Country cooks need to be creative. When you live miles from town you don’t want to have to drive to the grocery store because you’re missing an ingredient. Instead, it’s often possible to substitute with another ingredient already on-hand.
The first rule of thumb when substituting ingredients is to consider the food family of the missing
f the nearest store is 30 minutes away and guests are due in 20 minutes, then David Joachim’s book may get you out of a missing-ingredient pickle!
The Food Substitution Bible (Robert Rose, 2010). If you are out of milk, another dairy product such as evaporated milk, cream, sour cream or yoghurt might work, he says, by way of example.
The second rule of thumb is to consider the function of the ingredient, continues Joachim. Does it provide structure or flavour? For instance, if you run out of vanilla extract, you could leave it out or maybe substitute almond extract for a different flavour.
These are just two examples from the 6500 items covered in Joachim’s book. The author of 30 cookbooks, Joachim had compiled a file of information on substitutions during his cooking career which formed the basis of the book. He also sought tips from friends, family and well-renowned cookbooks.
Joachim wrote The Food Substitution Bible to help both home cooks and professional cooks make ingredient substitutions that work. Many food professionals have told him the book has become an indispensable reference guide that they keep right in their kitchens.
I know The Food Substitution Bible came in handy when a recipe I was making called for capers (pickled flower buds) which I didn’t have and usually don’t keep on-hand. However, Joachim’s book suggested chopped green olives as a suitable substitute which worked well because they had the same pickled flavour and texture as capers.
Besides lacking an ingredient, Joachim says other reasons for swapping out an ingredient may include allergies, diet, dislike of a particular food, reducing prep time, or simply to switch things up. You may even end up preferring the substitute, he says.
That’s what happened with my sloppy Joe recipe. Not having the tomato paste called for in the recipe, I substituted canned tomato soup which I actually liked better.
However, Joachim is quick to point out that when substituting one ingredient for another, the final dish will be impacted. “When you change the recipe, you will change things,” he says. A case in point, recently I was making mushroom soup. The recipe called for beef broth which I didn’t have but I did have a carton of vegetable broth in my pantry. Wanting to get a little more depth of flavour, I turned to The Food Substitution Bible for suggestions which included adding a little beer or wine to make up for the lighter flavour of the veg broth.
With a bottle of red wine already open, I chose to add a little of the wine to the soup which resulted in a delicious flavour but unfortunately gave the soup a purple tinge. In this situation, beer likely would have been a better choice.
Here are some other useful examples from The Food Substitution Bible:
To replace semisweet chocolate, if the chocolate is to be melted, chips, squares, and bars are generally interchangeable. One cup of chocolate chips equals 6 oz (175 g) of chocolate. However, Joachim notes that chocolate chips contain stabilizers to help them maintain their shape during baking which may create a less velvety texture for delicate chocolate sauces and custards. You can also substitute 1 oz semisweet chocolate with 1 oz bittersweet chocolate (richer in chocolate flavour); ½ oz (15 g) unsweetened chocolate plus 1 Tbsp (15 mL) granulated sugar; or 3 Tbsp (45 mL) unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1 to 1 ½ Tbsp (15 to 22 mL) granulated sugar + 1 ½ tsp (7 mL) butter, shortening, or vegetable oil.
If you want to vary the flavour, replace semisweet chocolate chips with an equivalent quantity of M&Ms, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, or chopped nuts.
Out of powdered mustard? Replace 1 tsp (5 mL) powdered mustard with 1 Tbsp prepared mustard minus 1 tsp (5 mL) liquid from the recipe.
No honey in the cupboard? Replace 1 cup (250 mL) honey with ½ cup (125 mL) granulated sugar plus ¾ cup (175 mL) maple syrup, corn syrup, or light molasses.
If you don’t have cashews, substitute an equivalent quantity of peanuts, pine nuts or pistachio nuts.
For one cup (250 mL) self-rising flour, substitute 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour mixed with 1 ½ tsp (7 mL) baking powder and ½ tsp (2 mL) salt.
No fresh herbs? Substitute 1 Tbsp (15 mL) fresh herbs with 1 tsp (5 mL) dried herbs.
For one cup (250 mL) buttermilk, use 1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice or vinegar with enough milk to equal one cup (250 mL). (Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before using.)
In the past, cooking knowledge was passed down from generation to generation but that often doesn’t happen today, says Joachim. Too many people are afraid to experiment in the kitchen if they don’t have all the ingredients called for in a recipe. “I wanted to help people to have more fun in the kitchen, to not be slaves to a recipe,” he says, adding, “This book gives them the confidence to make substitutions.”
— Helen Lammers-Helps