Did you know you can use 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise for each egg when you are baking? Yep!! And, if you don’t have brown sugar, beat granulated white sugar with molasses or honey (about 1 tablespoon per cup). Out of butter? Try applesauce or pureed avocado—makes for a denser batter but works!! Or you can puree other canned fruit and substitute -- such as pears. If you are out of baking powder, use baking soda with a little (1/8 to ¼ teaspoon) of cream of tartar or a squeeze of lemon juice. If your recipe asks for vanilla flavoring, you can substitute almond flavoring, orange extract or lemon extract or maple syrup depending on what you are baking. Using vanilla flavoring when you are using a cake mix gives you a better flavor (even though they don’t ask for it). Also, instead of water, substitute high pulp orange juice. Works with almost any cake mix and adds a great flavor plus makes your cake lighter.

Many oils will substitute for each other such as canola, coconut, corn, peanut and vegetable. If your recipe asks for olive oil, you can substitute avocado, sesame or sunflower oils. You may get a slight difference in flavor.

Recipe calls for buttermilk? Take whole milk and add about 1 teaspoon per cup of lemon juice or white vinegar and let set for about 20 minutes.

Going chocolate but no cocoa powder? You can use hot chocolate mix if you cut back on the amount of sugar you use in the recipe.

Making soup? Or stew? Or casserole? Need broth or meat stock? Season your water with white wine, beer or soy sauce to give good flavor. If you have fresh herbs (lucky you!!), use three times the amount called for to replace dried herbs as they won’t be as flavorful. 

 

Speaking of casseroles, anybody remember those cream soup casseroles from 60’s, 70’s? You just took a can (or two) of cream of potato, cream of chicken, cream of celery, cream of mushroom – whatever you have or prefer and beat with water and add any veggies – diced potatoes, carrots, beets, peas, green beans, limas, any leftovers or what you have on hand. Chop up some meat if you have beef, pork, chicken , even bacon or hot dogs. Add a bit of heat if you prefer or whatever seasoning you want. Stir it all together and bake at about 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. You can top it with bread crumbs but if you don’t have those, you can substitute crushed potato chips, Wheaties, corn flakes or crackers.

If you need a substitute for cheese, you can season Monterey Jack or white cheddar cheese with red pepper flakes to emulate Pepper Jack. If you have Romano cheese and your recipe calls for Parmesan, just mix the Romano with some toasted breadcrumbs to get that nutty flavor. Making lasagna but out of Ricotta, just puree (or put blender on pulse) cottage cheese to make the texture smoother.

Substituting meats in recipes is pretty easy. Just stay with “families.” For instance, if you need chicken breasts, you can substitute any other lean, mild meats such as turkey cutlets or boneless pork chops. Want to make a meatless meal that tastes like hamburger? Saute finely diced mushrooms with beef bouillon (about 1 crushed cube per pound of mushrooms) and use in your ground beef recipes. If you have a favorite salmon recipe but the price of salmon just hit the sky, you can swap other fatty, firm fillets like tuna, mahi-mahi or swordfish.

If you are a fan of different kinds of salt, you need to be aware of the difference in the “saltiness.” You can use this formula: 1 tablespoon table salt = 1 ½ tablespoons Morton kosher salt = 2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

If your recipe calls for vegetables, there are a lot of substitutes that work well. If you need sautéed onions, you can use red, yellow, white onions or scallions or shallots. If you need just shallots, mince red onion and soak briefly in water and drain to mellow the flavor. If you need arugula, you can use baby spinach with lots of black pepper! For cooked greens -- kale, collard greens, escarole and Swiss chard substitute for each other well. Out of potatoes? Most recipes will work with other firm vegetables such as beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips, butternut squash or sweet potatoes. You will have some variation in flavors, of course, but that might be very good!!  

 

Using herbs for cooking your meats and veggies can be confusing. What goes with what? The “earthy” herbs such as rosemary, sage, oregano and thyme can usually be used interchangeably in sauces and soups -- according to your taste. Likewise, the “bright” fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, mint and cilantro add a similar boost to your flavors – again, according to your taste.

Hope these hints save you some grocery shopping trips and you like the flavors you create!