How to Fix Sweet or Salty Soup: There are two problems with soup: it’s easy to overdo, and it’s frustrating. Soup has the double problem of being something that can reduce significantly as you simmer it, as well as typically having quite a few ingredients to boot. You’ll have an inedible mess if your stock is too salty or if you season your soup without accounting for evaporation. Furthermore, you’re dealing with a lot of wasted ingredients and time if you make this in large batches. In your pantry, you can find a one-size-fits-all solution to overly salty or sweet soup: vinegar.
A few splashes of vinegar can make your food taste less salty and sweet. The vinegar taste is strong enough that it helps mask other overpowering flavors, and most soups benefit from a little acidity anyway. You can try just a dash or two at a time, taste your soup, and adjust accordingly. You’re not reducing the amount of salt or sweetness in your soup, but you’re balancing out the flavors and reducing their prominence. That is ultimately what matters to your palate.
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Salt or sugar can be counteracted by vinegar
Vinegar suppresses salt and sugar in soup by understanding how our taste is processed. The classic taste map of your tongue, which shows separate areas for salty and sweet, is inaccurate. The taste buds on your tongue contain around 100 taste cells. These taste cells only detect umami and sour sensations. This means that competing flavors can overshadow each other; that’s why chefs talk about “balancing flavors.” Lemon juice can counteract the acidity of fatty fish and tomato sauces with a little sugar. The concentrated and potent nature of vinegar makes it ideal for counteracting strong tastes.
Your soups should contain only the appropriate vinegar. For meat stews, apple cider vinegar or malt vinegar would work better, while white wine vinegar or rice vinegar would work better. Using the appropriate vinegar can do more than just reduce the saltiness or sweetness of your soup.
