Customer Reviews

Substituting Ingredients: An A to Z Kitchen Reference

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book hoping that it would come in handy when I realize that I don't have an ingredient on hand and need to make a switch in a pinch.

Though it has lots of substitutions, most are simply switches for ingredients in the same family (yellow onions ---> chives, etc...). Maybe I was expecting too much, but I was hoping that it would cover ingredients substitutions that weren't so obvious.

I would have given it a 4 star rating even so but my biggest problem is that the layout is really poor. Trying to find substitutions for red or white wine are either not in their or not in an order that makes sense to me anyway.

It is handy but not the end all, be all of books. Maybe the 4th edition will be better.

This book is laid out in alphabetical order, the easiest and fastest way possible to have a list of anything. It skips a lot of background information you probably don't need, and just gives you a simple "equals" format that for most things is sufficient. When more information is necessary, the authors give it to you in the form of short recipes to make equivalents.

The one thing this book won't do is perform a miracle for you. If you don't have anything that resembles an onion in flavor, you will not be able to substitute an onion. If you have nothing that can do the leavening job of cream of tartar in your pantry, then you can't switch it out, either. The key is to have a well-stocked pantry. Then, if you run out of "that one thing" you need, you can indeed substitute it from the items you do have on hand.

Other great aspects of this book:

"Too Much" section: Tells you how to "unruin" items that have too much of some strong-tasting ingredients.

Measurement equivalents section: Has dry and liquid equivalents (like 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon) in the English system. It also great for those on the metric system/English system trying to do a recipe from the "other side," because there are ounces/grams and pounds/kilograms charts.

Temperature equivalents: Fahrneheit to Celsius for all common cooking temperatures.

Baking pan sizes: metric/English numbers compared; number of cups held by many cake pans also.

Household formula section: A nice intro to homemade cleaning products using common ingredients.

If you love cooking as I do, you'll know that much of cooking is based on experimentation. You'll also note that you may not have every ingredient a recipe calls for. This book is for you. It is a great reference of very worthy substitutes. I have been caught in several pinches and this book has been very helpful to use in a pinch. My dishes come out great and if I don't tell anyone, no one notices that a substitution has been made anyway.

I was pleasantly surprised to find at the back of the back, a list of "cleaning" recipes. I have been trying to get away from chemical cleaners for years. This book offers some great "substitutes" for store bought cleaners.

Bon Appétit and Happy Cleaning!

Thought this book was great. Used it often at home when cooking and ran out of ingredients. It was a life saver while living in South America. I became the living encyclopedia for substitutions to all my friends in Argentina. Have had this book for a number of years and continue to find it very helpful. It would make a great gift for expert and novice chef alike.

Since I am the type of cook that likes to cook on a whim, I frequently start without the proper ingredients. This little book helps me to prevent flops in the kitchen. I like the way the substitutions are listed in descending order of preference. Also, some substitutions require an adjustment of other ingredients and this is mentioned also. I have taped this poem into the inside cover of my well-worn copy:
I didn't have potatoes, so I substituted rice;
I didn't have paprika so I used another spice.
I didn't have tomato sauce: I used tomato paste
(A whole can, not a half can - I don't believe in waste!)
A friend gave me the recipe; she said you couldn't beat it.
There must be something wrong with her: I couldn't even eat it!
(Author unknown)
There are also useful recipes interspersed throughout the book.

I bought this book for myself a few years ago and loved it so much I bought one for both my sisters as wedding presents.

I live overseas and this book has been very helpful to me when I don't have access to an ingredient (such as tomato sauce--i use tomato paste and add the appropriate amount of H20 acc. to the book).

I have used this book for years and have also bought copies for all my culinary friends.
It's invaluable whenever a product I'm missing in my pantry pops up in a recipe.
Also, the tips and measurements section is helpful as well.