Problem: Too Much Heat.
You tossed 3 chili peppers into the guacamole, and now you can’t taste anything but jalapeño.

Solution: Diluted Spices. When there’s an overwhelming amount of chili pepper, spice, or salt in a dish, dilute the flavor by adding more of the other ingredients. If possible, double the recipe, except for the offending ingredient. If you don’t have the extra ingredients on hand but you can wait overnight, the problem may disappear on its own. “Some spices will lose their intensity if you cover and refrigerate the dish for a day or so,” says Robert L. Wolke, professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and the author of What Einstein Told His Cook 2: The Sequel, Further Adventures in Kitchen Science (W.W. Norton, $26, amazon.com).

Next Time: Always measure seasonings. And do it over the counter, not the bowl, to prevent a spill from becoming a disaster.