5 Valuable Kitchen Substitutions You Need To Know

I “almost” had a bad day in the kitchen today.  I say “almost”, everything turned out alright after-all. That’s because I was able to make a substitution for an ingredient I discovered I was out of!  Normally I would grab my car keys and run to the closest grocery store and get whatever I don’t have but today I didn’t have liberty to do so!  I’m still nursing my foot from a little minor surgery and of course it’s my right foot – so NO driving.  UGH!

Winter has definitely set in and on this cold dreary day I needed a little sunshine in the form of a cake! After I beat the sugar and butter all nice and creamy I went to get the baking powder and that’s when I nearly had a bad kitchen day!  There wasn’t even a quarter teaspoon in the can!  For a split second I panicked and thought my plans to bake were going down the drain.  Then it occurred to me that there might be a substitution I could make and sure enough – there was!

I was delighted with this revelation and it also got me to thinking….Thinking about how often we might need to exchange some component in a recipe to avoid running to a store.  You might be wondering why I didn’t holler at a neighbor and borrow some in exchange for a slice or two of cake.  They weren’t home and honestly I didn’t feel like limping my way over to anyone’s front door for 2 teaspoons of baking powder.

I decided you need this valuable information – not only how to substitute other stuff for baking powder but a couple more tidbits to prevent a bad kitchen day for you too!  Below are 5 Valuable Kitchen Substitutions you should make note of.

Baking Powder: For 1 teaspoon of baking powder called for in a recipe mix together:
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

Self-Rising Flour: For 1 cup mix together:
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Tomato Sauce: For 2 cups tomato sauce mix together:
3/4 cup tomato paste plus 1 cup water

Buttermilk: For 1 cup milk – remove 1 tablespoon milk and add:
1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice ( I figure you’ve heard this and it’s not ideal but hey if you can’t drive…)

Cream: For 1 cup light cream use:
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons butter ( this is not for whipping just if you need cream as opposed to milk for a sauce or such)
For 1 cup heavy cream use:
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup butter (5 1/2 tablespoons)

My Lemon Bliss cake turned out perfectly and I’ll be sharing that recipe right here soon!  Today I’ll link you up to one of my favorite cakes and send you off into your kitchen armed to bake!  Honey Lemon Cake is perfect with a hot cup of tea or cocoa on these chilly wintry days!  I’ll see you soon!