I think I would consider myself an adventurous cook. I'm not one of those people that tries a new recipe every night, but I do like to experiment every once in a while. Many times, these recipes call for ingredients that I don't typically use, and then, unfortunately, don't use again. For example, I tried some new recipe recently that called for cake flour. I bought a small-ish box, use a cup or two for the recipe, and since that time that box has sat in my pantry, untouched. Bad news.
Well if I'd been smart, I would have searched online for cake flour substitutes, because I would have found out that I could use all-purpose flour and cornstarch instead.
Although I don't spend a lot of money on ingredients that I'll never use again, I do spend some occasionally and looking back I feel like it's wasted money. Especially if there is a perfectly good substitute.
I have several cookbooks that have a page or two in the back dedicated to ingredient substitutions. I'm sure you do too. So next time you have a recipe that calls for some unusual recipe, don't waste your money; use a substitute.
2 comments:
Actually, you don't even need cornstarch. Just reduce the amount of flour by 2 tablespoons per cup. And yes, I agree, you can usually find a good substitute, make your own, or leave it out. However, there are a few things (or recipes) you can't do that with. The trick is to know when it won't work. But that is part of what makes cooking both challenging and fun.
Good point! In fact, I saw a recipe that called for cake flour, but I didn't have any. Thanks for the info on the substitute - I will have to try it out!
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