- No lemon?
If a recipe calls for lemon juice, a lime is the best bet as a substitute. If not, you can use the same amount of white wine.
- Cut the salt — not the taste
A chef’s trick for reducing the amount of salt in a recipe is to replace it with half as much lemon juice. If a recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of salt, substitute 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice and there’s no need to use the salt.
- Vanilla imitators
If you run out of vanilla just as a recipe for batter calls for it, you can substitute an equal amount of maple syrup or a sweet liqueur such as Bailey’s Irish Cream.
- Powder for powder
Cake recipes often call for baking powder, but if you’ve run out, try this: for each teaspoon called for, substitute a mix of 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda. The mixture won’t store well, so make it fresh in case you ever need it again.
- Instead of breadcrumbs
If you’re making meatballs or hamburgers, but are running short of breadcrumbs, substitute porridge oats, crushed unsweetened cereal such as cornflakes, and crumbled crackers or instant mashed potato flakes instead.
- A surprising non-stick solution
You’ve chopped the vegetables, got the meat ready and you’re about to fire up the barbecue when you find you’re out of oil. Rub the grill with half a potato and your food won’t stick.
- Sour cream stand-in
Make an easy substitute for sour cream by blending 225g cottage cheese, 40ml buttermilk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice until smooth. The lemon juice will sour its creamy partners.
Credit : Reader’s Digest
Picture Credit : Google