Have you ever gotten halfway through a recipe, only to realize that you are missing one or two critical ingredients? What do you do?
A quick run to the store would be ideal, but probably not possible. And while some things can be skipped in any recipe, if you try to bake cookies without baking soda, you might not like the results.
A few weeks ago, I had decided on the spur-of-the-moment that I was going to make some corn bread. I have done it so many times that I started adding ingredients to my mixing bowl on autopilot. Until I grabbed the baking powder and noticed that there was only dust inside. (Who put it back on the shelf empty like that? The investigation into grievous kitchen etiquette is ongoing.) Cue momentary panic as I looked at my half-finished batter.
I knew that without it, my corn bread was going to resemble a hockey puck, so I needed to replicate the chemical reaction that caused the bubbling effect. I was relieved to find out that I could do that by mixing buttermilk with baking soda. The downside was that I did not have buttermilk (who does?). Buttermilk, I learned, could be created by combining lemon juice and milk. And so it went.
While making my corn bread did take a little longer than I would have liked, I was saved from scrapping the entire project by some easy and resourceful substitutions. While I advocate a well-stocked pantry, there are definitely times when life and bad kitchen etiquette happen. So why not be prepared with some basic kitchen substitutions that will save your bacon, er, bread?
Baking Powder: (equivalent of 1 teaspoon)
- ¼ tsp. baking soda + ½ tsp. tartar cream + ¼ tsp. cornstarch
- ½ tsp. baking soda + ½ cup buttermilk or yogurt
- ¼ tsp. baking soda + 1/3 cup molasses
- ¼ tsp. baking soda + 1 tsp. vinegar
Baking soda: (equivalent of 1 teaspoon)
- 1 tsp. yeast
- 3 tsp. baking powder (minus some salt from the recipe because salt is already a component of baking powder)
Buttermilk: (equivalent of 1 cup)
- 1 cup milk + 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or white vinegar (let stand for 5 minutes after mixing)
Butter: (equivalent of 1 cup)
- ¾ cup oil
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup pureed avocado
- 1 cup applesauce
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
Oil: (equivalent of 1 cup)
- ¾ cup buttermilk + 1/3 cup butter
- 1 cup melted butter
- 1 cup fruit puree (apple, prune, strawberry, etc.)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup yogurt
Sugar: (equivalent of 1 cup)
- 2/3 cup agave nectar (decrease liquid ingredients by ¼ cup and lower oven temp by 25 degrees)
- ¾ cup honey (decrease liquid ingredients by 1/5 and lower oven temp by 25 degrees)
- ¾ cup real maple syrup (decrease liquid ingredients by 3 Tbsp. and lower oven temp by 25 degrees)
- ½ cup Stevia (add a little extra baking powder/soda and yogurt for moisture, and lower the oven temp by 25 percent)
Egg: (equivalent of 1 egg)
- ¼ cup mashed banana
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (if you use sweetened, you may want to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe)
- ¼ cup of oil (if you need more than one egg replaced, use another substitute so you don’t overdo the oil)
- 1 Tbsp. ground flax seeds + 3 Tbsp. water (mix until thoroughly combined before adding)
- 2 Tbsp. water + 1 tsp. oil + 2 tsp. baking powder
I hope these substitutions help you the next time you find yourself short an ingredient. Good luck and happy baking!
Did I miss any must-know kitchen substitutions? Let me know in the comments!
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