Dear Barbara: I am making homemade pasta sauce. The phone rang and by the time I got back to my sauce, the sauce smelled a little scorched. I took it off the burner. Is there any way I can save the sauce? — Carly from Lodi

Dear Carly: Most importantly, don’t stir it! Ladle the upper two-thirds into another pan without disturbing the final third. Taste it with a clean spoon to see if it tastes burnt. If not, you have saved most of it. If it has a burnt taste to the sauce, I’m afraid you will have to start over, using a clean spoon and a clean pan. It might be good to have a cellphone nearby so you can talk and still keep an eye on your sauce!