Bread flour substitute
Bread flour has a higher percentage of protein than all purpose flour in it that which strengthens dough, encourages gluten formation and helps bread rise, but it’s not a huge percentage difference king Arthur bread flour has 12.7 percent protein, that means on rare occasions, if you have bread flour and not all purpose or vice versa, you can just make an easy one on one swap. The only exception is that bread flour is not the best. For recipes where you don’t want a lot of gluten formation like biscuits or pie dough
Brown Sugar Substitute
The easiest substitute for brown sugar is granulated sugar. If you add molasses you can make an even closer substitute by adding the dark syrup to regular sugar. For every cup of brown sugar you need add 2 tablespoon of molasses ( or maple syrup or agave nectar) to 1 cup of granulated sugar and blend briefly in a food processor
Powdered sugar substitute
In an emergency, you can substitute by grinding granulated sugar in the food processor, for every cup of granulated sugar, add a teaspoon of cornstarch and pulse until it’s very finely ground.
Honey substitute
If you need honey, but don’t have it, you can replace it ,with maple syrup, agave syrup, molasses as long as it’s not blackstrap molasses or corn syrup
Butter substitute
If you need butter in your baking, but have non at hand. There are lots of butter substitutes like margarine, vegetable oil, coconut oil. If you just need a little bit more to supplement what you already have, add a bit of greek yogurt.
Vegetable oil substitute
You can swap out butter for vegetable oil. Also other neutral tasting oil like avocado oil, coconut oil, or a milder olive oil can replace vegetable oil. You can also swap out the oil for an equal amount of mayonnaise (mayonnaise is just oil with egg yolk)
Milk substitute
When you need milk for baking but don’t have it, you have a few options like yogurt or sour cream on 1:1 ratio. Or if you do have a can of evaporated milk, you can thin out half a cup of evaporated milk with half a cup of water.
Heavy cream substitute
Half and half substitute, if you need heavy cream, you can whisk together a fourth cup of melted butter with three – fourth cups of whole milk or use an equal amount of coconut milk. If you have half and half but no cream, use that as you would the cream and vice versa.
Sour cream substitute
If you need sour cream, you can swap in an equal amount of yogurt, mayonnaise or pureed cottage cheese
Buttermilk substitute
If you don’t have buttermilk or buttermilk powder, you can swap in a cup of milk with a tablespoon of lemon or white vinegar. If you don’t have milk at hand you can use yogurt or sour cream thinned out with water until it’s pourable.
Chocolate unsweetened chocolate substitute
Use cocoa powder as a swap, for every one ounce of unsweetened chocolate, mix three tablespoon of cocoa powder with one tablespoon of vegetable oil
If you need unsweetened chocolate but have semisweet chocolate, use that at a ratio of ½ ounce of bittersweet or semi sweet to every ounce of unsweetened chocolate and omit one tablespoon of sugar from the recipe
Per ounce as well.
Semisweet chocolate substitute
You can replace semi sweet chocolate with unsweetened chocolate plus a little sugar for every ounce of chocolate you need, swap in ⅔ ounce of sweetened chocolate and one tablespoon sugar. You can also sub in three tablespoon of cocoa powder mixed with a tablespoon of veg oil at three tablespoons sugar.
More Frequently asked questions
Q: How do I prevent kitchen oil-splash?
A: Be more careful and less in a hurry when frying to minimize splash. If it continues to bother you there are kitchen oil-splash proof masks you can use. You can use face protective masks during cooking.
Q: How can I prevent my rice from being mushy and undercooked?
A: The key here is to add water gradually. Too little water is always better than too much because you will have the opportunity to correct not adding enough water by adding more but adding too much water can’t be corrected. The other alternative is to invest in a rice cooker. You will get better precision with the rice cooker.
Q: How can I prevent my food from being too salty?
A: The same rule of less is better also applies here. You can always add extra it needed later but once you add too much at the beginning there is no remedy for that. The other component of this is depending on the dish you are preparing, e.g. stew, you have to factor in the other seasoning you are adding, which might already contain some amount of salt.
Q: Are there time saving techniques that can cut down cooking time?
A: Yes, be well organized and have a mental picture of what to cook. Be well prepared and make sure you have all the specific ingredients you need at hand. Missing ingredients that can’t be substituted will cause unnecessary delay during prep.
*You can also consider not starting from scratch. For example, if you need to make chicken stew on the go consider using the blended peppers from your freezer and the saved fried chicken. This will cut cooking time into half opposed to starting the process from scratch.
Another time saving technique is to set aside a day for a large meal prep depending on the number of people in your household. Stew, soups, etc. keep very well in the freezer. Once you make a large pot of stew, put them into portions that can last for a week. If you have four portions for instance that means you are good for four weeks. This is really the time consuming part of the whole process. Side dishes are pretty easy and fast.
The following are ideas for side dishes and their cook times:
Side Dishes *Cooking Time
Rice (4 cups) 20- 30 minutes
Plantain (Boiled) 20- 30 minutes
Plantain (Fried) 15 minutes
Pasta, spaghetti 20- 30 minutes
Potatoes 20- 30 minutes
Yam medium tuber 45-60 minutes
Measurement Abbreviations
Tsp – Teaspoon
Tbsp – Tablespoon
Cksp – Cooking spoon
lb – pound
oz – ounces (16 ounces = 1 pound)
kg – kilograms
g – grams
l / cl / ml – liters / centiliters / milliliters
Homemade Cake Flour
Ingredients:
All purpose flour
Cornstarch or cornflour
Directions:
Measure one cup of all purpose flour and pour into a bowl. Remove 2 tablespoons of flour from the bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or cornflour. You are essentially replacing 2 teaspoons of cornstarch for every 2 tablespoons of flour from each cup of flour.
For example:
1 cup of flour Remove 2 tablespoons Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
2 cups of flour Remove 4 tablespoons Add 4 tablespoons of cornstarch
3 cups of flour Remove 6 tablespoons Add 6 tablespoons of cornstarch
4 cups of flour Remove 8 tablespoons Add 8 tablespoons of cornstarch
5 cups of flour Remove 10 tablespoons Add 10 tablespoons of cornstarch
Cornstarch results in softer baked goods because it inhibits some of the gluten formation. Gluten is the naturally occurring protein in grains that is responsible for the elastic texture of the dough.
For bread, it’s better to stick with high protein content all purpose flour so it can rise as it should.
The Difference between Baking Soda and Baking Powder
Baking Soda:
Baking soda also known as sodium bicarbonate is a chemical compound that when mixed with acid creates carbon dioxide. When baking soda is combined with an acid in baked goods the small bubbles from the carbon dioxide gas are trapped inside the batter allowing the batter to rise.
When baking soda is combined with an acidic ingredient in baking it helps to lift the baked goods. Some common acidic ingredients used alongside baking soda are lemon juice, brown sugar, vinegar, buttermilk, and sour cream. Baking soda also helps create a beautiful brown color on baked goods like homemade pancakes.
Fun Facts:
Baking soda has to be used sparingly, because too much in a recipe without enough acid in the batter may allow the finished product to have a metallic taste Usually ¼ teaspoon of baking soda is sufficient for every 1 cup of flour.
To test for freshness, dissolve ¼ of baking soda in 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or vinegar, if the mixture bubbles vigorously, the baking soda is still good.
Baking Powder:
Baking powder is made from baking soda. It is made from a mixture of baking soda, cream of tartar, which is a dry acid, as well as a little cornstarch to help keep the two from reacting.
Unlike baking soda, baking powder doesn’t need an acidic ingredient in the recipe for it to work since baking powder already has an acidic ingredient mixed with it. All you simply need to do is add liquid and the baking powder goes to work.
There are 2 types of baking powder, single-acting and double-acting. Single-acting baking powder reacts fully once you combine it with liquid.
Double-acting baking powder works in two stages once you combine it with liquid and then again when heated.
Baking powder is not as powerful as baking soda since it is mixed with additional ingredients(cream of tartar and cornstarch). That means baking soda is probably about 3-4 times stronger than baking powder.
Usually when the recipe calls for baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking powder is sufficient for every 1 cup of flour.
Fun Fact:
To test for freshness, add ½ a teaspoon of baking powder to 2 tablespoons of hot water, if the mixture bubbles, the baking powder is still fresh.
Substituting Baking Soda for Baking Powder:
For the most part, try to stick with the ingredients your recipe calls for to give yourself a good shot at having the desired outcome. In an emergency if you don’t have baking powder on hand you can make your own by using a 2:1 ratio of cream of tartar to baking soda.
Cream of Tartar Baking Soda
1 teaspoon ½ teaspoon
2 teaspoons 1 teaspoon
3 teaspoons 1 ½ teaspoons
4 teaspoons 2 teaspoons
If you are using this substitute, you will need to use it immediately in your recipe. Keep in mind that store brand baking powder has an additional ingredient, cornstarch, to prevent a reaction between the two.
Substituting Baking Powder for Baking Soda
As stated earlier you are always better off using what your original recipe calls for, but again in an emergency situation you can improvise.
If your recipe calls for ¼ of a teaspoon of baking soda, you can substitute it with 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
