Substitutions

One of the major obstacles I face when cooking or baking is not having an ingredient called for! 

This happens either because it is not available where I live, or because I missed checking if I have it at hand before starting to prepare my dish.  I don’t recall how many times I franticly called almost everyone I knew in search for a substitution, but it was a high number!

Over the years, I accumulated the following list for substitutes that I use when an ingredient called for is not available. you can use the table interchangeably.   

Fresh herb	◄−►	½ amount of dried herb
Garlic clove	◄−►	1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Leeks	◄−►	green/spring onions first
Saffron	◄−►	Turmeric
Chervil	◄−►	Fresh parsley
Mace	◄−►	Nutmeg
1 stalk of lemon grass	◄−►	½ tablespoon of lemon rind
1 teaspoon onion powder	◄−►	½ large onion
½ teaspoon garlic powder	◄−►	4 medium sized cloves garlic
vinegar	◄−►	Lemon or lime juice
wine	◄−►	Chicken broth or water mixed with 1 teaspoon vinegar for each cup of water
2 cups tomato sauce	◄−►	¾ cup tomato paste plus 1 cup water
1 cup tomato juice	◄−►	½ cup tomato sauce plus ½ cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce	◄−►	2 tablespoons soya sauce
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce	◄−►	1 teaspoon vinegar mixed with 2/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Ground Oats	◄−►	Bread crumbs OR cracker crumbs
Colby cheese	◄−►	Cheddar cheese
Ricotta cheese	◄−►	Cottage cheese
Romano cheese	◄−►	Parmesan cheese
Sour Cream	◄−►	Labaneh OR 1 cup plain yoghurt mixed with 1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup Half and Half Cream	◄−►	put 1 tablespoon butter in measuring cup and fill with milk
1 cup Heavy Cream	◄−►	¾ cup milk plus 1/3 cup butter
1 cup Light Cream	◄−►	¾ cup milk plus 3 tablespoons butter
Corn Syrup	◄−►	Honey
1 cup honey	◄−►	Mix 1¼ cup sugar in 1/3 cup water
Brown sugar	◄−►	White sugar
Butter	◄−►	Shortening OR oil
1 cup butter milk	◄−►	put 1 table spoon lemon juice in cup and fill with milk  OR  1 cup plain yogurt.
1 teaspoon baking powder	◄−►	½ teaspoon cream of tartar plus ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Corn flour or Cornstarch	◄−►	Double the amount of regular flour
1 cup self raising flour	◄−►	Mix 1 cup regular flour with 1½ teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup cake flour	◄−►	Mix (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) regular flour with 2 tablespoons corn flour or cornstarch
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate	◄−►	3 tablespoons cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon vinegar

I hope this table is as helpful to you as it is to me.

Do you substitute ingredients? What are your main substitutions? Are there any ingredients I missed?

I would love to hear from you and incorporate your suggestions.