Cooking Ingredient Substitutions

Having a good table of common cooking ingredient substitutions on hand can be a life saver in the kitchen. There is nothing more frustrating than being in the middle of creating a recipe, only to reach for the baking powder and finding it nearly empty. You can make your own Baking Powder, in a pinch, if you know what ingredients to use in substitution. Every kitchen needs a stash of important, common staples. Keep your pantry stocked with basic ingredients like; Baking Soda, Cream of Tartar, Vinegar, White Sugar and Brown Sugar. You can make substitutions quickly and easily for any of these other common cooking ingredients.


For 1 tbsp cornstarch, substitute 2 tbsp flour

For 1 tsp baking powder, substitute 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

For 1 whole egg (for baking), substitute 2 egg yolks + tsp water

For 1 whole egg (for custards or puddings), substitute 2 egg yolks

For 1 cup milk, substitute 1/2 cup evaporated milk + 1/2 cup water

For 1 cup sour milk or buttermilk, substitute 1 cup sweet milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar

For 1 sq of unsweetened chocolate, substitute 3 - 4 tsp cocoa powder + 1 tbsp shortening

For 1 cup honey, substitute 3/4 cup sugar + 1/4 cup apple juice or water

For 1 cup sugar (not for cakes), substitute 1 cup honey or maple syrup + reduce liquid in

recipe by 1/4 cup

For 1 cup sugar (for cakes), substitute 1/2 cup honey + reduce liquid by 1/4 cup

For 1 cup brown sugar, substitute 1 cup granulated sugar

For 1 cup canned tomatoes, use 1 1/3 cups cut up fresh tomatoes, simmered 10

minutes


Other quick substitutions:

To make a quick cream sauce, use a can of Cream of Mushroom soup and a little sour cream, instead of making a white sauce.

If you run out of cream for your coffee, a little canned, evaporated milk will do in a pinch.

Sliced ham, diced in small pieces and sauteed in a little butter can replace bacon in most recipes.