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Problems With Being A Cook
by Thomas Jorgensen
http://www.cookingflair.com
As hard as busy cooks try to keep their kitchens stocked
with all of the common ingredients used through the week,
every once in a while one ingredient either runs low or is
completely absent. Even the most seasoned chef will make a
special run to the grocery store to purchase the missing
ingredient. That is a trip that you may not have to make
ever again. There are a number of viable substitutions for
almost any of the fixings you might need in some recipes.
Some of the most commonly used ingredients have very
simple substitutions available when you are in a bind. One
teaspoon of baking powder can be replaced by 1/4 teaspoon
of baking soda plus 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1/4
teaspoon of baking soda plus 1/2 cup of buttermilk. One
cup of butter can be substituted with 7/8 cup of shortening
or 1 cup of margarine. Oil is not an exact substitute for
butter especially if butter is needed in baking products.
Sugar is a wonderfully sweet ingredient in so many of our
favorite treats. There are a number of alternatives you
can use if you are running low on a particular type of
sugar of just want to try something new for a change. For
1 cup of light brown sugar, you can substitute 1 cup of
white sugar and 1 teaspoon molasses. For 1 cup of dark
brown sugar, you can substitute 1 cup of white sugar and 1
tablespoon of molasses. One cup of white sugar can be
replaced with either 1 3/4 cups of powdered
(confectioners') sugar or 1 cup of packed brown sugar.
Sweet liquids like corn syrup can be substituted with 1 cup
sugar plus 1/4 cup liquid or honey.
Other common baking substitutions are as follows: 1 ounce
of chocolate equals 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa plus
1 tablespoon fat, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch equals 2
tablespoons of flour, 1 tablespoon of flour (for
thickening) equals 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch, 1 cup
sifted flour (for cooking) equals 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs,
1 cup sifted flour (for cooking) equals 1 cup of rolled
oats and 1 cup of shortening equals 1 cup and 2 tablespoons
butter or margarine.
Spices are a common addition when cooking to add flavor.
Cooks who love to experiment and season their food
regularly can run out of their favorite spices quite often.
There are some quick substitutes you can use to bring out
the tastes you want. For 1 clove of garlic you can
substitute 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 clove of garlic
can be substituted with 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic, 1
teaspoon of dry mustard can be replaced with 1 tablespoon
of prepared mustard, 1 tablespoon of onion powder can be
substituted with 1 medium chopped onion and 1 tablespoon of
onion powder also equals 4 tablespoons of fresh chopped
onion.
Remember that some of the best recipes around have been
'cooked' up by people desperately trying to cover their
tracks; so the advice would be 'be bold, be daring, but use
your initiative!'
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