Emergency Substitutions to Rescue Your Holiday Cooking!

I was going through some of my old newsletters and ran across this from 2005 - thought maybe some of you could use this, too. I'm sure I got it from here, so thank you to the original poster!

Emergency substitutions to rescue your holiday cooking!

Ever get stuck in the middle of a recipe when you realize you have run out or forgotten to buy a certain ingredient? Here is a list of common substitutions you can use in a pinch! Make sure to print this out and keep it handy in your kitchen to avoid holiday hold-ups in the kitchen!

Allspice - Amount: 1 teaspoon
Substitute: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Baking Powder, Double-Acting - Amount: 1 teaspoon
Substitute: 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Baking Soda
There is NO substitute for baking soda

Butter - Amount: 1 cup
Substitute:
- 1 cup regular margarine
- 1 cup vegetable shortening (for baking)
- An equal amount of oil can be substituted for a similar portion of MELTED butter if the recipe specifies using MELTED butter.

Buttermilk - Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough regular milk to make 1 cup (allow to stand 5 minutes)

Chili Sauce - Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 1 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, dash of ground cloves and dash of allspice

Chocolate, Unsweetened - Amount: 1 ounce
Substitute: 3 tablespoons cocoa plus 1 tablespoon butter or regular margarine or vegetable oil

Cornstarch (for thickening) - Amount: 1 tablespoon
Substitute: 2 tablespoons flour
TIP: Liquids thickened with cornstarch will be somewhat translucent while flour gives a more opaque appearance. Cornstarch will thicken a liquid almost immediately. A flour-based sauce or gravy must be cooked longer to thicken and will have a floury taste if undercooked. Joy of Cooking cookbook (Scribner, 1997) advises when using flour as a substitution for cornstarch in sauces and gravies, that you simmer it for about 3 minutes AFTER it has thickened to help avoid a raw taste of flour.

Cream, Whipping - Amount: 1 cup unwhipped
Substitute: If you wish to use a commercial pre-whipped whipped cream or whipped cream substitute rather than whip your own cream, use the guideline that 1 cup UNWHIPPED whipping cream expands to 2 cups when WHIPPED. For example, if your recipe called for 1 cup of cream to make whipped cream, you could substitute 2 cups of an already whipped product.

Flour, Cake - Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Flour, Self-Rising - Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 1 cup minus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mayonnaise (for use in salads and salad dressings) - Amount: 1 cup
Substitute:
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 cup cottage cheese pureed in a blender
- Or use any of the above for part of the mayonnaise

Sugar, Confectioners' or Powdered - Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch; process in a food processor using the metal blade attachment until it's well blended and powdery.

Tomato Juice - Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water

Wine, Red – Amount: Any
Substitute: The same amount of grape juice or cranberry juice

Wine, White - Amount: Any
Substitute: The same amount of apple juice or white grape juice

These are good to know as its miles to the closest store and, for those cold winter days that you don't want to go out.

Thanks for sharing!

Great to know...I might just post on my website! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing! I think I will include in my December newsletter and put on my website!

Thank you Diane! I am putting these in my Nov newsletter.

Thanks for posting, I just put them on my website.

Thanks for posting that information. That is wonderful to share not only with our customers but with family!

I have done the Buttermilk before, so, I can testfy that it works and taste the same in a recipe. I saw it on Paula Deen.