"substitutions" news and stories

Are you ever in the middle of a recipe and realize a specific seasoning is missing from the spice rack? Check out these spice substitutions if you're ever in a bind.

Crème fraîche is all the rage these days, but what is it and what do you do if you can't find it?

You don't always have the baking pan that a recipe calls for, but here's what you can do when you need to use something else.

Looking for a way to make your baking chocolate taste better?

Everyone's been there. You're going along, assembling the ingredients for your cake, and...your heart sinks. You don't have any baking powder! Frantically, you toss things aside in the fridge, desperate for any crumbs of the stuff...but you find nothing.

Don't panic - just substitute. (Well, you can still panic if it will make you feel better, but it's really not necessary). Instead, just use 1/4 tsp. soda plus 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, or 1/4 teaspoon soda plus 1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk.
And speaking of which, what do you do if you're out of buttermilk?

Here are some of the substitutions I've found most helpful.

• Instead of one cup of buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon vinegar to slightly less than one cup of milk.
  
• Instead of 1 cup of cake flour, try 7/8 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• Instead of 1 tsp. dried leaf herbs, try 1/4 tsp. powdered herbs
• Instead of 1 cup of honey, use 1/ 1/4 cups sugar and 1/4 cup of liquid
• Instead of 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, use 2 Tbsp. flour or 1 1/3 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca.
  

What substitutions have you used in a pinch?