How to Counter Too Much Pepper in a Sauce

Add more liquid to a sauce to dilute the extra pepper you added.

If you are making a sauce and accidentally add too much pepper, do not throw your food away. Instead, try one of these options to counter the amount of pepper you added to the sauce. Too much pepper can cause the flavor of the sauce to be different than what it should be, and oftentimes it makes the sauce too spicy. There are several options to try, and the method you choose can depend on what items you have on hand. Does this Spark an idea?

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Spoon
1 lemon or 1 tsp. lemon juice
Potato
Seasonings
Celery, tomatoes or carrots

Instructions

- 1
  
  Make another batch of the sauce without adding any pepper to it. After making it, mix the two batches of sauce together. This will blend the ingredients from both batches and will dilute the pepper from the first batch of sauce.
- 2
  
  Scoop it out. If you realize immediately after adding the pepper that you have added too much, try scooping some of the pepper out right away with a spoon. Black pepper is easy to see in a sauce because of its color and normally does not distribute throughout until it is stirred.
- 3
  
  Cut a lemon into four wedges. Add these wedges to the sauce to counteract the pepper taste. Substitute 1 tsp. lemon juice if you do not have a lemon. You also may want to add a teaspoon or two of sugar to counteract the sourness of the lemon in the sauce.
- 4
  
  Cut a potato in half and add it to the sauce. The starches in the potato will absorb some of the pepper flavor. Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes or so, then remove the potato. Discard it or use it in another dish.
- 5
  
  Add extra seasonings. Depending on the type of sauce you are making, add spices or herbs that will change the flavor to your liking. This will not necessarily remove the pepper taste, but it will disguise it somewhat.
- 6
  
  Add other vegetables. If you have celery, tomatoes or carrots, chop them up and add to the sauce. The vegetables in the sauce will absorb some of the pepper. Either leave these vegetables in the sauce or remove after 20 minutes.