The Foolproof Method To Rescue Over-Salted Gravy

Whether it's for a holiday meal or everyday dishes like buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy or mashed potatoes, gravy is one of those kitchen staples that is easy to make in principle, but seems fraught with pitfalls. When you're trying to thicken gravy, there are standard hacks like adding more cornstarch or arrowroot, or you can just keep cooking the gravy, essentially making a reduction. But a major problem occurs as the liquid cooks off and the gravy reduces: the seasonings, including salt, stay the same and intensify in flavor. Or, perhaps you simply mismeasured and added too much salt. It happens. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to fix this issue, some more effective than others.

One of the traditional solutions involves adding chopped, raw potatoes to cook and soak up the salt. In theory, this seems feasible: It's the same concept as adding salt to boiling water to add a touch of flavor to potatoes or pasta. But those starches don't absorb much of the salt water (otherwise they'd always be over-salted). Not to mention, potatoes take a long time to cook, especially if you're at the point where you're simmering gravy over a low flame. The much more effective solution is simply to add more gravy.

The pros offer a number of tips to balance salty flavor. Adding a pinch of sugar, a bit of sherry, or a little lemon juice won't reduce salt, but it can make your gravy taste balanced, as might other seasonings like oregano. Avoid seasoning blends and sauces like Worcestershire or soy sauce that also contain salt. To actually reduce the salt-to-gravy ratio, though, your best bet is to add more gravy. The trick is that this additional gravy should be salt-free or at least contain a reduced amount of the seasoning, so you may have to start from scratch.

Take a new pot and prepare a roux. If you have fat from the meats you used, you can use this or add some butter or other fat to your flour. Regardless, a simple roux will take your new batch to the next level, making it thicker and preventing flour lumps from forming in your gravy. Then, it's a simple trick of making the same gravy recipe as before, but with no salt. You can then stir it in, a bit at a time to taste.

If you're making a standard brown gravy or poultry-based gravy, there's another quick hack for your new batch: You could add sodium-free boxed beef or chicken broth. Or consider using a packet of reduced sodium powdered gravy, like McCormick's 30% less sodium brown gravy mix. Add a slurry made from cornstarch, a surprisingly versatile ingredient, to thicken everything up as needed. It may not be a perfect match, but it should still taste a whole lot better.