Burned my chili last Sunday because I got distracted by the game

I was making a big pot of chili with cheap beans and ground beef from Aldi, trying to stretch it for the week. Left it simmering while I watched the fourth quarter and walked away for too long, came back to a burnt bottom and that smoky smell throughout the kitchen. Anyone have a trick for salvaging a batch when you catch it late, or is it just a loss?

3 comments

3 Comments

oscarc5328d ago

Wait, is your chili a total loss or did you just invent a new "smoky charred bottom" flavor that you'll try to pass off as intentional? I've done the same thing with a pot of beans and ended up scraping the top half into a different pot, adding a can of tomatoes and some extra cumin to cover up the burnt taste. It wasn't perfect but it worked for Tuesday night tacos.

veraj5328d ago

Way I see it you didn't burn chili you made a new cooking rule for yourself. I had this exact thing happen with a big pot of lentil soup a few years back. Ended up scraping off the top half into a clean pot and adding a can of diced tomatoes and a splash of vinegar to cut the bitterness. Tasted fine for a few days, but I never let that pot get low and slow again without checking it.

king.aaron26d ago

Always thought that was just wishful thinking when people said you could save burnt chili or soup. But you and oscarc53 both proved me wrong, honestly. That trick of scraping off the top and adding tomatoes and vinegar sounds like exactly the kind of desperation move that actually works (I'm picturing myself staring at a pot of scorched beans next week). I've always just dumped the whole thing and ordered pizza, but now I'm thinking I've been throwing out perfectly salvageable dinners.