Nothing is more frustrating when cooking or baking than getting part way through a recipe and discovering that you are lacking one ingredient. We have all been there. My most recent blunder was making a cake and not having any baking powder. The fact is, there are substitutions that will work in recipes without changing the flavor or texture…and without running to the store in mid-recipe!
Following is a list of some of those that you may want to tuck away somewhere just in case you find yourself in a pinch:
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTION
1 tsp allspice—————— 1/2 t cinnamon, 1/4 t ginger, 1/4 t cloves1 tsp arrowroot starch
1 tsp arrowroot starch—– 1 T flour or 1 T cornstarch
1 t baking powder———– 1/4 t baking soda plus 1/2 t cream of tartar or 1/4 t soda plus 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup beer——————— 1 cup non-alcoholic beer or 1 cup chicken broth
1 cup bread crumbs——– 1 cup cracker crumbs or 1 cup ground oats
1 cup beef or chicken broth—1 bouillion cube plus 1 cup boiling water or 1 T soy sauce and enough water to equal 1 cup
1 cup packed brown sugar—–1 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup molasses or use 1-1/4 cups confectioners sugar in place of the white
1 cup salted butter———- 1 cup margarine or 1 cup shortening plus ½ t salt or 7/8 cup vegetable oil plus ½ t salt (will not work in all recipes that call for butter)
1 cup unsalted butter—–1 cup shortening or 7/8 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk————-1 cup yogurt or 1 T lemon juice or vinegar in 1 cup milk
1 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips—–1 oz unsweetened chocolate plus 4 t sugar or 1 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 t shortening
1 oz unsweetened chocolate——-3 T unsweetened cocoa and add 1 T shortening or vegetable oil
1/4 cup cocoa———-1 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup corn syrup——1-1/4 cups white sugar plus 1/3 cup water or 1 cup honey
1 cup cottage cheese—-1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup heavy cream—–1 cup evaporated milk or ¾ cup milk plus 3 T butter
1 cup 1/2 & 1/2——- 7/8 cup milk plus 1 T butter
1 t cream of tartar—-2 t lemon juice or vinegar
1 egg———–2-1/2 T powdered egg substitute or ¼ liquid egg substitute or half of a mashed banana plus 1/2 t baking powder
1 cup evaporated milk——-1 cup light cream or 3/4 cup milk plus 3 T butter
1 cup fat for baking—–1 cup applesauce or 1 cup fruit puree
1 cup cake flour——-1 cup all-purpose flour minus 2 T
1 clove garlic——–1/8 t garlic powder or ½ t granulated garlic or 1/2 t garlic salt, reducing the rest of the salt in recipe
1 t ginger————-2 t fresh, chopped ginger
1 T fresh herbs——–1 t dried herbs
1 cup honey———– 1-1/4 cups white sugar plus 1/3 cup water or 1 cup corn syrup
1 t hot pepper sauce—–3/4 t cayenne pepper plus 1 t vinegar
1 cup ketchup———-1 cup tomato sauce plus 1 t vinegar plus 1 T sugar
1 t lemon juice———1/2 t vinegar or 1 t white wine or 1 t lime juice
1 t lemon zest———1/2 t lemon extract or 2 T lemon juice
1 cup margarine——-1 cup shortening plus 1/2 t salt or 1 cup butter or 7/8 cup vegetable oil plus 1/2 t salt
1 cup mayo————-1 cup sour cream or 1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup whole milk—–2/3 cup evaporated milk plus 1/3 cup water or 1/4 cup dry milk and 1 cup water
1 cup molasses——3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 t cream of tartar
1 T mustard———– 1 T dried mustard, 1 t water, 1 t vinegar, 1 t sugar
1 cup chopped onion—–1/4 cup onion powder or 1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese—–1/2 cup Asiago cheese or 1/2 cup Romano
1 cup raisins————–1 cup dried currants or 1 cup dried cranberries or 1 cup chopped pitted prunes
1 cup cooked white rice——-1 cup cooked barley or 1 cup cooked bulger or 1 cup cooked brown wild rice
1/4 t saffron———-1/4 t turmeric
1 cup sour cream——–1 T vinegar or lemon juice in enough milk to make 1 cup, let stand 5 minutes to thicken
1/2 cup soy sauce——-1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce plus 1 T water
1-14-oz can sweetened, condensed milk——-3/4 cup white sugar plus ½ cup water plus 1 1/8 cups dry, powdered milk, bring to a boil and cook, stirring
1 cup vegetable oil for baking———1 cup applesauce or 1 cup fruit puree
1 cup vegetable oil for frying———- 1 cup vegetable shortening
1 t vinegar———–1 t lemon or lime juice or 2 t white wine
1 cup white sugar——–1 cup brown sugar or 1-1/4 cups confectioners sugar or 3/4 cup honey or 3/4 cup corn syrup
1 cup wine———-1 cup chicken or beef broth or 1 cup fruit juice plus 2 t vinegar
1 pkg active dry yeast———1 cake compressed yeast or 2-1/2 t dry yeast or 2-1/2 t rapid-rise yeast
1 cup yogurt————1 cup sour cream or 1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup sour milk
1 t apple pie spice—-1/2 t cinnamon, 1/4 t nutmeg, 1/8 t allspice plus 1/8 t cardamom, ginger, or cloves
Italian seasoning—–1 t basil, 1 T parsley, 1/2 t oregano
2 cups maple syrup—-2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, bring to a clear boil, take off heat and add 1/2 t maple flavoring
1 cup miniature marshmallows— 8 to 10 large marshmallows
1 jar marshmallow cream——-melt 16 ozs marshmallows and 3 ½ T corn syrup
1 T Dijon mustard——-1 T dry mustard. 1 t water, 1 t white wine vinegar, 1 T mayo and a pinch of sugar
Note: Always remember when a substitution calls for liquid, to decrease liquid in the recipe by that much. Hope these hints help to save a trip or two to town and happy baking!
Photos courtesy of Getty Images
