Have you ever found yourself making a recipe and realize that you don’t have an ingredient that it’s calling for? Here are a few ingredient alternatives that you might have on hand instead.
Mayonnaise
For 1 cup of mayonnaise use 1 cup sour cream or 1 cup plain yogurt with a pinch of salt.
Honey
For 1/4 cup of honey use 1/4 cup maple syrup or light corn syrup.
Buttermilk
For 1 cup of buttermilk use 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice mixed with enough milk or plant-based milk to reach 1 cup.
Butter
If butter is used for baking or in a solid form, solid coconut oil is a good 1 to 1 substitution. If it’s melted or for cooking use olive oil.
Oil
When it comes to oil for baking, applesauce is a great substitute. For 1 cup of oil, use 3/4 cup applesauce mixed with 1/4 cup melted butter. In cooking, any neutral refined oils like canola, olive, vegetable, corn, and peanut oils are interchangeable.
Breadcrumbs
For 1 cup of breadcrumbs use 1 cup of cracker crumbs, finely crushed potato chips, tortilla chips, or pretzels pulsed in your food processor.
Brown Sugar
For 1 cup of light brown sugar, use 1 cup white sugar plus 1 tablespoon molasses. For 1 cup of dark brown sugar, use 2 tablespoons molasses. The sugar and molasses should be mixed together thoroughly.
Baking Powder
For 1 teaspoon baking powder, stir or sift together 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar.
“Work With What You Got!”
©Tiny New York Kitchen © 2020 All Rights Reserved
Tips For Deep-Frying
Deep-frying is such a guilty pleasure because no cooking technique gives food that irresistible crunchiness. Because it is also one of the least frequently used cooking methods, here are some important tips to help you achieve Deep-frying nirvana.
Choose the right pot. To deep-fry properly, the food should cook in 2 to 3 inches of hot oil. Choose a pot that is at least 6 inches deep to allow for bubbling without bubbling over. Cast iron (enameled or not) holds the heat well, which makes a good choice.
Use reasonably priced cooking oil. Canola, cottonseed, safflower, or a generic vegetable oil blend will all do. Much is made of the smoke point of oil (the temperature where the oil starts to smoke and break down) for deep-frying, and expensive peanut oil is often singled out as being especially desirable (watch those peanut allergies). Food should not be deep fried at temperatures above 400-degrees because it will burn before it has a chance to cook through. Most refined clear cooking oils have a smoke point of about 425-degrees (except for olive oil), so if you are deep frying at the correct temperature, the oil’s smoke point is not an issue.
Don’t reuse deep frying oil. This is another reason to use reasonably priced oil. Although you can strain the cooled oil for another round or two of deep-frying, this is a sure way of transferring unwanted flavors to your food, and the freshness of the oil obviously is reduced with storage. You don’t want to cook your tortilla chips in the same oil you used for cooking fish and chips. Just budget the price of the oil into the cost of the recipe, throw away after using, and leave it at that.
Use a deep-frying thermometer. It’s the only way to get an accurate reading of the oil temperature. Be sure the end of the thermometer is totally submerged in the oil. Keep the heat on high to maintain the correct oil temperature.
To reduce deep-frying odors, cook outside if possible. There is no reliable way to avoid the odors caused by deep-frying inside. But when the weather is cooperating, plug in an electric kettle and do your frying on your porch or patio.
Let the oil return to its correct frying temperature between batches. In most cases, you may add the food to 375-degree oil, but the temperature will drop to 335-degrees or so for the actual cooking. After removing the food, be sure to reheat the oil over high heat to its original starting temperature.
Use a wire skimmer to remove food from the oil. Also called a spider, these wide-mesh skimmers do a better job of draining away oil than a slotted spoon or slotted skimmer. They are commonly used in Asian cooking, so look for them at kitchenware stores near the woks.
Don’t drain fried foods on paper. Most people use paper towels or brown paper bags to absorb the fat from drained foods. A crunchy coating can soften where it comes into contact with the paper because the steam builds up at the contact point and has nowhere to go but into the coating. For the crispiest result, drain the food on a wire cooling rack set over a rimmed baking sheet, so the food comes into contact only with thin wires.
Keep deep-fried foods warm in the oven before serving. Deep-fried food is best served piping hot right out of the pot, which isn’t always possible when cooking multiple batches. Once you have put the food on the wire rack and baking sheet setup, slip the whole thing into a preheated 200-degree oven for up to 10 minutes.
Add salt JUST before serving. Salt can soften homemade potato chips and other fried foods, so to keep them from losing their crunch, sprinkle on the salt at the last minute.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen
Substitution Guide
|
Ingredient |
Substitution |
|
Allspice (1 tsp.) |
1/2 tsp. cinnamon + 1/4 tsp. nutmeg + 1/4 tsp. ground clove |
|
Baking Powder (1 tsp.) |
1/4 tsp. baking soda + 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar |
|
Baking Soda (1 tsp.) |
2 tsp double-acting baking powder + replace acidic liquid ingredient in recipe with non-acidic liquid |
|
Balsamic Vinegar |
Equal amount of sherry or cidar vinegar |
|
Bread Crumbs (1 cup) |
3/4 cup cracker crumbs |
|
Brown Sugar (1 cup) |
1 Tbsp. light molasses + enough sugar to fill 1 dry measure cup or 1 cup raw sugar |
|
Butter, salted (1 cup or 2 sticks) |
1 cup or 2 sticks unsalted butter + 1/4 tsp. salt or 1 cup margarine or 7/8 cup lard or vegetable shortening |
|
Buttermilk (1 cup) |
Place 1 Tbsp. white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measure. Fill to 1 cup with room temp whole or 2% milk and let stand for 5 minutes or 1 cup milk + 3/4 tsp. cream of tartar or 1 cup plain yogurt |
|
Canola, Sunflower and Vegetable Oils |
Substitute one for one |
|
Chocolate, Bittersweet or Semi-Sweet (1 oz.) |
1/2 oz. Unsweetened chocolate + 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar |
|
Cocoa Powder (3 Tbsp. Dutch-processed) |
1 oz. Unsweetened chocolate + 1/8 tsp. baking soda + reduce fat in recipe by 1 Tbsp. or 3 Tbsp. natural cocoa powder + 1/8 tsp. baking soda |
|
Corn Starch (as a thickener) |
Equal amounts of Minute Tapioca for cornstarch, use slightly less for flour |
|
Cream of Tartar (1/2 tsp.) |
1/2 tsp. white vinegar or lemon juice |
|
Egg (1 whole large egg) |
3-1/2 Tbsp. thawed frozen egg or egg substitute or 2 egg whites |
|
Garlic (1 fresh clove) |
1 tsp. Garlic Salt or 1/8 tsp. Garlic Powder or 1/4 tsp. dried minced garlic |
|
Gingerroot (1 Tbsp. minced) |
1/8 tsp. ground ginger powder or 1 Tbsp. rinsed and chopped candied ginger |
|
Half & Half (1 cup) for cooking or baking |
1-1/2 Tbsp. butter or margarine + enough milk to equal 1 cup |
|
Heavy Cream (1 cup) for cooking or baking |
3/4 cup milk + 1/3 cup butter or margarine |
|
Herbs, Fresh (1 Tbsp.) |
1 tsp. dried herbs |
|
Honey (1 cup) for cooking or baking |
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar + 1/4 cup of liquid appropriate for recipe |
|
Italian Seasoning (1 tsp.) |
1/2 tsp. dried basil + 1/4 tsp. dried oregano + 1/4 tsp. dried thyme |
|
Molasses (1 cup) |
1 cup honey or 1 cup dark corn syrup or 3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar dissolved in 1/4 cup liquid |
|
Mushrooms, fresh (1 cup sliced and cooked) |
1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms, drained |
|
Mustard, Prepared (1 Tbsp.) |
1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder + 2 tsp. white vinegar |
|
Onion (1 small minced) |
1/2 tsp. onion powder |
|
Poultry Seasoning (1 tsp.) |
1/4 tsp. ground thyme + 3/4 tsp. ground sage |
|
Pumpkin Pie Spice (1 tsp.) |
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon + 1/4 tsp. ground ginger + 1/8 tsp. allspice + 1/8 tsp. nutmeg |
|
Sour Cream (1 cup) |
1 cup plain yogurt or 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and enough evaporated milk to equal 1 cup |
|
Tomato Juice (1 cup) for cooking |
1/2 cup tomato sauce + 1/2 cup water |
|
Tomato Sauce (1 cup) for cooking |
1/2 cup tomato paste + 1/2 cup water |
|
Wine, Red (1 cup) |
1 cup nonalcoholic wine, apple cider, beef broth or water |
|
Wine, White (1 cup) |
1 cup nonalcoholic wine, white grape juice, apple juice, chicken broth or water |
|
Yogurt (1 cup) |
1 cup buttermilk or 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and enough milk to equal 1 cup or 1 cup sour cream |
"Work With What You Got!"
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen
Grilled Steak 3 Ways
Honestly, you don’t need a barbeque to make grilled steaks. Just go out and get yourself a grill pan and you will be wonder what took you so long in getting one. If you do want to throw your steaks on the barbeque then I certainly hope that you’re using a charcoal grill!
Classic
Rib Eye, Filet Mignon, Porterhouse, T-Bone or Strip Steaks
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
Buy 1 steak per person. Bring steaks to room temperature. Preheat your grill or grill pan to a medium-high heat. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, and pepper. Grill, turning 3 times (for crosshatch grill marks), until target temperature is reached – anywhere from about 5 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove from heat and allow to rest off heat for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Black Pepper Crusted
Rib Eye, Filet Mignon, Porterhouse, T-Bone or Strip Steaks
Olive Oil
Coarse Ground Black Peppercorns
Buy 1 steak per person. You will need about 2 tablespoons coarse ground black peppercorns per steak. Preheat your grill or grill pan to a medium-high heat. Brush steaks with olive oil and coat with peppercorns. Grill, turning 2 times (for crosshatch grill marks), until target temperature is reached –anywhere from about 5 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove from heat and allow to rest off heat for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Carne Asada Tacos
2 Pounds Flank or Skirt Steak
Marinade:
5 Cloves Minced Garlic
1 Diced Jalapeno Pepper
2 Teaspoons Cumin
1/2 Cup Chopped Cilantro
Juice of 2 Limes
1/3 Cup Canola Oil
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Place the steaks in large ziplock bag. Pour in the marinade. Place in the fridge for 2 to 12 hours. Preheat grill or grill pan. Grill over a medium-high heat, 3 to 5 minutes per side to target temperature. Medium-rare is suggested. Remove from the heat and let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain, serve with tortillas, salsa, and avocado.
