Epstein - Substituting ingredients: the A to Z kitchen reference

Praise for Substituting Ingredients If you eat, you substitute. If you cookwell, weve all been there. The unexpected expired ingredient. The out-of-season ingredient. The thought I had enough of that spice, herb, or flavoring ingredientBecky Sue Epstein is a master of detail. She is respectful of tradition and environmentally sensitive remedies for the kitchen and home.

The woman never tires of learning and sharing. Substituting Ingredients is a convenient tool and a good read, especially if you eat, drink, cook, or clean. Lynn Krielow Chamberlain, host, iWineRadio.com If there were ever an idea so practical and obvious that nobody else but Becky Sue Epstein could think of it, its Substituting Ingredients. Charles Perry, Los Angeles Times food writer, retired So many of my cookbook readers email me with questions about substitutions. Now I have a resource for myself and for all of you who are inquisitive in the kitchen, willing to think outside the box, but still want good results. Becky Sue Epsteins Substituting Ingredients will be on my shelf with my treasured reference books; I am sure I will refer to it again and again.

Dede Wilson, author of Unforgettable Desserts; dedewilson.blogspot.com With this paperback on the shelf theres no need for mad, mid-recipe dashes to the grocery store. Bon Apptit Copyright 1986, 2010 by Becky Sue Epstein
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www.sourcebooks.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Epstein, Becky Sue.
Substituting ingredients : the A to Z kitchen reference / by Becky Sue Epstein. 4th ed.
p. Cookery. 2. 2.

Ingredient substitutions (Cookery) I. Title.
TX652.E58 2010
641.5dc22 2009049932 Thanks to Hilary Dole Klein, Lauren Garvey, Sheila Carme, Branko, and the rest of my family and friends who ate many strange things yet still encouraged me in the pursuit of my substitutions goals.I am proud to carry on the traditions of my grandmother Gertrude, who was a caterer and cookbook writer, and my mother Doris, who loves to experiment with new recipesbut will make the old favorites when we need them.

Do any of these scenarios sound like something that has happened to you?

• Rushing into the kitchen, grabbing pots and pans and the ingredients for a favorite, last-minute dinner, youre dismayed to discover youre lacking a key ingredient.
• Perusing a magazine, you settle on an enticingly simple recipe, but then you notice it has a couple ingredients youre sure cant be found locally.
• Finally ready to try that friends fabulous recipe you printed out some time ago, you suddenly realize you might not have all the ingredientsin fact, youre not exactly sure what one of them is

What to do? After this happened to me a few times, I started to accumulate substitutions for a variety of ingredients. The list grew until it became a collection. And then a project. For many months, my family and friends sampled a lot of strange foods. Finally, it turned into my first book, Substituting Ingredients.

Iand about a hundred thousand other peopleused this collection of substitutions for more than fifteen years, through multiple printings and successive, updated editions. Attitudes toward food, cooking, take-out, and eating out have continued to evolve. Were all much more adventuresome now, so its time for a new edition. This book is simple to consult and much more comprehensive than previous editions. It contains all the spices, herbs, exotic fruits, and vegetables needed for modern cooking, so you can actually prepare the exotic recipes you see online, in print, or on television every week. Its great if youve just forgotten to buy a critical component for a recipe, something as basic as lemon juice or eggs.

Perhaps you dont have time to search for a rare item, like fresh Alaskan King crabmeat, or you dont want to gamble on an expensive ingredient you might only use once, such as saffron. Substituting Ingredients contains over 1,000 substitutions and easy directions to make dozens of common condiments. There are tables for converting, measuring, and determining temperature equivalents, as well as instructions for simple formulas for household cleaners. Whether youre making an easy weekday meal or an elaborate dinner for a celebration, whether you have time constraints, financial restrictions, or food allergies, once you have this book in your kitchen, youll use it again and again.

A TO Z INGREDIENTS The largest section of this book is simply an A to Z reference. Look up an ingredient from your recipe, and you will find a substitution.

If several substitutes are listed, the best match is the first one. It provides the closest match to the flavors of the original, taking into account the way the ingredient is most commonly used. When the substitutions are all very similar, the list is in alphabetical order. If there is no measure given for an ingredient, then the substitutes can generally be used in equivalent amounts. For example, the listing for the herb chervil gives several substitutions. First is tarragon, with the instructions to use the amount, which means that tarragon has the closest flavor but tends to be much stronger than chervil.

Next is anise, with the same instructions, because it is a little less similar but also stronger than chervil. Next is Italian parsley, which is slightly different in flavor, but will also season a dish nicely. If a recipe calls for a small amount of one type of fruit, another may be substituted, or the ingredient can be omitted. For example, to cup raisins can be left out of a cookie or cake without affecting the chemistry of baking or cookingthough this will, of course, affect the flavor. The same is true of small amounts of meats or vegetables in savory dishes, usually up to cup. Baking Certain substitutions are standard in baking recipes. Baking Certain substitutions are standard in baking recipes.

For instance, butter, margarine, blends, and even shortening can usually be used interchangeably without dramatically affecting the flavor or texture of the baked goods. Other baking substitutions can be more delicate processes, because it is important to keep the ratio of liquid ingredients to dry ingredients as close as possible to the original recipe. Baking times may vary, so do be sure to monitor items and test for doneness. Different types of sugar can be substituted for each other fairly easily. There is also a simple formula for composing baking chocolate from cocoa powder and butter.

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