The next time you're cooking in with the kids instead of ordering out and a recipe calls for something you don't have, try some of these easy helpers.

Cooking Substitutions

Author: Staff Writer Andy Harvey

Posted: 08/14/08

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Personally I love to cook; I think it's fun, a form of meditation and it feels better knowing exactly what I'm eating (no ingredients I can't pronounce). However, I'm one of only a few guys I know that enjoys doing this; the rest don't have a clue about portions and can't follow a recipe to save their lives. Let's face it, some social stigmas have merit.

The next time you're cooking in with the kids instead of ordering out and a recipe calls for something you don't have, try some of these easy helpers:

Allspice (1tspn): 1/2 tspn cinnamon, 1/4 tspn ginger, 1/4 tspn cloves

Baking powder (1 tspn): 1/4 tspn baking soda, 1/2 tspn cream of tartar

Bread crumbs (1 cup): 1 cup cracker crumbs or 1 cup ground oats

Broth (1 cup): 1 bouillon cube plus 1 cup boiling water OR 1 tblspn soy sauce plus enough water to make 1 cup

Brown sugar (1 cup): 1 cup white sugar plus 1/4 cup molasses OR just 1 cup of white sugar

Butter (1 cup): Same measurement margarine OR 1 cup shortening plus 1/2 tspn salt OR 7/8 cup vegetable oil plus 1/2 tspn salt

Buttermilk (1 cup): 1 cup yogurt OR 1 tblspn lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup

Chervil (1 tblspn): Same measurement, Parsley

Garlic (1 clove): 1/8 tspn of Garlic Powder

Ketchup (1 cup): 1 cup tomato sauce plus 1 tspn vinegar plus 1 tblspn sugar

Lard (1 cup): 1 cup shortening OR 7/8 cup vegetable oil OR 1 cup butter

Lemon juice (1 tspn): 1/2 tspn vinegar OR 1 tspn white wine OR 1 tspn lime juice

Molasses (1 cup): Mix together 1 tblspn dried mustard, 1 tspn water, 1 tspn vinegar and 1 tspn sugar

Onion (1 cup, chopped): 1/4 cup onion powder

Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup, grated): 1/2 cup grated Asiago or Romano cheese

Raisin (1 cup): 1 cup dried currants OR 1 cup dried cranberries OR 1 cup chopped pitted prunes

Rice (1 cup, cooked): 1 cup cooked barley OR 1 cup cooked bulgar OR 1 cup cooked brown or wild rice

Ricotta (1 cup): 1 cup dry cottage cheese OR 1 cup soft tofu

Semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup): 1 cup chocolate candies OR 1 cup peanut butter or other flavored chips OR 1 cup chopped nuts OR 1 cup chopped dried fruit

Sour cream (1 cup): 1 cup plain yogurt OR 1 tblspn lemon juice or vinegar plus enough cream to make 1 cup OR 3/4 cup buttermilk mixed with 1/3 cup butter

Soy sauce (1/2 cup): 4 tblspns Worcestershire sauce mixed w/1 tblspn water

Sweetened condensed milk (1 can): 3/4 cup white sugar mixed with 1/2 cup water and 1 1/8 cups dry powdered milk: Boil and cook, stirring until thick (approx 20min)

Vegetable oil-for baking (1 cup): 1 cup applesauce OR 1 cup fruit puree

Wine (1 cup): 1 cup broth OR 1 cup fruit juice mixed with 2 tspns vinegar OR 1 cup water

Yeast-active dry (1 .25 ounce pkg): 1 cake compressed yeast OR 2 1/2 tspns active dry yeast OR 2 1/2 tspn rapid rise yeast

Yogurt (1 cup): 1 cup sour cream OR 1 cup buttermilk OR 1 cup sour milk