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Substituting Ingredients in Your Recipes at Home | Patty Craig: A Slice of Time

Since I am trying to “stay healthy at home,” at times I have not had an ingredient needed to make a recipe. However, the internet provided good information about substitute cooking ingredients. And these ingredients can work.

A substitute that surprised me was that I could substitute something for eggs. I mixed 1 ½ tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 ½ tablespoon water, and 1 teaspoon baking powder for each egg needed to make banana bread. The bread rose and tasted like it should; the only difference I noticed was that the bread was whiter and a little lighter.

I found two websites that listed many substitutions (https://www.browneyedbaker.com/common-baking-substitutions/ and https://www.allrecipes.com/article/common-ingredient-substitutions/). Please note that while these will work most of the time, it’s possible that using substitutions could result in slightly altered taste or texture in the dish. Yet, the cooking substitutions below may be helpful.

Allspice

  • 1 teaspoon allspice – 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon ginger plus 1/4 teaspoon cloves

Baking Powder

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder – 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar plus 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

Baking Soda

  • ½ teaspoon baking soda – 2 teaspoon baking powder

Beer

  • 1 cup beer – 1 cup chicken broth

Brandy

  • 1/4 cup brandy – 1 teaspoon imitation brandy extract plus enough water to make 1/4 cup

Bread Crumbs

  • 1 cup bread crumbs – 1 cup ground oats
  • 1 cup bread crumbs – 1 cup cracker crumbs

Broth, beef or chicken

  • 1 cup broth – 1 bouillon cube plus 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup broth – 1 tablespoon soy sauce plus enough water to make 1 cup

Brown Sugar

  • 1 cup brown sugar – 1 cup white sugar 
  • 1 cup brown sugar – 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar – 1 cup white sugar plus 1/4 cup molasses and decrease the liquid in recipe by 1/4 cup

Butter

  • 1 cup salted butter – 1 cup margarine
  • 1 cup salted butter – 1 cup vegetable shortening plus 1/2teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup salted butter – 7/8 cup lard plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter – 1 cup salted butter
  • 1 cup unsalted butter – 1 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1 cup unsalted butter – 1 cup lard minus ½ teaspoon salt from recipe

Buttermilk

  • 1 cup buttermilk – 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup. Let stand for 5 minutes
  • 1 cup buttermilk – 1 cup plain yogurt

Cake Flour

  • 1 cup cake flour – ¾ cup sifted all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Cheddar Cheese

  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese – 1 cup shredded Colby cheddar
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese – 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Chocolate 

  • 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate – 3 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, vegetable oil or shortening
  • 1 ounce semisweet chocolate – 1 ounce square of unsweetened chocolate plus 4 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 ounce semisweet chocolate – 1 ounce semisweet chocolate chips plus 1 teaspoon shortening

Cocoa Powder

  • 3 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder – 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate plus reduce fat in recipe by 1 tablespoon
  • 3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder – 3 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Cracker Crumbs

  • 1 cup cracker crumbs – 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 cup cracker crumbs – 1 cup ground oats
  • 1 cup cracker crumbs – 1 cup matzo meal

Cream, Half-and-Half 

  • 1 cup half-and-half – 1/2 cup whole milk plus 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup half-and-half – 7/8 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon butter

Cream, Whipped

  • 1 cup whipped cream – 1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Cream Cheese

  • 1 cup cream cheese – 1 cup pureed cottage cheese
  • 1 cup cream cheese – 1 cup plain yogurt, strained overnight in a cheesecloth

Cream of Tartar

  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar – 2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar

Eggs

  • 1 egg –  for leavening, mix: 1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil plus 1 1/2 tablespoon water plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg –  1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1 egg –  3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 egg –  1/2 banana mashed with 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Evaporated Milk

  • 1 cup evaporated milk – 1 cup light cream

Garlic

  • 1 clove garlic – 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 clove garlic – 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 clove garlic – 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt and reduce salt in recipe

Herbs, fresh

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh – 1 teaspoon (chopped or whole leaf) dried herbs

Honey

  • 1 cup honey – 1 1/4 cup white sugar plus 1/3 cup water
  • 1 cup honey – 1 cup corn syrup

Ketchup

  • 1 cup ketchup – 1 cup tomato sauce plus 1 teaspoon vinegar plus 1 tablespoon sugar

Lemon Juice

  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice – 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice – 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice – 1 teaspoon white wine

Lemon Zest

  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest – 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest – 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Mayonnaise

  • 1 cup mayonnaise – 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup mayonnaise – 1 cup plain yogurt

Milk

  • 1 cup whole milk – 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup whole milk – 2/3 cup evaporated milk plus 1/3 cup water
  • 1 cup whole milk – 1 cup skim milk plus 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
  • 1 cup whole milk – 1/4 cup dry milk powder plus 1 cup water 

Molasses

  • 1 cup molasses – Mix 3/4 cup brown sugar plus 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Mustard, prepared

  • 1 tablespoon prepared mustard – Mix together: 1 tablespoon dried mustard plus 1 teaspoon water plus 1 teaspoon vinegar plus 1 teaspoon sugar

Onion

  • 1 cup chopped onion – 1/4 cup onion powder
  • 1 cup chopped onion – 1/4 cup dried minced onion
  • 1 cup chopped onion – 1 cup chopped green onions, shallots or leeks

Orange Juice

  • 1 tablespoon orange juice – 1 tablespoon other citrus juice

Rum

  • 1 tablespoon rum – 1/2 teaspoon rum extract plus enough water to make 1 tablespoon

Pumpkin Pie Spice

  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice – 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger plus 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice plus 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Self-Rising Flour

  • 1 cup self-rising flour – 7/8 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder plus 1/2 teaspoon salt

Shortening

  • 1 cup shortening – 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup shortening – 1 cup margarine minus 1/2 teaspoon salt from recipe

Sour Cream

  • 1 cup sour cream – 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 cup sour cream – 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough cream to make 1 cup
  • 1 cup sour cream – 3/4 cup buttermilk mixed with 1/3 cup butter

Sweetened Condensed Milk

  • 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk – 3/4 cup white sugar mixed with 1/2 cup water plus 1 1/8 cups dry powdered milk: Bring to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 20 minutes

Vanilla Beans

  • 1 vanilla bean – 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Vegetable Oil

  • 1 cup vegetable oil (for baking) – 1 cup applesauce or fruit puree

Vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon vinegar – 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar – 2 teaspoons white wine

Vegetable Shortening

  • 1 cup vegetable shortening – 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup vegetable shortening – 1 cup margarine

White Sugar 

  • 1 cup white sugar – 1 cup brown sugar 
  • 1 cup white sugar – 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar 
  • 1 cup white sugar – 3/4 cup honey or corn syrup

Wine

  • 1 cup wine – 1 cup chicken or beef broth 
  • 1 cup wine – 1 cup fruit juice mixed with 2 teaspoons vinegar
  • 1 cup wine – 1 cup water

Yeast

  • 1 envelope (1/4-ounce) active dry yeast – 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 envelope (1/4-ounce) active dry yeast – 2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast
  • 1 envelope (1/4-ounce) active dry yeast – 1/3 of a 2-ounce cake yeast

I hope these ingredient substitutions make life a little easier for the cooks in the house. Hopefully, groceries will soon be more easily obtained. Meanwhile, stay healthy and enjoy some kitchen time!


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