I'm all for streamlining in the kitchen. This past holiday, I was making cookies with the kids and ran out of baking powder as we're ready for step #3. {insert groan} What could I use instead without trekking to the grocery store on Christmas Eve?After this experience, I started to research some common kitchen ingredients that can be substituted for each other. Here is my list. I'll keep adding whenever I run out of anything in the future!
| IF YOU DON'T HAVE... | AMOUNT | IN A PINCH, YOU CAN USE... |
| Baking Powder | 1 teaspoon | 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar |
| Bread Crumbs | 1 cup | 1 cup of crushed crackers |
| Brown Sugar | 1 cup | 1 cup white sugar + 1/4 cup molasses; decrease the liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup |
| Corn Syrup | 1 cup | 1 1/4 cups white sugar + 1/3 cup water OR 1 cup honey |
| Cottage Cheese | 1 cup | 1 cup ricotta cheese |
| Cream (half & half) | 1 cup | 7/8 cup milk + 1 tablespoon butter |
| Cream of Tartar | 1 teaspoon | 2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar |
| Evaporated Milk | 1 cup | 1 cup light cream |
| Flour (Cake) | 1 cup | 1 cup all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons |
| Flour (Self-Rising) | 1 cup | 7/8 cup all-purpose flour + 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder + 1/2 teaspoon of salt |
| Herbs (fresh) | 1 Tablespoon | 1 teaspoon of dried herbs |
| Honey | 1 cup | 1 1/4 cups white sugar + 1/3 cup water OR 1 cup corn syrup |
| Ketchup | 1 cup | 1 cup tomato sauce + 1 teaspoon vinegar + 1 tablespoon sugar |
| Lemon juice | 1 teaspoon | 1/2 teaspoon vinegar OR 1 teaspoon white wine OR 1 teaspoon lime juice |
| Lemon zest | 1 teaspoon | 2 Tablespoons lemon juice |
| Mayonnaise | 1 cup | 1 cup sour cream OR 1 cup plain yogurt |
| Molasses | 1 cup | 3/4 cup brown sugar + 1 teaspoon cream of tartar |
| Ricotta | 1 cup | 1 cup dry cottage cheese |
| Shallots, chopped | 1/2 cup | 1/2 cup chopped onion OR 1/2 cup chopped green onion |
| Sour cream | 1 cup | 1 cup plain yogurt |
| Soy sauce | 1/2 cup | 4 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce + 1 Tablespoon water |
| Stock--beef or chicken | 1 cup | 1 cube beef or chicken bouillon dissolved in 1 cup water |
| Vinegar | 1 teaspoon | 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice OR 2 teaspoons white wine |
| White sugar | 1 cup | 1 cup brown sugar OR 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar OR 3/4 cup honey OR 3/4 cup corn syrup |
| Wine | 1 cup | 1 cup chicken or beef broth OR 1 cup fruit juice + 2 teaspoons vinegar OR 1 cup water |
| Yogurt | 1 cup | 1 cup sour cream OR 1 cup buttermilk |
