Customer Reviews

The Food Substitutions Bible: More than 5,000 Substitutions for Ingredients, Equipment and Techniques

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

`The Food Substitutions Bible' by David Joachim runs a big risk in assuming such a pretentious title, as it simply invites a search for things which are missing in order to take it down a peg or two. I have to say, however, that compared to several other `bible' titles published by this `Robert Rose, Inc.' company, this book more than lives up to its promise. On the way, it happens to fill a great need in one's culinary library.

Most good cooking manuals have substitutions and `how to make' for several of the more common pantry items such as buttermilk, lemon juice, crème fraiche, and preserved lemons. It it's an especially good book, it may have as many as 100 such substitutions. This book advertises `more than 5000 substitutions'. The book doesn't just stop at one substitution or recipe for each item. Many options have three or four or five. It also does not stop with formulas or recipes. It does an excellent job, for example, of giving substitutions for common cooking tools such as a zester or a potato ricer.

Of course, I could not resist trying to find things the book missed. I am happy to say I did find a few, but I am also happy to say that with one exception, they were all very obscure. I found no entries for the ancient Roman fermented fish sauce, `garum' or the traditional French sour grape condiment, `verjus' or the middle eastern spice, `Aleppo pepper' or the North African pantry item, salt preserved lemon. I think all these are fair, in that I have seen recipes for all these in at least one cookbook and I have seen all of them used in at least two modern cookbooks.

I also felt some of the substitutions were just a bit less than useful, as the item being substituted may have been just as hard or harder to come by than the missing ingredient. For example, if I don't have venison, it is highly unlikely I will have antelope meat or gazelle meat or buffalo meat. Fortunately, this observation is generally a quibble, as we are also given `beef' as a substitute for venison.

My last quibble with these entries is that several substitutions are a bit questionable for all but the most casual situations. For example, suggested substitutions for mozzarella are Gouda, provolone, Muenster, and Fontina. I think all of these are much too strongly flavored to act as a good substitute for classic mozzarella uses. I suppose that if all you want is `some soft cheese', these would work, but I would question all of these in a baked dish or in classic raw dishes such as the Caprese salad.

The other side of the coin is brilliantly represented by the ingredient guides in the back of the book including apples, rice, clams, pears, dried beans, lentils, olives, mushrooms, potatoes, chiles (fresh and dried), flour (wheat and alternatives), Asian noodles, roe, crabs, oils, vinegars, and salts. These pages alone are worth the price of the book. I am forever trying to remember which apples are best for baking and which clams are best for chowder. I will have to puzzle no longer.

Oddly, this book will probably be more of a service to experienced cooks than to rank amateurs, as it is at its best with unusual ingredients. The experienced cook will also be much better at identifying the good from the bad substitutions.

Very highly recommended for all cooks!

I really enjoyed this book, even though like others stated, some of the items were so obscure I had never heard of them! LOL. Saying that, I would still recommend it highly for anyone who cooks. I mean who hasn't started cooking and realized they did not have an essential ingredient. I looked up several of my favorites items to see if any of the substitutions were feasible, most were. Each of the ingredients in their reference book includes a description of the item, i.e. Durum Flour: finely ground durum (high-gluten) wheat.

One of the features I liked about the book is that some of the listed ingredients, i.e. butter and all-purpose flour, include substitutions "To Vary the Flavor" or "For Better Health". Many of the substitutions also include info on how it might affect your recipe. For example, if you look up Butter, the "For Better Health" substitution states: 1/2 butter and 1/2 vegetable oil, best "for baking, especially quick breads and some cookie doughs: reduce baking time slightly; baked goods will be slightly more chewy; use pastry or cake flour for lighter texture..." This kind of info is just the thing to help make me a better cook.

The final sections include ingredient tables for common foods and include direction of what they are best suited (cooking, baking, eating). Other tables include ingredients with characteristics of each variety and what can be substituted within the categories (potatoes, beans, pears, apples, olives, legumes, lentils, mushrooms and more).

I definitely recommend this book for anyone who loves cook.

We believe in a Kitchen Murphy's Law that says sooner or later you're in the middle of a recipe and find out you are missing a key ingredient. Thank goodness for David Joachim's researching skills because the second edition of "The Food Substitutions Bible" is an amazing compilation of just what will work in place of the original thing.
We love the A to Z organization of this book so it's easy to quickly find the perfect subtitute for anything from coconut cream and parchment paper to bleu cheese and guar gum. This bible is sure to save the day because you will never have to ruin a recipe again thanks to the wrong or missing ingredient!

This book deserves 5 stars on several accounts: 1) Sheer number of and variety of ingredients included;I thought I was fairly well read on food but I am learning all matter of new things--jaggery, anybody? Caerphilly? 2) Cookware is listed, too. 3)Lay-out: items are listed alphabetically, each with a straightforward description and specific quantities of the recommended subsitutions. 4)Obviously, a lot of very careful research went into this reference. 5)I've had it several months now and it continues to prove its usefulness time and time again.

The guiding scenario for the book is the cook who is trying to follow a recipe faithfully but lacks a required ingredient or implement. This is not for the person who has food allergies and sensitivities--most substitutions are from the same family of foods. Likewise, the cook who wants to make the stew calling for a cup of mushrooms but has a mushroom phobe in the family and is looking for something else to take their place is not going to find that kind of information.

this seems to have everything under the sun in it and that's just what I was looking for to help with cooking and my allergies.

I found this book and initially thought, well, it has got some great tips and I could take it shopping with me (I like the substitution for confectioner's sugar on back that hooked me or what to do when you find a great recipe that features something esoteric like burdock and you need a siimilar taste, texture, etc) but then I got to the ingredient guides and this is worth the price of admission! These guides are broken into ingredients like vinegar, Asian noodles, beans, olives and then simply demystifies them. For the noodles it listed the English and Asian names, characteristics, and then substitutes. It did not matter that I knew many of them, having this guide handy in a pinch will save me when memory fails or I cannot find mai fun. And I must admit I am lacking on what vinegars are like other vinegars, so knowing when I need cider and all I have is white wine or I wanted rice and all there is might be champagne, I can compare their characteristics and know the substitutes are okay. Thanks David, a great resource that will save me many time down the road I am sure!

From the Orange County Register
May 4, 2006

by Judy Bart Kancigor, author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

It happens all the time. You're in the middle of a recipe and - oh no! - you reach for the capers or self-rising flour or honey and there it isn't! Do you drop everything and run to the store or improvise?

Learning how to substitute ingredients in a pinch is only one reason why "The Food Substitutions Bible" (David Rose) by David Joachim should be on every cook's shelf. How many of us slavishly follow a recipe when our creativity cries out for experimentation? But which substitutions will work?

"I don't think the issue is trying to replicate a mock version of the original," Joachim explained when I caught up with him at the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) annual conference I attended recently in Seattle. "What is your intended goal? Is it just to vary the flavor? Maybe you want the dish to be more nutritious or less caloric. The point is to think about the function or flavor of an ingredient. Cooks make all kinds of substitutions to suit their preferences or just to try something new."

Joachim, who gave up a career as a musician, opens the book with excerpts from two songs: "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and The Who's "Substitute," pointing up the fine line the cook walks between the real thing and reality.

"When it comes to cooking, I do believe that there is nothing like the real thing," he said. "Nothing performs or tastes quite like butter. But I'm also a realist. This is a choice we face all the time, respecting individual ingredients that are irreplaceable or the reality of having to reduce saturated fat, for example."

Five thousand substitutions are organized easily from A to Z and conveniently labeled "If you don't have it," "To vary the flavor" and "For better health." There are two pages of substitutions for butter alone and two more for margarine. Scattered throughout are mini-recipes and interesting factoids that make this handy reference book fun to read as well.

On margarine he writes: "It is a culinary irony that a cheap fake butter was invented in France, the country whose classic cuisine is unimaginable without real butter. The developer named his solidified white mixture of beef fat, skimmed milk, and water after margarites, the Greek word for pearl. Most margarines are now made with vegetable oil...."

But "The Food Substitutions Bible" is not just about ingredients, but also cooking techniques and equipment. That heating pad I use for my back can double as an electric warming tray! Now why didn't I think of that?

Ingredient guides take the guesswork out of shopping for vinegars, oils, apples, salts, chiles, and beans, for example, and the measurement equivalents section is invaluable. No wonder the book took this year's IACP cookbook award in the food reference/technical category.

Joachim, whose "A Man, A Can" series has sold more than 800,000 copies, grew up on a small organic farm. "Growing up, I spent my time in the kitchen instead of the living room," he recalled. "I got an early education in choosing ingredients for their freshness and flavor."

Okay, you're dying to know. Out of capers? Try green olives or chopped pickles. No self-rising flour? Add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to each cup of all-purpose flour. Pooh got your honey? Use 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup liquid called for in the recipe or 1/2 cup granulated sugar plus 3/4 cup maple syrup, corn syrup or light molasses.

HOMEMADE CROUTONS
From "The Food Substitutions Bible" by David Joachim

Cut your favorite bread (dense, flavorful bread works best) into 1 cup of cubes (up to 1/2-inch thick cubes for stuffing; up to 1 1/2-inch cubes for salad croutons) or other shapes. Toss with 2 to 3 teaspoons melted butter or oil and, if you like, salt, pepper, herbs, garlic, and/or Parmesan cheese, or other seasonings. Bake on a baking sheet preheated to 350°F, tossing or turning once or twice to brown evenly, until crisp, about 15 minutes. Makes 1 cup

Other substitutions:
* 1 cup coarse bread crumbs (to top casseroles)
* 1 cup broken bagel chips (to top salads and casseroles)
* 1 cup broken crostini (to top salads and casseroles)

For the past 13 years, I've been using Substituting Ingredients for my emergency Substitions. Over the past few years, I realized that I really wanted more information. What I wanted was a thorough substitution book that covered both the basics and the out of the way, unusual ingredients. But, I also wanted it to be formatted well. Formatting, I've discovered, makes a huge difference when you're pressed for time and trying to find an emergency substitution. Your fingers have to be able to flip through the book and your eyes have to find the page you're looking for in a few seconds. Formatting truly makes all the difference in the world when it comes to this kind of cookbook.

It was the formatting that I felt needed improvement in the two books of cooking tips which I reviewed. Substituting Ingredients solution to the formatting was to make a small book with small type, less words, and more spacing. For people who only do basic cooking, that cookbook is probably the way to go.

But, for those of us who love to cook or just simply cook a lot, I finally found a book that I think hits the mark! It's this book! The title was actually a bit off-putting to me because the Holy Bible is very important to me and I've noticed a trend to use the word "Bible" in the title of various books over the past few years. You can laugh at me because it was actually the title that caused me to overlook this book many times over the past few years as I was searching for a better food substitution cookbook. Now I wish I hadn't waited so long to pick up this book!

The first time I opened up this book it was hard to put down. I expected to find a very dry, boring book of substitutions. Please don't get me wrong. I was just expecting information that was only useful, not information that was engaging and interesting as well. This book drew me and my husband in with its funny stories and interesting tidbits of information. For example, savory is a spice I've come across over the years in various recipes and have puzzled about. It is "known in parts of Europe as the bean herb because its pleasant spicy nature benefits beans, peas, and lentils. Summer savory is milder and the spiky leaves are more tender than those of winter savory." p. 496 Under the substitution section for savory, several good alternatives that are on my shelf were listed--thyme, rosemary, and safe.

This book is hefty at 696 pages. But, the heft is worth it. This book doesn't sacrifice meat for size the way other books I've seen recently do. The type is very readable. The formatting is excellent--all of my complaints I've had with other cookbooks this year about formatting are null and void when it comes to this book. The book is arranged in alphabetical order with several helpful ingredient and measurement guides at the end. I would suggest using some tabs to mark the guide pages at the end that you tend to use a lot, then you will be able to flip to them quickly.

The ingredients in this book range from things you use every day to that strange spice you once saw in a Middle Eastern cookbook named Za'tar. Even "egg scissors" are explained. Now, although you might never use many of these ingredients, you never know. I wish I had known the substitution for Golden Syrup a few months ago when I bought a bottle of it for a specific recipe. I had no idea that the substitution of light corn syrup or maple syrup (both of which were in my cupboard) would have been quite easy.

But, the true test of a substitution cookbook is whether they will work. I looked up many substitutions I've been using faithfully in my cooking over the years and they are in there. The ratios of things I use are also there. The charts of similar ingredients like flours, apples, and chiles also agree with all that I've read and discovered cooking over the years.

There is only one thing missing that I've discovered so far--which I didn't expect to find. The author assumes that people only use store bought whole wheat flour. I know I'm one of those unusual people that grinds their own grain at home. The substitution I've discovered is 1 1/8- 1 1/4 cup fresh ground whole wheat flour to 1 cup of store bought whole wheat flour.

If there are substitutions you use regulary, make yourself a cheat sheet or use sticky notes to tab the pages you turn to a lot. There is a lot of information in this book and it will take up a bit of space on your shelf, but my feeling is--it's worth it! If you happened to get a little money as a Christmas gift and you're trying to figure out what to get, this book would be a keeper. It's going to have a permanent place on my shelf for many years.

My compliments to the chef--this is a great cookbook!

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from The Lisa Ekus Group.

This is a great book for every kitchen--novice to professional. Quickly and easily reference similar cuts of meat, types of cheese, fruits, vegetables, cookware, and much more. Organized alphabetically it's easy to use, concise, and quite comprehensive. A must have!

Almost any substitution you need! And more than one substitution is usually offered. They even tell you how many mini-marshmallows make up a large marshmallows; that's helpful. No one wants to buy marshmallow creme for one recipe calling for 1/2 cup...and then wonder what to do with the rest. Instead, make your own creme with marshmallows of any size and some corn syrup...Voila! I also like the boxes beside some ingredients, showing ounces, grams, cups, tablespoons. THAT is most helpful.