If Your Grits Are Too Salty, Try This Simple Top Chef Trick

Chances are if you're reading this, you're one of the many who have eaten grits, and possibly even made them yourself. The creamy corn-based food is often utilized as a side dish or the base for dishes such as shrimp and grits or breakfast entrees. According to The Culture Trip, they were a Native American invention that came about sometime around 1584, beginning as "soft, mashed corn" and evolving to become the dish many southerners have come to call staples in their homes. In South Carolina, it's even become the "official state food". 

Traditional grits are made using stone-ground corn, or hominy, which The Spruce Eats notes "absorbs about four times the amount of liquid" than instant or fast-cooking varieties. The site goes on to list the steps including mixing all ingredients (water, salt, stone-ground grits, and butter) and combining either on the stovetop or in a slow cooker, depending on how much time you have. Once done, you can just season to your liking. But as with any recipe, ingredient ratios are crucial, so you definitely want to know how to troubleshoot if you get too heavy-handed, especially with the salt.

Surprisingly, the solution to overly salted grits is actually not that difficult, and can be accomplished with an ingredient you likely already have sitting around in your fridge. Amateur Gourmet sifted through the various mistakes people commonly make in the kitchen, citing over-seasoning grits as one of them. To save your grits, Amateur Gourmet says all you have to do is pour out half of your portion and add some milk, something that she notes was done on an episode of Top Chef. Honestly, this just sounds like an excuse for double portions. The same method also works for overly salted potatoes, "a sauce, a salad dressing, or even scrambled eggs".

Some of her other solutions to culinary mishaps involve using a "comparable substitute" if you are missing an ingredient, cutting off a part that doesn't cook properly if things are unevenly cooked, and even suggesting the addition of salt if your dish is feeling lackluster. Whatever your cooking ailment may be, let Amateur Gourmet's efforts comfort you in knowing that there is likely a solution somewhere. And most of all, enjoy your grits!