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Burning food is something that happens to the best of us, but you might not have to go hungry. Here, we’ve put together a list of six tips that can save your burnt food, as well as details on how to decide if you can still eat it. And if you’re concerned about your dirty cookware, here are some tips for cleaning your burnt pots and pans.
8 ways to fix burnt food
1. Change the pot
If something has burnt because you’ve left it on stove for too long, most of the damage will be on the bottom of the pan. So, you could try transferring your food to a clean pan or pot and leaving the worst of the burnt food in the old one. Just avoid scraping the food at the bottom to avoid transferring the burnt taste to a new pot. That way, you can avoid the worst of the burnt bits and get to cleaning the first pan.
2. Salvage what you can
If you’ve already finished cooking your food and it’s a tad on the burnt side, grab some tongs and a sharp knife and simply remove the bad bits. Hopefully there’s enough left for you to eat. But otherwise, you could consider whipping up a salad or some canapés to bulk out the meal.
Or, if it’s a sweet dish, use whatever’s not burnt as a topping for ice cream or another simple dessert.
3. Use potatoes to soak up the burnt taste in food
If time is on your side, potatoes are your best friend for soaking up flavours and odours. Peel a couple of potatoes and pop them into your dish, cooking for another 45 minutes. Hopefully they will soak up any unwanted flavouring. You can either leave the potatoes in the final dish or remove them just before serving.
4. Mask the burnt flavours
Another option is to try and drown out the strong charcoal flavours using ingredients that are equally as dominant. Acidic flavours work best. For example, vinegar, red wine or white wine. You could also try chilli or garlic, depending on the dish.
If it’s not that burnt, you could also try simply adding a small amount of water or liquid, similar to what you would do to deglaze a pan. Then, mix it in and taste it adding seasoning if needed (or moving on to another method to save the burnt food).
5. Slow down the cooking process
As soon as you realise your dish is burning, turn the heat off. Pop the plug in the sink and fill it with cold water. Carefully submerge your pot or pan in the cold water to halt the cooking process. Without stirring or scraping the bottom of the pan, extract your food and place it in a clean pan. Have a little taste before you continue cooking to make sure it tastes okay.
This tip can also help if there are particular meals you always seem to burn. Simply start on a lower heat and allow more time to avoid burning it in the future.
6. Use a grater or microplane
Ok, so what if it’s not dinner you’ve burnt but a beautiful batch of biscuits? If the base is black but the top is still fine, grab a cheese grater. Rub the base of the biscuit along the grater until the burnt bits are gone – no one will ever know!
7. Add icing
Overcooked cupcakes? Icing can hide a multitude of sins. Remove any burnt bits then add a generous layer of icing. Just be sure to allow the muffins to cool completely before attempting this!
8. Just eat it
Probably not what you were expecting, but if you’ve burnt your dinner and you don’t have anything else to eat you have two options: go without or accept that it’s going to taste a little funny and eat it anyway! Again this depends on how burnt your dish is.
Is it safe to eat burnt food?
While it is typically safe to eat burnt food every now and then, it’s a good idea to avoid it becoming a habit. Some burnt or barbecued foods can produce carcinogenic substances, but as the to the Victorian state government’s Better Health Channel explains, “experts agree that the amount in the average Australian diet is too low to be considered a significant cancer risk.”
Still, it’s recommended you try to cook on lower heats as often as possible, and limit the amount of charred or burnt foods you consume.
