How to reduce the saltiness of a dish or sauce?

In the case of overly salty preparations, and particularly in simmered dishes (boeuf bourguignon, blanquette, colombo, pot-au-feu, chili con carne...) plunge potatoes, carrots or a piece of bread into the dish for 10 minutes, or add couscous, quinoa or cooked rice.

These foods will absorb the excess salt and restore your recipes' delicate flavors.

Multiply the doses 

Take advantage of your mistake to increase the doses in your dish and thus save some for later. By multiplying the quantities (without adding extra salt) and particularly the doses of green vegetables or starches, which will soften the flavors and absorb the excess salt, it will be more diluted in the preparation.

Balance the flavors of the dish or sauce with acidity

Add lemon juice, a mild vinegar such as cider vinegar, tomato juice or sauce, dry white wine or orange juice to your overly salty preparation. Their acidity will balance the flavors of the dish or sauce by neutralizing the salt.

Compensating for the salt in the dish or sauce with sweetness

Sugar also compensates for salt. To do this, add a few dashes of honey or agave syrup to your overly salty dishes and sauces.

Lengthen the overly salty dish or sauce with water or cream

Ideal tip for sauces and gravies: lengthen your preparation with a neutral liquid such as cream, unsalted stock, wine or plain yoghurt.

Be careful, however, not to dilute and sacrifice flavors by trying to eliminate excess salt. To do this, only add ingredients that taste good, or re-season afterwards.

Rinsing food under boiling water

For water-cooked or steamed foods, rinsing them under boiling water is often all that's needed, as this allows them to drain and lose salt.

Drain in a frying pan

To desalinate a cooked food such as steamed vegetables, drain them in a frying pan with a base of water. Drain the water regularly and replace it with clear water until the taste of salt disappears completely.

Adopt the right gestures

Finally, the best way to avoid over-salting a dish is to salt in the right way. To do this, never salt directly into the dish, as you could cause the cork to fall in. Instead, place salt in the palm of your hand and then take it in small pinches while tasting regularly.

For a perfect dosage of salt, pepper and other spices, herbs and aromatics: the secret is to focus on sublimating your dish or sauce without overdoing it.

To do this, it's important to:

• Use the right type of salt: favor natural, unrefined salt. Natural salt is salt extracted directly from nature that has retained all its natural benefits and properties. It is mainly used for cooking, but also for health care.
• Use it the right way. The flower salt, the big salt and the fine salt (or ground) are not used in the same way and in the same dishes. Coarse salt, for example, is ideal in cooking water, Fleur de sel is dispersed with the fingers at the end of cooking or just before serving dishes, and ground salt, subtle and delicate, is suitable for all uses.
• Taste regularly: to adjust in small quantities while thinking about the balance of flavors in the recipe: salty, sweet, sour and bitter.
• Check the composition of the spice blend or seasoning. Some blends, such as Garden Intense crystallized aromatics are already rich in flavor... and salt! So there's no need to add any more.