I put too much sugar in a batch of Chili and was wondering what to do.
Any ideas?
Dale from Pelican Rapids, MN
I'd probably try adding more cider vinegar and yellow mustard first, a little at a time, tasting as you go. More onions might be in order as well. Another trick you might try is adding a bit of unsweetened or semisweet cocoa powder or perhaps a little instant coffee. Keep in mind that you are experiamenting here and be careful. Try these tricks by putting a few spoons of chili in a small bowl or coffee cup and play with very small amounts at a time, writing notes on what you did and how it came out. Who knows, you might create a great recipe!! It is a good idea to play with this stuff on a small scale though; if you're like me you are going to eat your mistakes so it's best to keep them to a minimum.
why would you put sugar in chili in the first place?
I put sugar in my chili if it tends to have too much "tomato" taste...don't know how to describe it but the sugar seems to mellow it out a little. I never measure anything! I just don't have the patience for it! I've created some awesome recipes experimenting, so I try to keep track of what I'm doing! I agree with the vinegar and onions tip though. I wish my mom would have taught me to cook, she made the most awesome chili and it was sweet. It was so good though! Guess I better start experimenting again! Good luck!
Yes, why would you put sugar in chili in the first place? I've made lots of chili and never added sugar. I have heard of putting some in spaghetti sauce, to cut down on acidity....I've just never done it. I would think you'd have to add some heat to take away the sweetness.
Here's one of the chili's I like to make....it's easy and really tasty!
Debbie's Yummy Chili
About 2 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
1 medium - large onion, finely chopped
Fry meat, onion, and garlic together in a large skillet until meat is nicely browned; drain fat. Add meat and all other ingredients in large pot. Bring to boil and then simmer atleast one hour. It gets better longer it cooks and also is better next day.
Serve some shredded cheddar cheese on the side. Cornbread is good with it.
I came up with this chili recipe on Super Bowl Sunday 1-30-00
Here's another one I came up with for the crock pot. Try it, you'll like it!
DEBBIE'S CROCK POT CHILI
1 -1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
Cook onion with beef. Drain grease and add meat to crock pot along with all other ingredients.
Cook on high about 4 hours, then turn to low a while till dinner (I have a warm setting so after cooking some additional time on low, I set on warm).
ENJOY!!!
I always add sugar to anything with tom. so you are not alone. I would probably try heat also a little at a
time though.
Christine
Walkerton, IN
Many people use sugar to cut the acid in TOMATOE BASE recipes. Use Baking Soda instead. It cuts the acid and it makes it sweet. Simply bring whatever it is that you are cooking to a low rolling boil, stir in 1/4 teaspoon of Baking Soda. Stir rapidly, it will foam, keep stiring, bring it to a low rolling boil.
I tried the cider vinegar idea... didn't work. I called my sister & she said to add more cumin (I had chili powder; worked the same) or try beef boullion. With both, I barely had a sweet taste. I don't add sugar to my chili, but I had some green chili that a friend had made & oversalted then sugared to counteract the salt. It had some heat to it, but those 2T of green chili made my entire crock of chili sweet.
I'm no chef....however......
I have noticed that by adding just the right amount of sugar to an especially spicy chili, you get a delayed reaction from the consumer's tastebuds.
What started out as a simple pinto bean soup that called for sugar, turned into chili. So, to transform it I needed to take away the sweetness that clearly does not go well in chili. Borrowing the suggestion Alph shared, I used DRY MUSTARD, a little at a time and, viola...chili.
I got a little out of hand with the sugar trying to recreate my mom's chili. The advice for Dry Mustard really helped! I also added a tsp. more of cumin with that and I think I've cracked the recipe.Thanks.
I put a little baking soda in my chili and I want to get rid of the acid taste from the baking soda in the chili that I made
Would vinegar, lemon juice, or mustard also correct the "too sweet" taste in spaghetti sauce? I made my own meat sauce and then extended it with Prego sauce....too sweet!
I use brown sugar in my chili recipes because it's DELICIOUS! And I also use canned stewed tomatoes (sliced) because I find they have more flavor and are heartier than the diced tomatoes. Give it a try some time! (P.S. I usually cook the chili 8 hours in a crock pot on low)
I normally make my chili using lots of ketchup and mustard! The mustard adds some twang and the ketchup adds some sweetness. But last night, I was out of ketchup, so I substituted brown sugar and apple cider vinegar. The vinegar really turned me off, so I added more sugar and let it cook. When I served it, it was too sweet. I'm a little concerned about adding more vinegar back, since that's what I was combatting when I overdid the sugar. I think I'll try dry mustard instead.
I added a splash of vinegar as suggested----fixed it!!!! Thank you!!!
Some chili recipes do call for sugar. It mellows out the heat in the chili.
The sugar cuts the acid in the tomatoes.
I add a bit of sugar to chili to tame the acid from the tomatoes. It doesn't make it sweet, it just keeps heartburn at bay.
I agree w adding a small amount of vinegar to you recipe to counteract the sweet. Good Luck!!!!
In addition, I am sure the person asking for a repair technique was not seeking judgemental responses. It would see to me, sugar was used because the recipe called for it or the cook felt it to their liking.
I was almost done & found the only beans I had were bushes steakhouse beans(which never tasted sweet to me with steaks!). Not wanting to run to the store, I used them. My potential best ever became way too sweet. I will try the vinegar first.
I used a different (store brand Walmart) vegetable juice and it was very sweet. Now I'm trying to fix it. Trying vinegar, lemon juice and bacon grease. Not there yet though. Might try the mustard next.
Been making chili forever and used Bush's original baked beans {only a few] made it too sweet. Used 1/2 tsp white vinegar and Voila, back to goooooood tasting chili..
No, heat will not take away the sweetness. Many chili recipes call for sugar. It neutralizes some of the tang from the tomato products and spices. A good way to neutralize too much sugar is unsweetened cocoa. You'll need to experiment to determine how much is needed.
