This piece serves two purposes. I promised Cordelia and Ninkasi that I would queue a piece to the the group in case the intended diary was not available for the evening. That actually happened to me a couple of years ago during an ice storm, before groups here were possible.
This is about those emergency kitchen situations when you are in the middle of preparing something and realize that you are out of a key ingredient and do not have time to go to the store and get more. Please realize that these are substitutions rather than replacements, so in almost all cases the real thing will produce a superior dish.
However, sometimes you just do not have time to get the real deal, and this is a guide to help you out in those cases. Some of them are pretty self evident, and others are not.
Milk
For regular drinking, there is not much substitute for cold milk in the jug. For cooking, you have alternatives. The reason is that fluid milk is pasteurized at relatively low temperatures, so it does not take on the "cooked" flavor of other forms. Dried milk and evaporated milk are exposed to temperatures that start the Maillard reactions, causing them to become somewhat darker and with less fresh flavor than fluid milk, and the same is true for milk in the aseptic containers that can last in fluid condition at room temperature.
None of this matters if you use milk in cooked products, because when it is cooked it undergoes the Maillard reactions anyhow. Always keep a can or two of evaporated milk in your cupboard for such emergencies. Remember, to replace milk in a recipe just dilute it two to one with cool water. Powdered milk is less convenient, because after mixing it takes quite a bit of time for the air to disperse, making measuring it inconvenient if you are under a time constraint. The aseptic packs are OK, but the shelf life of conventional evaporated milk is better.
Of the three substitutes, the powdered kind is better for drinking, but remember that it will be a few hours before the air is expelled. Also, powdered milk is rarely available in anything but fat free because of storage concerns (the fat reacts with air and makes it go off pretty fast), and many recipes really need whole milk.
Buttermilk
Some things are just better made with buttermilk, but it has changed over the years such that recipes 50 years or older actually ask for a completely different product. The buttermilk of yore was a fermented product derived from the skim milk left over from making butter in the sour cream process. While not perfect, it can be simulated by taking plain (unsweetened) lowfat yogurt and diluting it with about as much skim milk. That is really not much help, because hardly anyone keeps plain lowfat yogurt around these days.
A passable substitute can be made by taking regular milk and adding lemon juice to it (some sources recommend vinegar, which is fine if you cook the final product but the vinegar scent is quite different than real buttermilk in uncooked items). You will still have some lemon scent. A better alternative is to add citric acid (many folks who can tomatoes keep that around). The proportions are a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk, or a scant 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid per cup. Mix well and let stand for 10 or 15 minutes before using.
Chocolate
You are getting ready to make that cake from scratch, and realize that you are out of bakers' chocolate, or that yours has deteriorated. What to do? Use cocoa (which should be in every kitchen pantry) and fat. For each ounce of unsweetened called for, use three level tablespoons of cocoa plus one level tablespoon butter or lard. This will not work when solid pieces are called for, but works well for cakes and pies. You can use a bland cooking oil in place of the butter or lard, but the result is apt to be more soft.
Obviously this is not useful for dipping (since cocoa butter has a unique melting transition in the mouth) but is fine for pies, puddings, cakes, and brownies. Real chocolate is a bit better for them, but this works pretty well.
Cream
Cream is nothing but milk skimmed for its butterfat, but it has more protein than butter. You can add butter (unsalted, if in a recipe that does not call for any salt, and very few do) to milk and get the same result. Now, it will NEVER whip or be as good on fresh fruit, but for soups and other cooked foods this works well. Cream high in butterfat, so add about one third to one half butter to milk to make the required amount and enjoy.
As an aside, most sweet foods actually benefit from a trace of salt (the original flavor enhancer), so if you are following a sweet recipe, and it calls for salt, leave out the salt if using salted butter. I do not recommend margarine for this substitution.
Flour and Cornstarch
If your kitchen is out of flour, you are dead in the water for the most part. However, if you are out of cornstarch, you can still go. Both are good at thickening things, and if you are making pudding that calls for flour, just half as much cornstarch instead. Be sure to disperse it in cold water first, just like flour. Cornstarch requires much less cooling to dispel the "raw" taste, so it is a good choice for things that are thickened up fast.
Flour, on the other hand, needs some cooking before it tastes OK. If you are using a starch recipe, toast the flour either in a skillet with lots of turning at medium heat for around five minutes (not hot enough to brown it), or in the oven at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or so, tossing it every three or four minutes, still taking care not to brown it. For each measure of cornstarch, use twice the amount of cooked flour.
Unfortunately, cornstarch is a very poor substitute for flour for roux based gravies. With no protein to speak of, it does not undergo the flavor producing Maillard reactions that give good gravy its depth of flavor.
Brown Sugar
Most brown sugar is actually refined (white) sugar sprayed with molasses just before being packed. You can make an excellent substitute by drizzling 1 1/2 teaspoons of molasses (I like Brer Rabbit Green Label, but Grandma's is OK) over a cup of sugar for light brown, or twice that much for dark brown. If you are going to make something like cookies, you have to blend it in quite well so that you get a homogeneous product, but if you are dissolving it in a cake batter or some such, you can just add the two ingredients.
In the old days, brown sugar was partially refined white sugar, removed before it was completely purified. That is not commonly available now, but the end result is similar.
Maple syrup
Unless you are a pure Vermont 100% fan (and in my opinion that is the best, although if you look on the label most of them say that Canadian products are included), you can make a product that is better than the brand named for the little old lady at home for a fraction of the cost of even store brands for maple flavored syrups. It is easy!
I spent about three dollars for a 2 ounce bottle of Crescent Mapleine imitation flavor. McCormick also makes one, as do several other firms. With only a cup of boiling water, two cups of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of the flavoring agent, a syrup better than almost all of the other imitation maple ones is cheap and easy. I find it better than most off the shelf ones for several reasons. First, it has no high fructose corn syrup in it, second, it does not have the snotty mouth feel of extenders that most of them have, and third, it is CHEAP!
This is one entry where the substitute is better than the off the shelf item. Just make it in small batches and keep the unused portion refrigerated, since it does not contain much as preservatives go after mixing it.
This is traditional with pancakes and waffles, but is also excellent on ice cream. I think that you will like it. Just one last entry now.
Salt
This is not really an emergency substitute, but one for the long run. Many people have hypertension, and are advised to reduce salt in their diets. Because of its importance in the chemistry of cooking, there is not really a substitute for salt. However, it is relatively easy to cut down on sodium consumption by using a couple of tricks.
First, salt food whilst cooking. Youngest Son, in culinary school, tells me that studies reinforce what I have believed for ages: food salted lightly during cooking tastes better when served. Youngest Son says that the studies show that food with salt added at the table only ends up with, on average, FIVE times the amount of added salt than food salted properly when cooked.
Second, use other highly flavored seasonings where appropriate at the table. Lemon pepper is a good choice for many green vegetables, and adds no sodium (IF you take the trouble to read the label. Some brands have lots of salt in them, so check before you buy). There are also the "light" salts that are about 50/50 mixtures of sodium and potassium chlorides. I am not a real fan, because potassium chloride has sort of a foul flavor when used in more than trace amounts. Those on hypertension medication or with electrolyte issues need to speak with their physician before using such products, because some ill side effects are possible.
Well, there you have it. These are some emergency measures that you can take when necessary. As I said, none of these (except the maple syrup one) are as good as the real deal, but can make a mealtime disaster into a decent feast. I like the fact that I was able to turn the use for this piece into the topic for it as well.
Please respond in comments to how you have used tricks like this to avoid disaster. We all will be interested, I am sure.
Warmest regards,
Doc