My giant pot of lentil soup turned into a salty disaster last Tuesday

I was trying to use up a ham bone from Christmas and threw it in with two pounds of lentils and a bunch of veg. I guess the bone was way saltier than I thought, because after it simmered all day, one taste nearly burned my mouth. I saved it by dumping in three peeled, chopped potatoes and letting them cook for another hour to soak up the salt. Has anyone else pulled a soup back from the brink like that, or did I just get lucky?

3 comments

3 Comments

craig.tessa1mo agoMost Upvoted

Potatoes are the silent heroes of the kitchen. I've definitely made soup that could double as seawater before.

amybarnes1mo ago

Wait, you've actually made soup that salty? I can't even imagine what that tastes like.

emerycarr25d ago

I don't know, maybe that salty soup was actually perfect for some people. Some folks genuinely crave that intense salt level, especially if they're sweating a lot or coming off a long day. The problem is we've all been trained to think there's one right way to season food when taste is totally personal. Maybe that soup was a happy accident that hit the spot for someone else. How do we decide where the line is between too salty and just right anyway?