Common kitchen substitutes for fancy ingredients
Common kitchen substitutes for fancy ingredients
Cooking and food is a passion for many. With the internet the world has suddenly become a smaller place and different cultures are coming closer. Food is a big part of any culture, and so today people want to experiment with different foods from different parts of the world. But, if you do this sincerely and food is a passion for you, it is time consuming and a lot of work.
These days you have a million recipes just at the click of your mouse, but not necessarily the ingredients that go into these recipes. Also, with the abundance of cooking shows and channels you are always tempted to experiment with your culinary skills. How often are you in a situation where you are struck by the perfect dinner idea but do not have the time to run down to the grocery store. What do you do? Give up the idea and resign to your original run of the mill dinner menu. If you do have the time to run to the stores often you find that the ingredients are not available, or are expensive and available in huge quantities that you do not really need. I guess life is not as simple as it seems on cooking tv.
Just to address this problem we have come up with some kitchen knowledge that will help you out. There are alternatives to a lot of key ingredients hiding in your kitchen cabinets just waiting to be discovered for their multi purposefulness.
For spices:
- Ginger is a substitute for cardamom; easily accessible and usable.
Chilli powder can be replaced by chilli sauce and some pepper corns.
Turmeric can be substituted with saffron that gives the orange colour and you can add ground mustard to add flavor.
Replacements for dairy
(If you are vegan or lactose intolerant)
- The most commonly used is soy milk. But a healthier option is actually almond milk.
- You can also use rice milk which may be more economical.
- Specifically for deserts use almond, oat or coconut milk as a substitute.
- For butter milk you can use soy milk with some vinegar for the sourness.
Sugar substitutes:
Some sugar substitutes are natural and some are synthetic. It is much more beneficial to use natural sweet substitutes.
- For deserts you can always season your deserts with fresh fruits like berries, apples etc.
- Honey is also a good sugar substitute. And you always have the option to use saccharine as an artificial sweetener too.
Vinegar substitute:
Instead of vinegar for sourness you can use some lime juice.
Self-raising flour:
A healthier option for self-raising flour is whole grain wheat flour with some baking soda to add some fluffiness.
It is important to keep in mind that the above substitutes can not be used blindly . Use your cooking instincts and recipe requirements in mind while using any substitute. Feel free to add anything I have missed out. Wish you all the best for your cooking adventures and endeavours. Happy cooking!
Hopefully, these common kitchen substitutes for fancy ingredients were useful to you and worth the read.
Editor’s Remark:
All these substitutes mentioned by the author are given here keeping in mind people living outside India cooking Indian cuisine with the help of  TV shows as for them it might be easier to get Safron than Turmeric.
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