No More Food Mistakes with the Food Substitutions Bible

Picture this: you’re in the middle of whipping up your famous biscuits for a special occasion, when you realize you’re fresh out of buttermilk. Or, maybe it’s another recipe, and you can’t find the specified pan. What do you do? Shut down your kitchen and run to the store? Or get by with a substitution? With the help of THE FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS BIBLE SECOND EDITION (Robert Rose Inc.; October 2010; Softcover/$24.95; ISBN: 978-0-7788-0119-1) you’ll realize just how much easier a simple substitution can be. Banish your kitchen anxieties—this book will provide answers to all your cooking and baking substitution questions.

Best-selling cookbook author David Joachim has expanded and revised his award-winning book , creating the FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS BIBLE, SECOND EDITION (Robert Rose; October 2010; Softcover/$24.95; ISBN: 978-0-7788-0119-1). This essential kitchen tool provides home cooks with even more information and instruction on how to safely substitute ingredients in recipes. Whether you are missing an ingredient or you’re experimenting with flavors and textures, this book will inspire and guide your culinary adventures.

Joachim has compiled a wide range of substitution possibilities into one comprehensive, easy-to-use guide, organized from A to Z. FromA1 sauce to Zwieback, THE FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS BIBLE, SECOND EDITION offers 1,500 new substitutions, alternative ingredients, equipment, and techniques, including emergency substitutions, time-saving substitutions, healthy substitutions, alternatives for hard-to-find ingredients, alternatives for vegetarians, and ideas for varying the flavor of a dish in countless ways.

“Substituting is something that many cooks do all the time without even thinking about it,” says Joachim. “For example, if you live at high altitude, you are probably used to substituting amounts and temperatures for those given in recipes. If you are lowering your saturated fat intake, you probably substitute oil for butter when sautéing.”

Many of Joachim’s substitutions yield results that are remarkably similar to those achieved with the real thing. For instance, if you want a less-rich alternative to whipped cream, evaporated milk whips up very well and makes a creamy, lower-calorie substitute that can be topped onto a favorite dessert.

The new edition of THE FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS BIBLE contains:

- Over 300 new entries and cross references for ingredients and equipment

- Five new ingredient charts and measurement tables:

o Picking Coffee

o Container Size Equivalents

o Alcohol Retention in Cooking

o Spooning Up Honey

o Switching Tea

The straightforward design makes each entry, chart and sidebar easily accessible. Every substitution includes exact proportions and directions for making accurate, reliable replacements.

Some suggested substitutions in THE FOOD SUBSTITUTION BIBLE do not intend to imitate the original ingredient. Instead, Joachim wants to inspire creativity and encourage experimentation in the kitchen. For example, he suggests replacing apple butter with pumpkin butter—instead of a poor version of the original, the recipe takes a new, delicious direction.

“Substitutions can solve many problems in the kitchen. But they can’t work magic. If you have run out of an ingredient and really want to replicate the original exactly, my advice is simple: don’t substitute. If you absolutely must have the flavor of cardamom in a recipe, go buy some cardamom instead of substituting another spice such as cinnamon. Cinnamon will taste like cinnamon and not like cardamom. However, if you want to experiment with changing the flavor of your recipe, cinnamon may be an acceptable substitute. Often that’s the reason I substitute one thing for another, just to try something new.”

Whether you’re looking to substitute for a key ingredient or utensil or simply create a different flavor or texture, THE FOOD SUBSTITUTION BIBLE provides home cooks with a vast array of fresh and enjoyable ideas that will give you all the information you’ll need to improvise with confidence.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVID JOACHIM has authored, edited or collaborated on more than 35 cookbooks. His A Man, A Can….series of books has sold more than 1 million copies. The Science of Good Food, which he co-authored with Andrew Schloss, was nominated for a James Beard Award, and was a World Food Media award finalist for Best Food Book. The first edition of The Food Substitutions Bible won the prestigious International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) award. An M.A. in English and former writing teacher, David served as food editor at Vegetarian Gourmet magazine for three years, has contributed to numerous national and regional magazines and is a frequent guest on national television and radio. David is a favorite at cooking schools and book stores across the country. He lives in Center Valley, PA.

Samples from THE FOOD SUBSTITUTION BIBLE:

BACON

Also known as American bacon and streaky bacon. Pork belly that is brined and smoked, sometimes double smoked. Can be purchased in slabs or slices and must be cooked before eating.

If You Don’t Have It

Substitute 1 slice (about 3⁄4 oz /22 g) bacon with:

• 1 thin slice (about 3⁄4 oz /22 g) pancetta (wonderful spice aromas; unsmoked)

• 1 thin slice (about 3⁄4 oz/22 g) prosciutto (pork leg; unsmoked)

• 1 thin slice (about 3⁄4 oz/22 g) speck (pork leg; smoked; adds juniper aromas)

• 3⁄4 oz (22 g) salt pork (saltier; fattier; unsmoked; best as flavoring in soups, stews, and sauces)

• 3⁄4 oz (22 g) smoked sausage

• 3⁄4 oz (22 g) smoked ham

• 3⁄4 oz (22 g) fatback (unsalted; fattier; unsmoked; best as flavoring in soups, stews, and sauces; or for barding)

• 2 to 3 tsp (10 to 15 mL) real bacon bits

For Better Health

Substitute 1 slice (about 3⁄4 oz /22 g) bacon with:

• 1 slice turkey bacon (less fat and fewer calories; retains shape better than sliced bacon)

• 1 slice vegetarian bacon (less fat and fewer calories; made from vegetable protein; flavored like smoked bacon)

• 1 slice Canadian or back bacon (less fat and calories)

• 3⁄4 oz (22 g) smoked ham

• 2 to 3 tsp (10 to 15 mL) imitation bacon-flavored bits (vegetarian)

1 lb (500 g) raw = 18 to 22 regular slices = 10 to 14 thick slices

1 lb (500 g) cooked = 1 1⁄2 cups (375 mL) crumbled

1 slice cooked = 1 tbsp (15 mL) crumbled

OKRA

African slaves introduced this green pod vegetable to the American South, where it gained great interest, particularly as a thickener for the wonderful Louisiana gumbo.

If You Don’t Have It

Substitute 2 cups (500 mL) okra (for thickening) with:

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) filé powder

• 1 cup (250 mL) nopales, sliced

• 2 tsp (10 mL) cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp (15 mL) cold water

To Vary the Flavor

Substitute 2 cups (500 mL) okra with:

• 2 cups (500 mL) green beans

• 2 cups (500 mL) asparagus

• 2 cups (500 mL) broccoli

1 lb (500 g) fresh = 2 1⁄4 cups (550 mL) chopped and cooked

10 oz (300 g) frozen = 1 1⁄4 cups (300 mL) chopped

15 1⁄2 oz (440 mL) can =1 3⁄4 cups (425 mL) chopped

PRESSURE COOKER

Because steam builds up inside this pressurized cooking pot, the foods contained inside cook at a very high temperature, which means they cook in a fraction of the time of traditional methods.

If You Don’t Have It

Substitute a pressure cooker with:

• large pot with a tight-fitting lid (generally, you can sauté or bring foods to a boil then reduce heat and simmer as you would in a pressure cooker; triple or quadruple the cooking time; increase liquid by 20 to 40% to compensate for moisture loss)

STAR ANISE

Possibly the prettiest spice in the world, this brown pod is shaped like a lacy eight-pointed star with a seed in each segment. In China, it is widely used in cooking and in teas.

If You Don’t Have It

Substitute 1 whole star anise with:

• 1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) ground star anise

• 3⁄4 tsp (3 mL) crushed anise seeds + pinch of ground allspice (less complex flavor)

• 1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) Chinese five-spice powder (includes mostly star anise plus fennel seed, cinnamon, Szechuan peppercorns, and cloves)

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) anise or licorice liqueur (weaker anise flavor; adds alcohol and liquid)

• 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 tsp (1 to 2 mL) anise extract

See also Chinese Five-Spice Powder.

1 whole star = 1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) ground

_______________

Excerpts from THE FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS BIBLE SECOND EDITION

by David Joachim

(Robert Rose Inc.; October 2010; Softcover/$24.95)