If You Fail To Fix Overly Salty Food, Just Pair The Meal With Bubbly

Picture this: You're snuggled up on the couch with your latest Netflix obsession, when out comes the bowl of popcorn. In a moment of pure bliss, you take a handful of fluffy kernels, toss them back, and wash them down with a swig of soda. Or, perhaps your salty craving of choice is a bowl of fries with a glass of fizzy Prosecco.

But have you ever stopped to wonder why these combinations work so well? It's simple, really. The bubbles in your drink wash over your palate, creating a blank slate that tames the salt and balances the flavors to make your taste buds sing. It's a magical, fizzy phenomenon that brings about an explosion of taste and satisfaction.

Whether you're a professional chef or a home cook, we've all been there. You're busy whipping up a dish and before you know it, you've gone overboard on the salt. But don't fret — we know just how to subdue that salty dish with various fizzy drinks. Before you know it, you'll be a pro at choosing from a range of bubbly beverages to help rescue your meal. 

Have you tried every trick in the book to fix an overly salty dish — adding water, dairy, sugar, or even potatoes? Instead of trying to fix the dish by tossing in more ingredients, it might be time to start thinking about how to balance out the flavors with a drink pairing.

As mentioned, the effervescence of sparkling wine, champagne, or a bubbly drink like seltzer water or soda can help counterbalance the assault of salt on your taste buds. In an interview with Financial Times, sommelier Bert Blaize notes that the perfect food pairing for Champagne, for example, has three qualities: "Fat, which softens and rounds the acid in the wine; protein to balance the mouthfeel; and carbs, which really draw out the richer aspects of ageing on the lees [spent yeast]." His prime example of the three? Fast food. 

In the same interview, Sandia Chang, owner of the bar Bubbledogs, offers some ideal salty-fizzy pairings: "Anything fatty and salty is great — I love Champagne with French fries," she says. "I also like Skips or prawn cocktail crisps with something light and super-fresh like J-M Sélèque's Quintette blanc de blancs."

When it comes to using bubbly drinks as the final line of defense against a salty attack on your taste buds, a light yet fizzy Prosecco can be the perfect match. The crisp acidity and effervescence offer a refreshing lift to your palate, making it an excellent choice to pair with salty appetizers like cured meats or even popcorn.

For a non-alcoholic option, seltzer water or a neutral, non-sugary soda can do the trick. Olipop recommends working in the kitchen with the goal of finding complementary or contrasting matches. If you want to complement the flavors of a Brooklyn-style pizza, for example, but find it slightly too salty, pair it with a cola drink. The light carbonation will enhance the cheesy flavors while scaling back the salt for a more balanced bite.

Need to tone down the salt on a spicy dish? Fizzy IPAs work great, as the beer's hop-heavy notes enhance the rich flavors of the dish, while the bitterness cuts through the heat and salt. For something simple and entirely scaled back, try sampling Cheez-its and cherry Coke to experience how the cherry soda flavors elevate the cheddar smack while taming down the salt.

You'll want to try mixing different fizzy drinks with salty dishes to see what your palate prefers. Don't overcomplicate it; just grab a bottle of something bubbly and let the bubbles work their magic.