Cooking Substitutions

In the event of a pandemic quarantine , you may have to rely on your own creativity and knowing how to "make do"--if you are not able to shop at the store for weeks.

Most cooking substitutions are simple and use ingredients that you already have.

Photo courtesy of Melissa Wiese

Here are some ideas to help you stock your pantry. Make sure you have these items in your emergency food storage stockpile – in the event of a severe flu pandemic .

• 1 c. sugar - substitute 3/4 c. honey, (Reduce liquid in your recipe by 1/4 c.) or substitute 1 c. packed brown sugar, or 2 c. sifted 10X sugar

• 1 c. honey - substitute 1 1/4 c. sugar and add 1/4 c. liquid.

• 1 sq. baker's chocolate - substitute 3 T. cocoa + 1 T. margarine

• 1 c. milk - substitute 1 c. fruit juice or 1 c. potato water, or 1 c. water and 1 1/2 t. butter.

• 1 c. buttermilk or sour cream - substitute 1 c. milk + 1 T. vinegar

• 1 c. butter - 3/4 c. margarine or 3/4 c. cooking oil

• 1 egg - substitute 2 T. cooking oil or 1 T. soy flour + 1 T. water

• 1 t. baking powder - substitute 1/4 t. baking soda + 1/2 t. cream of tartar

• 1 1/2 t. cornstarch (for thickening) substitute 1 T. flour

• 1 T. fresh herbs - substitute 1/2- 1 t. dried herbs

• 1 t. vinegar - substitute 1 t. lemon juice

• 1 lb. fresh mushrooms - 3 oz. dried or 6 oz. canned mushrooms

• 1 t. dried mustard - substitute 1 T. prepared mustard

• 2 c. tomato sauce - substitute 3/4 c. tomato paste + 1 c. water

• 1 can condensed milk - substitute 1 c. dry milk, 2/3 c. sugar, 2 T. butter, and 1/3 c. boiling water

• 1 c. cake flour - substitute 1 cup minus 2 T. all purpose flour

• 1 clove fresh garlic - substitute 1/8 t. garlic powder or minced dried garlic

• 1 small fresh onion - substitute 1 t. onion powder, or 1 T. minced dried onion. Rehydrate the dried onion in a little water, and let it stand for 5 minutes before you use it in your recipe.

Baking substitutions or cooking substitutions are really quite simple. You just need to know what to use. Make sure you keep these common ingredients on hand, and you will be in good shape—for whatever you decide to make!

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