Emergency Response

So you’re cooking dinner, hoping to get a good meal to the table for you or your family and you realize you don’t have one of the ingredients.

What’s a cook to do?

Well, you can certainly call a friendly neighbor and hope they have what you need…but here is a quick last-minute substitution list of ingredients…

Need? 1 tablespoon fresh herbs
Use…1 teaspoon dried herbs

Need? 1 cup buttermilk
Use…1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or white vinegar and enough milk to make 1 full cup, let sit for 10 minutes before using.

Need? 1 tablespoon corn starch as a thicking agent
Use…2 tablespoons all purpose flour, but let simmer a 2-3 minutes longer to aid in thickening

Need? 1 cup honey
Use…1 ¼ cups sugar mixed with ¼ cup liquid, such as water or juice

Need? 1 teaspoon baking powder
Use…1/4 teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon cream of tartar

**FYI, there is no substitution for baking soda**

Need? 1 clove of garlic
Use…1/8-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Need? 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
Use…1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Need? 1 teaspoon allspice
Use… 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Need? 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Use...1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon,1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Need? 2 cups (or 15oz) Tomato Sauce
Use…3/4 cup tomato paste plus 1 cup water

Need? 1 cup of Tomato Juice
Use…1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water

Need? 1 medium onion
Use…1 teaspoon onion powder
or 1 tablespoon minced dried onion

Need? White Wine
Use…White Grape or Apple Juice

Need? Red Wine
Use…1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar for every ¼ cup of wine

Need? Yogurt
Use…equal part of sour cream, and vice versa

That’s just a start…I am sure there are other ideas out there, and I am all ears!

SPC