled, strain and place on towels to let dry. Photo: Shutterstock Mistake #10: Breading Won&amp;#039;t Adhere to Meat   Cause: You didn&amp;#039;t use flour before coating the meat. Solution: If you see the breading isn&amp;#039;t sticking on your first piece of meat, stop and rework, following Vidal&amp;#039;s foolproof method: flour, egg, bread crumbs. Make sure you&amp;#039;ve sufficiently covered each fillet in flour before dredging it in egg and then following with bread crumbs. If you&amp;#039;ve already panfried the whole batch, use utensils to try to place the breading back on\u2014and add sauce at will! Next time, follow the guidelines above and, as Deeds and Snyder recommend, place the breaded meat on a rack and refrigerate for 30 minutes before cooking. It will help the breading &amp;quot;dry and chill and stick&amp;quot; to the meat. Finally, be sure your pan is hot enough before you start frying, otherwise you&amp;#039;ll end up with more breading on the pan than on the meat! Photo: Shutterstock  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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