Ingredient Substitutions

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Published 2012

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Despite your best efforts to stock your kitchen and to shop for your weekly meals, you may start to make a recipe and realize that you are missing a crucial ingredient. Yogurt can stand in for sour cream, for example; lemon juice for vinegar; and dried herbs for fresh.

FOOD	AMOUNT	SUBSTITUTION
Baking powder	1 teaspoon	½ teaspoon cream of tartar plus ¼ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)	1 teaspoon	4 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
Bread crumbs, dry	1 cup	1⅓ cups fresh bread crumbs
Butter, unsalted	1 cup	1 cup salted butter (decrease the salt in the recipe by ½ teaspoon)
Buttermilk	1 cup	1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup
		1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
Cardamom, ground	1 teaspoon	¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon plus ¼ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
Cheese, mascarpone	1 cup	¾ cup cream cheese beaten with ¼ cup heavy (double) cream
Cheese, ricotta	1 cup	1 cup cottage cheese, puréed
Chocolate, bittersweet or semisweet (plain)	1 oz	½ oz unsweetened chocolate plus 1–1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
Chocolate, semisweet (plain) chips	1 cup	6 oz semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
Chocolate, unsweetened	1 oz	3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or shortening
		1⅔ oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (reduce the sugar in the recipe by 4 tablespoons)
Cocoa, unsweetened	3 tablespoons	1 oz unsweetened chocolate (reduce the fat in the recipe by 1 tablespoon)
Cornstarch (cornflour)	1 tablespoon	2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Corn syrup	light – 1 cup	1 cup sugar plus ¼ cup water
	dark – 1 cup	¾ cup light corn syrup plus ¼ cup molasses or maple syrup
Cream, half-and-half (half cream)	1 cup	½ cup partly skimmed milk plus ½ cup heavy (double) cream
		⅞ cup whole milk plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Cream of tartar	¼ teaspoon	⅛–¼ teaspoon white vinegar
Cream, sour	1 cup	1 cup plain yogurt
Crème fraîche	1 cup	1 cup sour cream
		½ cup sour cream plus ½ cup heavy (double) cream
Ginger, minced fresh	2 teaspoons	1½ teaspoons dried ginger plus ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Herbs, chopped fresh	1 tablespoon	¾–1 teaspoon dried herbs
Honey	1 cup	¾ cup light molasses, dark corn syrup, or maple syrup, plus ½ cup granulated sugar
Leeks, sliced	½ cup	½ cup sliced shallots or green (spring) onions
Lemongrass	2 stalks, minced	Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Lemon juice, fresh	2 tablespoons	1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
Lemon zest, grated	2 teaspoons	2 teaspoons orange or lime zest
Lime juice, fresh	2 tablespoons	2½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Lime zest, grated	2 teaspoons	2 teaspoons lemon or orange zest
Pure vanilla extract	1 teaspoon	1-inch piece vanilla bean, halved and scraped
Sugar, brown	1 cup	1 cup granulated sugar combined with 2 tablespoons molasses
Vinegar, white	¼ cup	⅓ cup lemon juice
		¼ cup apple cider vinegar or Champagne vinegar
Wine, red (for deglazing)	1 cup	1 cup beef broth or stock
Wine, white (for deglazing)	1 cup	1 cup chicken broth or stock

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