Useful Ingredient Substitutions

Don’t you hate it when you pick out a perfect recipe to try, only to discover that you do not have all of the necessary ingredients on hand? You don’t have the time nor the patience to go to the store, your neighbor doesn't have any either, and you can’t choose a different recipe because you have already started! Here are some common and helpful substitutes that work well, usually you won’t even notice the difference!

·         1 unsweetened chocolate baking square = 3 Tbsp cocoa + 1 Tbsp butter/margarine/oil

·         1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips = 2 semi-sweet chocolate baking squares

·         1 cup buttermilk (or soured milk) = 1 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice + milk to make 1 cup

·         1 cup whole milk = 1 cup skim milk + 2 Tbsp butter/margarine = 1 cup 1 or 2% milk + 1 Tbsp butter/margarine

·         1 cup self-rising flour = 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 ½ tsp baking powder + ½ tsp salt

·         1 cup cake and pastry flour = 1 cup - 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

·         1 cup sour cream = 1 cup plain yogurt = 1 cup butter/sour milk

·         1 tsp baking powder = ¼ tsp baking soda = ½ tsp cream of tartar + ¼ tsp cornstarch

·         1 Tbsp cornstarch = 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

·         1 cup superfine (castor) sugar = 1 cup granulated sugar processed in blender for 10-15 seconds