At our house, I am the chief cook, but the duties of chief bottle washer are shared between my husband and me.

Although I really enjoy cooking at the end of the day, my husband Dean often treats by cooking breakfast on Saturday mornings. On a recent Saturday morning, he showed his creative culinary skills by serving up a new dish, French toast doughnuts.

How he arrived at this new concoction, I’ll never know, except that it may have had something to do with a lingering craving for the doughnuts, no matter how many days ago they were bought.

Being a bit skeptical, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that by slicing a stale doughnut in half, dipping it in your favorite French toast egg batter and frying it in a bit of cooking oil in a nonstick skillet, a warm and tasty, lightly-sweetened breakfast pastry results.

Not all experiments in the kitchen, or even when following a written recipe, result in a tasty dish. Fortunately, however, when kitchen calamities do happen, there are methods of remedying the situation.

A search of the Internet provides a number of solutions on how to rescue a meal that might otherwise have ended up discretely hidden in the trash, with telltale signs of the cook’s mistake cleverly disguised.

To offset over-salted gravy or stew, one might try adding more liquid and a small amount of sugar and some vinegar to balance out the flavors. The addition of a peeled potato may help, but this is not a proven method, although at these times, any glimmer of hope is welcome.

It also helps to be aware of the salt content already contained in certain products such as canned vegetables, bouillon, capers and olives.

For a dish that has been over seasoned, the addition of other non-spicy ingredients, such as a little sugar, may reduce the spiciness. When meat is not browning in a pan, the reason may be from overcrowding or overlapping of pieces of meat. By cooking the meat in batches, or in two separate pans, this problem may be avoided.

Another dilemma encountered in our fast-paced world is that of forgetting to take the meat to be cooked out of the freezer before rushing off to work. One solution, other than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner, is to put the meat in a plastic bag and soak it in cold water for an hour.

Shocking overcooked vegetables such as green beans or broccoli in ice water helps to revive them, and pureeing overcooked mushy vegetables in a food processor for soup can add to the nutrient content of the dish.

When the crisis in the kitchen occurs before the preparation begins, and required ingredients are not to be found, there are other ways to ensure that dinner plans are met.

Substitutions of common ingredients come through as replacements, and at times healthier options, for the desired recipe. Nonfat Greek yogurt is a healthy, lower fat and less caloric option for mayonnaise or sour cream, but with a similar consistency. Applesauce can be used in place of oil, butter or sugar in baked goods.

Mashed bananas can substitute also for sugar, butter and fats, and has the added benefits of potassium which helps regulate blood pressure. When using bananas in this way, reducing the amount of liquids called for, such as milk or water may be necessary.

Chopped nuts used in place of higher calorie croutons in salads or granola in yogurt is a healthier option — and, walnuts and almonds are beneficial to heart health.

Other creative substitutions include rolled oats with seasonings added, processed to replace bread crumbs. Substitute whole wheat flour in place of, or added to white flour in baked goods. Zucchini or spaghetti squash can be used in place of white pasta. Use pureed sweet potatoes in place of heavy cream to thicken soup.

Creativity comes as second nature to our local cooks, as evidenced by the offerings found in The Daily Iberian Cajun/Creole Cookbooks from years past — and yet to come. Some of those award winning recipes are recalled on this page. We’ll have to wait for this year’s winners because of a storm named Harvey.