Cooking Substitutions (List of Common Ingredients)
If you are preparing holiday meals or baking, you may find yourself mid-recipe without an ingredient. Or, you may not want to spend a lot of money on something that you only need a little and won’t use a lot in normal day-to-day cooking. Here is a list of common cooking substitutions…
Allspice: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves equals 1 teaspoon allspice.
Apple Pie Spice: ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice and a dash of ground cloves or ginger = 1 teaspoon apple pie spice.
Baking Powder: ½ teaspoon cream of tartar plus ¼ teaspoon baking soda equals 1 teaspoon baking powder.
Brown Sugar: 1 Cup granulated sugar plus ¼ cup molasses equals 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar.
Buttermilk: 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar plus enough milk to equal 1 cup equals 1 cup of buttermilk; let stand for 5 minutes. Or use 1 cup plain yogurt.
Cake Flour: 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour equals 1 cup cake flour.
Chili Sauce: 1 cup ketchup plus 1 to 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish.
Corn Syrup: 1 cup sugar plus ¼ cup of liquid (use whatever liquid is called for in the recipe) or use 1 cup honey equals 1 cup corn syrup.
Cornstarch: 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or 4-6 teaspoons quick cooking tapioca equals 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
Cream of tartar: 1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar equals ½ teaspoon cream of tartar.
Dried Herb: ½ teaspoon ground herb equals 1 teaspoon dried herb.
Fresh Herb: ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of dried herb equals 1 tablespoon of fresh herb.
Half and Half or Light Cream: 1 tablespoon melted butter plus enough whole milk to equal one cup.
Miniature Marshmallows: 10 large marshmallows equal 1 cup mini marshmallows.
Pastry Flour: 7/8 cup all-purpose flour equals 1 cup pastry flour.
Poultry Seasoning: ¾ teaspoon dried sage (crushed) plus ¼ teaspoon dried thyme or marjoram (crushed) equals 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon plus ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg equals 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
Rum: 1 tablespoon rum extract plus 3 tablespoons liquid (use whatever liquid called for in recipe) equals ¼ cup rum.
Self-Rising Flour: 1 cup of all-purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon baking soda.
Shortening (for baking): 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons lard or 1 1/8 cup butter or margarine (reduce salt in recipe if using salted butter or margarine) equals 1 cup shortening.
Sour Cream: Substitute equal parts plain yogurt.
Tomato Sauce: ¾ cup tomato paste plus 1 cup water equals 2 cups tomato sauce.
Whole Milk: ½ cup evaporated milk plus ½ cup water or 1 cup water plus 1/8 cup nonfat dry milk powder.
Wine: 13 tablespoons water, 3 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar equals 1 cup wine.