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Mom's Emergency Recipe Substitutions
and Cooking Tips for:
Milk, Buttermilk, Cream, Cornstarch & Arrowroot
Suddenly discovering you don't
have an important
ingredient is no fun
when you are in the middle of cooking your
favorite recipe. Neither is running out to
the store at
midnight. If you are missing an ingredient knowing its
"equivalent" or substitution can save the day.
Adapting recipes
from antique cookbooks can also cause confusion. What is
arrowroot and must I consult a wizard?
Today, Mom helps cooks
with tips on milk, cream and other ingredients used to thicken sauces,
soups and stews.
Milk
Recipe Substitutions
If you don't have one cup of fresh
milk substitute 1/2 cup of evaporated mile plus 1/2 cup of water.
Or follow the directions on a box of powdered milk.
It’s a good
idea to have a can of evaporated milk handy for emergencies. If
you don't use it during holiday baking, keep it for your other
emergency kit.
Buttermilk Recipe Substitutions
Also called sour milk, is
used to give recipes a little zip. Substitute 1 tablespoon of
lemon juice or vinegar plus enough whole milk to make 1 cup (let stand
5 minutes before using),
OR use 1 cup whole milk plus 1 3/4 teaspoons
cream of tartar OR use 1 cup of plain yogurt.
Whipping Cream Substitutions
Whipped cream from
scratch is worth the work. If you don't have time, just use
frozen dessert topping. 1 cup of whipping cream equals 2 cups
of dessert topping.
Light Cream Substitutions
If you don't have 1 cup of
light cream use 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons of milk plus 2 tablespoons of
butter.
Cornstarch Recipe Substitutions
Cornstarch is great for thickening
sauces;
if you don't have 1 tablespoon of corn starch use 2 tablespoons of
flour.
Cornstarch sauce tip: Always dissolve
cornstarch and flours in a little water, broth or juice
before you add it to your sauce to avoid lumps.
Arrowroot Recipe Substitutions
Not a mystical ingredient but
another thickening agent for sauces and soups. Substitute 2
tablespoons of regular flour or 1 tablespoon of cornstarch instead of
arrowroot.
Dissolve it in a little water or broth first for easier mixing and to
avoid lumps.
As a general rule if you are baking in
the oven, you must follow the
recipe as closely as possible.
Not only do your ingredients add
flavor, they also serve a specific function like making your bread
rise, or binding ingredients together.
If you are using milk or
cream in a sauce, you have more
flexibility. For example, if you
are making gravy, a splash of milk instead of cream is fine. The
fat content should only effect the flavor of your sauce, not the final
product.
Cooking Tips for
Fixing
Watery Soups or Stews
If you decide your soup or stew is a bit
thin or has too much water here are a few easy cooking tips to make a
broth seem richer and thicker.
Flour: Two tablespoons of flour (dissolved in
a bit of liquid first) will help thicken up a thin soup or stew
quickly. Simmer for a few minutes after adding it.
Rice: A 1/4 cup of rice will soak up about 1/2
cup of liquid and will yield about 1/2 cup of rice. Rice is a
nice addition to Turkey Soup. Rice needs about 20 minutes
to cook while your soup is simmering.
Barley: Call in the big guns if you decide you
have way too much liquid. 1 cup of barley will soak up 3 cups of
liquid. Pearl Barley needs 45 minutes to one hour to cook.
Quick cooking barley is ready in about 15 minutes. Barley goes
well in hearty soups with beef or pork. Delish!
Good luck and
happy cooking!
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