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I often find myself making up my own recipe, or looking for a recipe for which I have all the ingredients on hand. This table is a list of substitutions that can be called on for either health reasons or because you are missing an ingredient.
| Ingredient | Amount | Substitution | Baking powder | 1 Teaspoon | 1/4 tsp baking soda, plus 1/2 tsp cream of tartar |
|---|---|---|
| Buttermilk | 1 cup | 1 cup plain yogurt or 1 tablespoon vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup or 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus milk to equal 1 cup |
| Cake flour | 1 cup | 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour |
| Chocolate, unsweetened | 1 ounce (1 square) | 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tablespoon butter or margarine |
| Cornstarch | 1 tablespoon | 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour |
| Corn syrup | 2 cups | 1 cup granulated sugar |
| Cream, heavy | see Cream, whipping | - |
| Cream, light | 1 cup | 1 1/2 tablespoons butter plus whole milk to equal 1 cup |
| Cream, whipping | 1 cup | 1/3 cup butter plus whole milk to equal 1 cup |
| Egg yolk | 2 yolks | 1 whole egg (can be used for baking but not for a piecrust or a sauce) |
| Egg, whole | 1 egg | 2 egg yolks (for baking, 2 egg yolks plus 1 tablespoon water) |
| Herbs, fresh | 1 tablespoon | 1 teaspoon dried herbs |
| Honey | 1 cup | 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar |
| Lemon juice | 1 tablespoon | 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar |
| Milk, skim | 1 cup | 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk plus 3/4 cup water |
| Milk, whole | 1 cup | 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water |
| Molasses | 1 cup | 3/4 cup granulated sugar |
| Mushrooms, fresh | 1 pound |
12 ounces canned mushrooms, drained or 1 oz. dried mushrooms, rehydrated |
| Mustard, dry | 1 teaspoon | 1 tablespoon prepared mustard |
| Sour cream | 1 cup | 3 tablespoons butter plus yogurt or buttermilk to equal 1 cup |
| Sugar, brown | 1 cup | 1 cup granulated sugar |
| Sugar, granulated | 1 cup | 1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar (Do not substitute for baking.) |
| Tomato juice | 3 cups | 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce plus 1 1/2 cups water or 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste plus 3 cans water, dash salt and dash sugar |
| Tomato sauce | 1 cup | 1 can (3 oz size) tomato paste plus 1/2 cup water |
| Yogurt | 1 cup | 1 cup buttermilk |
Not the recipe you want? Enter an ingredient in the box below: