Beans are optional in making chili, but they can reduce the sweetness level.
The key to making chili is for the flavors of the meat, vegetables and spices to meld. Unless you like your chili especially spicy, the flavors should be well-balanced. To create that balance, some chili recipes call for adding chocolate or other sweeteners. Tomatoes and onions can increase the sweetness level as well. But too much sweetness can throw your chili's balance out of whack. You can employ a few tricks to lower the sweetness level.
Make Additional Chili
One of the easiest ways to balance out too much sweetness in your chili is to make extra. Creating a second batch of chili, then mixing the overly sweet batch with a batch that has not been sweetened, will restore the balance of flavors to your dish. Chili is easily frozen; keep it in a sealed container and remove excess air to prevent freezer burn. Chili can be kept frozen for up to four months with no noticeable loss of flavor or texture.
Increase the Acid Level
A common tactic to counteract sweetness is to increase the level of acid in a dish. In many cases, such as with pastries, this is done using citrus, such as lime juice or lemon juice. With chili, the best option is to use vinegar. Any number of vinegars can be used, such as white or apple cider vinegar. Especially good to pair with chili is red wine vinegar, which offers flavor notes comparable to chili. Vinegar adds little sodium to the dish and is a good source of iron and manganese. It can also be cooked off easily, leaving only the flavor behind to balance out the sweetness of your chili.
Add Additional Spices
Another way to mask too much sweetness is to increase the other spices and seasonings in the chili. Common spices and seasonings used in chili include ground black pepper, paprika, chili powder, ground oregano, ground cumin and cayenne pepper. Add each spice in small amounts, such as one-quarter teaspoon, at a time to maintain a good flavor balance. Make sure that the spices are fully incorporated. Continue to add the seasonings until the sweetness is counteracted.
Absorb the Excess Sugar
Certain foods can absorb liquids while cooking, and they can also absorb excess flavors. A common trick to remove too much salt, ground black pepper and other seasonings from broth-based dishes is to use potatoes. This works well for removing excess sweetness as well. Use a couple of large russet of white potatoes that have been peeled and cut into quarters. Add them to your chili with about an hour to go in the cooking process. Remove the potatoes from the chili with a slotted spoon when cooking is finished and you should see the sweetness dissipate. Beans can also absorb sweetness when added to your chili. Although though you leave the beans in the chili, the sweetness dissipates when absorbed and masked by the flavor of the beans.
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