Substitutes in Cooking

Nothing can be substituted for; some say. But that doesn't seem to be true in case of cooking and eating. "If not this, then that", is the general human tendency there. We try to find substitutes for everything in life, although somewhere at the back of our minds, we know that's not really possible. Substituting everything in life is impossible and so be it!

But, when it comes to food, there are substitutes for almost every food ingredient. But there is one thing that cannot be substituted for, it's the taste. Why do similar recipes made by different people have different tastes? It is because the taste of a recipe does not depend only on its ingredients and method of preparation. It also depends on who cooks it. It's not just the ingredients that go into a recipe. It's not just them who give it the taste. And if 'only' they did, mother's recipes wouldn't taste different! When mom prepares food, perhaps her love sneaks into the recipe and adds to the ingredients! And that is why nothing can substitute for the flavor of something that's mom-made. There can be substitutes for ingredients but there's no substitute for the taste.

Why recipe substitutions? We need them when certain ingredients are unavailable at home or in the market. When we forget to buy the stuff we need, that is when we need to get hold of something that is handy. Using margarine as a substitute for butter and vice versa is a common example of the use of substitutes in cooking. Vegetable oil and vegetable shortening can substitute each other; grape juice can substitute wine. It's common sense to use foods of similar flavor as alternatives for one another. Obviously, you won't like the substitutes to bring about a radical change to how your recipe tastes. Or you will find yourself finding a substitute for what you have cooked!

Cooking is an art, for some, a hobby, a stress buster. I am sure you wouldn't want to alter the taste of what you are planning to prepare, just because you are using substitutes. The use of substitutes in cooking is an adjustment with the availability of foodstuffs. It's definitely not a compromise with the taste. So, choose the substitutes right and go for them only if you don't have the originals at hand. Most of the times when you are short of time to buy the ingredients or when you don't have them in the required quantities, you need to opt for their substitutes. Here is a list of the different substitutes in cooking. It will help you find the right alternatives in cooking and still retain the near-original flavor of the dish. With this list of substitutes in cooking handy, you won't have to cook up stories of the unavailability of ingredients. You will be able to cook; if not with the actual ingredients, but definitely with their readily available substitutes!

This collection of substitutes in cooking consists of tables for ingredients falling under different categories. Each table gives you a list of recipe ingredients along with their substitutes. In some cases, the substitute is the one most commonly used; in some cases, it's one of the many that are used. There can be many alternatives for a given ingredient. For other alternatives apart from the ones given in the table, you can refer to the 'also see' column and start planning what to cook next and how; with the actual ingredients or their substitutes? Whichever way you choose, be happy while you cook; it will reflect in the recipe. That's another thing that can't be substituted for.

Substitutes in Baking
Given here is a substitutes list for ingredients that often get into the oven or the microwave and come out baked and delicious. Take for example cakes and bread recipes, that most of us love to eat. Can you imagine anything substituting for bread flour? Do you think there can be an egg substitute in cake? Well, if you don't, you are wrong. There are alternatives for so many things in baking. Read on to find out.

Food Item     Substitute(s)     Also See
Egg     Tofu     Egg Substitute in Baking
Sugar     maple syrup, honey, molasses     Sugar Substitutes for Baking
Cocoa     carob powder     Cocoa Powder Substitute
Kirsch     Cherry syrup     Kirsch Substitute in Baking
Oil in Baking     apple sauce, butter     Oil Substitute in Baking
Baking Powder     baking soda with cream of tartar, buttermilk or lime juice     Baking Powder Substitute
Baking Soda     baking powder     Baking Soda Substitute
Cream of Tartar     baking powder     Cream of Tartar Substitute
Shortening     butter, margarine or oil     Shortening Substitute
Cake Flour     all purpose flour with cornstarch or pastry flour     Cake Flour Substitute
Bread Flour     all purpose flour     Bread Flour Substitute
Self Rising Flour     all purpose flour, baking powder and salt     Self Rising Flour Substitute

Substitutes for Milk and Milk Products
Condense it, it's tastier; evaporate it, it can still be used; powder it, it's still not useless; extract all its fat or make it sour; process it in the way you like; its usability won't diminish at all. Well, I am talking about milk! Milk in all its forms and their substitutes...that's what the following table gives you. Take a look.

Food Item     Substitute(s)     Also See
Milk     plant milk, grain milk     Milk Substitute
Evaporated Milk     dry milk and water, soy milk or fresh milk     Evaporated Milk Substitute
Condensed Milk     mixture of dry milk, boiling water and butter, with sweetener added     Condensed Milk Substitute
Powdered Milk     regular milk or coconut milk     Powdered Milk Substitute
Heavy Cream     a mixture of milk and unsalted butter     Heavy Cream Substitute
Sour Cream     butter added to sour milk of buttermilk     Sour Cream Substitute
Butter     margarine or olive oil     Butter Substitute
Buttermilk     yogurt or cream of tartar added to plain milk     Buttermilk Substitute

Substituting for Sauces
Sauce, derived from the Latin word salsus, which means salted, is an important element of every cuisine. Be it a French food recipe or a pasta from the Italian cuisine; be it Chinese, Peruvian, Korean or British, sauces are a part of every kind of cooking. They are a must-haves for the saucy flavor they render to recipes. But what if the sauce is not available with you every time you need it? The simple solution is to opt for its substitute. Here is the table of substitutes for some of these commonly used sauces.

Food Item     Substitute(s)     Also See
Oyster Sauce     soy sauce or fish sauce     Oyster Sauce Substitute
Soy Sauce     concoction of garlic vinegar, onion powder, ground ginger and blackstrap     Soy Sauce Substitute
Tomato Sauce     tomato paste or tomato juice     Tomato Sauce Substitute
Hoisin Sauce     a paste of prunes and sherry, soy sauce and garlic added     Hoisin Sauce Substitute
Worcestershire Sauce     steak sauce or soy sauce     Worcestershire Sauce Substitute

Substitutes for Food Additives: Spices, Herbs, Sweeteners
The table that follows enlists the substitutes of ingredients that spice up food - the herbs and spices and of ingredients that sweeten food recipes - yes, the sweeteners; all of which are categorized as food additives as they make a value addition to the taste of food.

Food Item     Substitute(s)     Also See
Anise Seed     star anise seeds or fennel seeds     Anise Seed Substitute
Bay Leaf     thyme or ground basil     Bay Leaf Substitute
Cardamom     mixture of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves or brown cardamom(lesser expensive substitute)     Cardamom Substitute
Fennel     celery     Fennel Substitute
Celery Seed     celery salt or dill seed     Celery Seed Substitute
Celery Salt     ground celery seeds     Celery Salt Substitute
Cumin     caraway or anise seeds     Cumin Seeds Substitute
Coriander Seeds     a mixture of caraway, cumin and fennel seeds     Coriander Seeds Substitute
Galangal     ginger root     Galangal Substitute
Nutmeg     cinnamon or mace     Nutmeg Substitute
Paprika     cayenne pepper, red pepper or chili powder     Paprika Substitute
Vegetable Oil     applesauce, coconut oil     Vegetable Oil Substitute
Cooking Oil     applesauce     Cooking Oil Substitute
Sesame Oil     peanut oil or toasted sesame seeds; light sesame oil for the dark one     Sesame Oil Substitute
Canola Oil     vegetable oil, olive oil     Canola Oil Substitute
Safflower Oil     canola oil, soybean oil     Safflower Oil Substitute
Grapeseed Oil     safflower oil, sunflower oil     Grapeseed Oil Substitute
Xanthum Gum     guar gum     Xanthum Gum Substitute
White Wine Vinegar     white vinegar or cider vinegar     White Wine Vinegar Substitute
Powdered Sugar     blended mixture of granulated sugar and cornstarch or blended plain sugar     Powdered Sugar Substitute
Brown Sugar     mixture of granulated sugar and molasses     Brown Sugar Substitute
Corn Syrup     honey or molasses     Corn Syrup Substitute
Molasses     corn syrup, brown sugar     Molasses Substitute
Agave Nectar     sugar syrup, honey, maple syrup     Agave Nectar Substitute
Vanilla Extract     maple syrup, almond extract, Fiori di sicilia extract or vanilla essence     Vanilla Extract Substitute
Vanilla Bean     vanilla extract     Vanilla Bean Substitute

Other Foods and their Substitutes
There's always this 'others' category in everything. Something that does not belong to any particular category is conveniently made a part of 'others'. The table below enlists substitutes for all those food items that could not be made to belong to any of the aforementioned categories. But they are important in their own right.

Food Item     Substitute(s)     Also See
Dry White Wine     dry white vermouth, apple cider vinegar(non-alcoholic)     Dry White Wine Substitute
Coconut Milk     combination of hot water or milk and coconut cream     Coconut Milk Substitute
Cornstarch     rice flour, arrowroot, potato floor or all-purpose flour(double the qnty)     Cornstarch Substitute
Tapioca Flour     arrowroot powder     Tapioca Flour Substitute
Cocoa Powder     baking soda added to unsweetened chocolate     Cocoa Powder Substitute
Cream Cheese     French Neufchâtel, ricotta cheese or fat-free yogurt     Cream Cheese Substitute

This was quite an extensive list of the various substitutes in cooking. But if you did not find some of the ones you were looking for, visit this page some other time, again. We will be updating this list of substitutes in cooking. Before taking your leave, I would like to mention one important thing. Remember, substitutes in cooking serve the right purpose only when you know what not to substitute for. Happy substituting!