This is a guest post from Brittany Lyons at PhDs.org. If you would like to guest post for Mangoes and Chutney, please visit my Guest Post Guidelines page.
If you have to whip up a new recipe at the last minute, you may not have the luxury of extra time for running to the store. This may leave you empty-handed, without the key ingredients you need to turn out a good pound cake or loaf of bread. While may this may cause you to wish that you had pursued the culinary arts or had been one of the students with a PhD in something like chemistry so you could have better learned how to measure ingredients, there are a lot of simple substitutes that you can use in place of the specific ingredients listed in a recipe. Better yet, it’s likely many of them are already stocked in your kitchen. The next time you need to make something in a pinch but lack the necessary ingredients, just use one of the following emergency substitutes:
Brown Sugar
A lot of dessert recipes call for brown sugar, which you may not regularly stock in your pantry. However, chances are good that you do have granulated sugar. If a recipe calls for a cup of brown sugar, replace it with a cup of white granulated sugar mixed with a tablespoon of molasses or dark corn syrup.
Sour Cream
A creamy consistency and slightly tart flavor make plain yogurt an excellent substitute for sour cream. Plain yogurt is far lower in fat and calories than sour cream, your recipe will be much healthier.
Baking Powder
Baking powder is a common ingredient, and its absence can spell disaster for your recipe. The good news is, there are a ton of different substitutions for baking powder . You can replace one teaspoon of baking powder with a teaspoon of baking soda and a quarter cup of molasses. Another option is to use a teaspoon of baking soda and a half cup of buttermilk. If you have cream of tartar, mix 5/8 of a teaspoon of it with a teaspoon of baking soda to make a great baking powder substitute.
Bread Crumbs
Wasting money on overpriced bread crumbs is never necessary if you have old bread sitting around the house. Simple substitute a slice of bread for 1/3 cup of dry bread crumbs or for 3/4 cup of soft bread crumbs. If you don’t have bread in your cupboard, you can use a quarter cup of cracker crumbs or a quarter cup of cornmeal in place of a quarter cup of dry bread crumbs.
Nuts
Ground nuts provide a great texture in cookies and bars, but they are not always immediately available. Likewise, there are many people who are allergic to nuts and can’t eat or even bake with them. Thus, if a recipe calls for one cup of nuts, simply substitute a cup of rolled oats . The oats will supply the same nutty texture, along with plenty of dietary fiber.
Cornstarch
Although it isn’t used as often as it was in earlier generations, cornstarch is still a common ingredient in baking recipes. Substitute one tablespoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of all-purpose flower or four teaspoons of quick-cooking tapioca.
Oil
Although most saute recipes call for specific varieties of oil, it is easy to saute food with a number of other ingredients, including melted butter, margarine, lard, bacon drippings or shortening. Canola oil can be swapped for olive oil, and vegetable oil also works well in a variety of recipes.
Onion
Fresh onions always taste the best, but they aren’t always readily available. Use a teaspoon of onion powder or onion salt in place of one small onion. A tablespoon of instant minced onion will also work well. This substitution can be reversed if you have fresh onions in the pantry or fridge but lack onion powder or onion salt.
It is never fun to discover that you are lacking an essential ingredient while in the middle of baking. When there isn’t enough time to run to the grocery store, simply substitute one of the above ingredients. Nobody will ever suspect that you diverged from the original recipe.
Socialize with me!