Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Tuesday Tips: Ingredient Substitutions

If you are like me, and probably the rest of humanity, you have found yourself in the middle of making a recipe only to find that you are missing some key ingredient. There's nothing more frustrating, especially if the recipe calls for precise timing and running to the store just isn't an option. Now sometimes you can simply leave an ingredient out, especially if it's a small portion of flavoring or spice, but that's not always the case. 

I had this happen last week and instead of panicking, I did a quick search which yielded this fabulous list of ingredient substitutions from North Dakota's College of Agriculture, Food Systems, & Natural Resources. I won't list them all here, but have chosen some of the ones that I feel would be commonly used and most helpful. You can visit the link above for the full list:

~ Amanda


Ingredient Amount Substitutes

Baking powder 1 teaspoon * 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk or yogurt (decrease liquid called for in recipe by 1/2 cup)
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice used with sweet milk to make 1/2 cup (decrease liquid called for in recipe by 1/2 cup)
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/4 to 1/2 cup molasses (decrease liquid in recipe by 1 to 2 tablespoons)
* 1/3 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Beef stock base, 2 teaspoons * 1 beef bouillon cube
instant

Beef stock base, instant

4 teaspoons dissolved in 1 1/4 cups water * 1 can (10 1/2 ounces) condensed, undiluted beef bouillon or consumme'


Bread crumbs, dry

1/3 cup * 1 slice of bread

Bread crumbs, soft

3/4 cup * 1 slice bread
Broth, beef or chicken 1 cup * 1 bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup boiling water
* 1 teaspoon powdered broth base dissolved in 1 cup boiling water
Butter 1 cup * 7/8 to 1 cup hydrogenated fat plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 7/8 cup oil plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 7/8 cup lard plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup margarine
* 7/8 cup oil

Catsup
1 cup * 1 cup tomato sauce, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons vinegar (for use in cooking)

Chicken stock base, instant

1 1/2 teaspoons * 1 chicken bouillon cube
Chicken stock base, instant 1 tablespoon dissolved in 1 cup water

* 1 cup canned or homemade chicken broth or stock
Chili sauce 1 cup * 1 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, dash of ground cloves and dash of allspice

Chives, finely chopped

2 teaspoons * 2 teaspoons finely chopped green onion tops
Chocolate chips, semisweet

1 ounce * 1 ounce sweet cooking chocolate
Chocolate, semisweet

1-2/3 ounces * 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate plus 4 teaspoons sugar
Chocolate, semisweet pieces, melted

6 ounce package * 2 squares unsweetened chocolate plus 2 tablespoons shortening and 1/2 cup sugar
Chocolate, unsweetened 1 ounce or square * 3 tablespoons cocoa plus 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
* 3 tablespoons carob powder plus 2 tablespoons water

Cocoa 1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons * 1 ounce (square) chocolate (decrease fat called for in recipe by 1/2 tablespoon)

Corn Syrup 1 cup * 1 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup liquid (use whatever liquid is called for in the recipe)
* 1 cup honey

Cornstarch 1 tablespoon * 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 4 to 6 teaspoons quick-cooking tapioca

Cream cheese * Part skim milk ricotta cheese or lowfat cottage cheese beaten until smooth

Cream, half-and-half 1 cup * 7/8 cup whole milk plus 1/2 tablespoon butter or margarine
* 3 tablespoons oil plus milk to equal 1 cup
* 1 cup evaporated milk

Cream, heavy 1 cup * 3/4 cup milk plus 1/3 cup butter or margarine (for use in cooking and baking)
* 2/3 cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup oil
* Evaporated skim milk or equal parts of part-skim milk ricotta cheese and nonfat yogurt beaten until smooth (this mixture cannot be heated because of separation

Cream, sour 1 cup * 3 tablespoons butter plus 7/8 cup sour milk
* 7/8 cup buttermilk plus 3 tablespoons butter

Cream of tartar 1/2 teaspoon * 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar

Egg 1 whole (3 tablespoons) * 3 tablespoons slightly beaten egg
* 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon frozen egg, thawed
* 2 1/2 tablespoons sifted dry whole egg powder plus 2 1/2 tablespoons lukewarm water
* 1/4 cup egg substitute
* 1 egg white and 2 teaspoons oil
* 2 egg whites
* 2 yolks plus 1 tablespoon water (in cookies)
* 2 yolks (in custards, cream fillings and similar mixtures)

Flour, cake 1 cup sifted * 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour

Garlic 1 clove, small * 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or 1/4 teaspoon instant minced garlic

Garlic salt 3/4 teaspoon * 1 medium size clove or 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh

Herbs, dried 1 teaspoon * 1 tablespoon fresh, finely cut

Herbs, fresh 1 tablespoon, finely cut * 1 teaspoon dried herbs
* 1/2 teaspoon ground herbs

Honey 1 cup * 1 1/4 cups sugar plus 1/4 cup liquid (use liquid called for in recipe)

Lemon 1 teaspoon juice * 1/2 teaspoon vinegar

1 medium * 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 to 2 teaspoons rind

Milk, buttermilk 1 cup * 1 cup plain yogurt

Milk, buttermilk or sour 1 cup * 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon sweet milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice or  vinegar (allow to stand 5 to 10 minutes)
* 1 cup sweet milk and 1 3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar

Milk, evaporated 1 can (12 oz) * Whip until smooth:
1 cup nonfat dry milk
1 3/4 cups warm water
Keep refrigerated

Milk, sweetened condensed 1 can (1 1/3 cups) * Heat the following ingredients until sugar and butter are dissolved:
1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons
evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 cup * Heat the following ingredients until sugar and butter are dissolved:
1/3 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
* Add 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry milk powder to 1/2 cup warm water. Mix well. Add 3/4 cup sugar and stir until smooth.

Onion 1 small * 1/4 cup chopped, fresh onion
* 1-1/3 teaspoons onion salt
* 1 to 2 tablespoons minced onion
* 1 teaspoon onion powder

Orange 1 medium * 6 to 8 tablespoons juice

Sugar, brown 1 cup, firmly packed * 1 cup granular sugar
* 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup molasses

Sugar, confectioners' 1 cup * 3/4 cup granulated sugar
or powdered

Tomatoes, fresh 2 cups, chopped * 16-ounce can

Tomato sauce 15-ounce can * 6-ounce can tomato paste plus 1 cup water

Tomato soup 10 3/4-ounce can * 1 cup tomato sauce plus 1/4 cup water

Wine 1 cup * 13 tablespoons water, 3 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar

Yeast, active dry 1 tablespoon * 1 cake (6/10 ounce), compressed (2/3 ounce)
* 1 packaged (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

Yogurt, plain 1 cup * 1 cup buttermilk
* 1 cup cottage cheese blended until smooth
* 1 cup sour cream

1 comment:

  1. AnonymousMay 05, 2009

    A diabetic nutritionist also told me that orange juice is a good substitute for whiskey/brandy in recipes.

    Ali

    ReplyDelete

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