The Seasoning Tip That Could Make Or Break Your Canned Chili

Canned food makes for an easy meal, especially an all-in-one dish like a can of canned chili. Sometimes you can't help but doctor up that basic can with some mix-ins, though: Chopped veggies or meat, sauces, and seasonings can all enhance a ready meal and make it a little more gourmet.

If you're planning on adding any extra ingredients to your can of chili, or even just a dash of extra spices, here's our tip: Make sure the chili is low-sodium or no salt added. Canned goods tend to be salty at their base; some canned chili products can have over 900 milligrams of sodium, and that's before adding any other potentially salty ingredients to the mix. If you choose a can that's already full of salt, other condiments and seasonings may compound that saltiness and render your delicious meal inedible. Starting with an unsalted chili lets you have better control over how much salt goes in, and more freedom to add whatever ingredients you please.

There's a reason why low-sodium stock, beans, vegetables, and other canned goods are typically recommended, particularly in recipes. Sodium levels in canned goods can add up quickly, especially when more than one ingredient in a recipe has high salt content. 

Some non-canned ingredients, like cured meats or aged cheese, have sodium as well and will contribute salt to the dish simply by being included. Throw in a little bacon and add some aged cheddar to an already-salty dish like canned chili, and you might just push that sodium level overboard.

The more salty ingredients that go into a recipe, the less control you have over adjusting seasoning later on. You can always add salt to a dish, but it's much trickier to remove it or balance it out.

Beyond overseasoning, there are other reasons why avoiding sodium may be ideal. High-sodium diets can affect the heart and increase blood pressure, according to Harvard School of Public Health; if you're avoiding added salt, reach for a low-sodium can of chili. Luckily, many brands of canned goods nowadays offer varieties of favorites with little or no sodium added.

Think it might be too late for your salty chili? Think again — there are ways to recover chili that's been oversalted, and most of these fixes use ingredients you might already have in your pantry or fridge.

One simple way to salvage an oversalted dish is to dilute it. Adding water can wash out flavors, so use something like unsalted stock or broth, or even a dairy product like cream. For a dish like chili, unsalted tomatoes can help add water content while also adding a complementary flavor — as well as a touch of acidity, which in turn helps to offset salty flavors.

Another way to save a salty chili is to compensate with starch. Starches draw in salt, helping to redistribute that sodium content. For chili, adding unseasoned white rice or another grain can help. There's also a potato hack you can use: Simmer the chili in a pot and add some pieces of par-cooked potato to soak for 20 to 30 minutes. If you don't want potato in your finished chili, you can fish the chunks out after. 

Note that the starch from the potato and the evaporation caused by simmering the chili will thicken it, so adding some extra liquid may also be helpful for this hack — combining it with the dilution tip will lead to best results.