food/substitutions
Food Substitutes
Food Substitutions Quick List
- Arrowroot is a great thickener for sauces and gravys. Do use it within a couple of months of purchase, as it does lose thickening properties over time.
Here's a link for more information and some characteristics of food thickeners for sauces and gravys. - Alcohol: Be aware that when you omit or make a substitution for an alcoholic beverage in a recipe, you change the taste of the product. Here is an article with some facts about some alcohol commonly used in recipes and a chart that includes descriptions of each beverage and some substitutions that can approximate the flavor of that product. About.com Home Cooking
Food Substitutes
Source: Reader's Digest, One Dish Meals, The Easy Way
| Ingredient | Amt. | Subsitiute |
|---|---|---|
| Baking powder | 1 tsp | ¼ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar or ½ C buttermilk or plain yogurt + ¼ tsp baking soda or ¼ C molasses + ¼ tsp baking soda or ½ tsp lemon juice + ¼ tsp baking soda and page of more substitutions. |
| Baking soda | 1 tsp | 3 tsp baking powder - reduce salt by ½ |
| Bread crumbs, fine dry | 1 C | ¾ C finely crumbled crackers |
| Broth, chicken or beef | 1 C | 1 tsp beef or chicken base |
| Butter or margarine (salted) | 1 C | 1 C vegetable shortening + ½ tsp salt |
| Buttermilk | 1 C | 1 C plain yogurt or 1 C whole milk + 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar. (Let stand 5 min) |
| Chocolate, unsweetened | 1 Sq. (1 oz) | 3 Tbsp cocoa + 1 Tbsp butter |
| Cornstarch | 1 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (for thickening) |
| Corn syrup, light | 1 C | 1¼ C granulated sugar + ⅓ C water (not for baking) |
| Cracker crumbs, fine | 1 C | 1¼ dry bread crumbs |
| Cream, heavy | 1 C | ¾ C milk + ⅓ C melted butter (not for whipping) |
| Cream, light | 1 C | ¾ C milk + ¼ C melted butter |
| Cream, sour | 1 C | 7 oz. plain yogurt or buttermilk + 3 Tbsp melted butter |
| Flour, cake | 1 C | 1 C less 2 Tbsp sifted all-purpose flour |
| Flour, self-rising | 1 C | 1 C flour + 1¼ Tbsp baking powder + pinch of salt |
| Garlic | 1 clove | ¼ tsp garlic powder |
| Half & Half | 1 C | 7 oz milk + 1½ Tbsp melted butter or, ⅔ C whole milk + ⅓ C heavy cream. |
| Herbs, fresh | 1 Tbsp | 1 tsp dried herbs or ¾ tsp ground herbs |
| Honey | 1 C | 1¾ C granulated sugar + ⅓ C water |
| Ketchup or chili sauce | ½ C | ½ C tomato sauce + 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp vinegar & ⅛ tsp each ground cloves and allspice |
| Lemon juice | 1 tsp | ½ tsp vinegar |
| Lemon Zest | 1 tsp | 1½ tsp lemon extract |
| Milk, skim | 1 C | ⅓ C instant nonfat dry milk & 7 oz ice water |
| Milk, whole | 1 C | ½ C evaporated milk & ½ C water, or 1 C water + ⅓ C nonfat dry milk powder & 2 Tbsp melted butter, or 1 C skim milk + 2 Tbsp melted butter |
| Mushrooms, fresh | 8 oz | 1 6-oz jar mushrooms, drained |
| Mustard, prepared | 8 oz | ½ tsp dried mustard |
| Onion | 1 small | 1 Tbsp instant minced onion |
| Oregano, dried | 1 tsp | 1¾ tsp dried marjoram |
| Pork, ground | 8 oz | 8 oz mild sausage |
| Red pepper sauce | 2-3 drops | ⅛ tsp ground cayenne |
| Sugar, brown | 1 C | 1 C granulated sugar |
| Tomato paste | 1 Tbsp | 1 Tbsp ketchup |
| Tomato sauce | 1 C | 6 Tbsp tomato paste + ⅔ C water + seasonings |
| Vinegar | 1 tsp | 2 tsp lemon juice |
| Yogurt, plain | 1 C | 1 C buttermilk |
| Herbs & Spices | ||
| Allspice | Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in equal parts | |
| Basil | Oregano | |
| Caraway seeds | Anise seeds | |
| Cayenne pepper | Ground chili peppers | |
| Celery seeds | Celery tops, minced | |
| Chervil | Parsley or tarragon | |
| Fennel seeds | Anise seeds | |
| Marjoram | Oregano | |
| Nutmeg | Mace | |
| Poultry Seasoning | 2 parts sage, 1 part thyme or marjoram | |
| Sage | Thyme | |
This page was updated on Febuary 14, 2023.
© TylerSpace.net 2000-2025.
Webmaster: Pat Tyler