Conference turris::cooks

re: -< Substitutions >-

There is an egg replacement product call "Egg Replacer" made by Ener-G, a
company that makes replacement products for allergic people. Its  a powder
that mixes 1 tsp with 2 Tbs of water to replace 1 egg. I have used it
successfully in baking, though I havent tried it in custards or other very
"eggy" things. Milk can be replaced one-to-one with soy milk, with no change
to the recipe. It can also be replaced by juice or water in baked things but
then you should add some baking soda as well as baking powder. I am not sure
of the exact proportions, but if the recipe calls for 1 tsp of baking powder I
put that in plus 1/2 tsp of baking soda.  I can get both the egg replacer and
the soy milk at my local health food store in NH, so if you are on either
coast you should be able to find them (my impression is that health food
stores don't exist in the middle of the country so I dont know what you do
then). 

Eryn Utz

Liquid replacement for 1 extra large egg = 1/4 cup liquid (light - not to
                                                           the brim)

If you are depending on the egg for leavening of the baked good, then
you must add soda (1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. baking powder).  If it is a 
product like corn bread or something, it also helps to substitute 
1 tablespoon of the liquid with vegetable oil, so that the 1/4 cup
of liquid is made with 1 tablespoon oil and then the balance of the
1/4 cup in liquid of choice.

    I read somewhere that vinegar was a good replacement for egg. Sounds
    daft I know but I have tried it for pancakes with good results.
    I dont think I replaced all the egg - I seem to remember we had
    run out so I put in vinegar for one egg. I'll try to remember to
    look it up
    
    Rod

    I make pancakes without egg by souring the milk with vinegar.. works
    perfect and the pancakes have a nice airy texture.
    
    gailann

    ps.  a combination of cornstarch and soured milk can also be used
    in place of milk in some recipes...  
    

    Is there a substitution for brown sugar using some combination of
    molasses and white sugar?  Or maybe even using just molasses?

    I tried white sugar and molasses.  It didn't make it.  It has an
    entirely different taste.  I'd be interested in a susbstitution
    too.

The lightest form of molasses, used very sparingly, is your best bet.  I
would guess the ratio would be 2 tablespoons LIGHT molasses to 1 and 1/4
cup granulated sugar....remember brown sugar is packed down, you probably
are looking for slightly more that 1 cup white sugar to be equivalent in
sweetness....another possibility to replace brown sugar is white sugar
with a couple tablespoons table syrup (maple-type breakfast syrup)...the
taste in either case might not be exact, but could come very close.

    
    	LOOKING FOR A SUBSTITUTE 
    
    
    Hi , I am in the process of putting myself on a diet, and I want
    to make this chicken pie, which calls for 1/2cup of melted butter.
    Does somebody know a substitute for that so as to lower calories.
    
    Thank you 
    
    Blanca
    

       re .0:
       
       Depends how the butter is used.  If it's used for sauteeing stuff
       (vegetables or the chicken), then use a non-stick pan with either
       no butter or a small amount of spray-on stuff (PAM, or something
       similar).  
       
       If the butter is being used for a crust, or with flour to make a
       base for a sauce in the pie, then the only thing I could suggest
       would be to reduce the amount of crust that you use, or use less
       butter and flour (which makes a runnier sauce).
       
       FYI, one-half cup (1 stick) of butter or margarine has over 800
       calories, and a cup of flour has 400 calories. 
       
       --Mr Topaz 

Try low cal margerine.   Fleischmanns makes a light with reduced salt, 
fat, and calories.  I forget how many are in a tsp verses regular, but 
it is something like 25-30% less.

If the butter is just used inside of the gravy, try substituting 
chicken broth, wine, or lowfat milk.  I've used all with success.  I 
also just leave it out with no problem (like in rice pilaf mixes, 
etc).

I add Molly McButter or butter buds to food for the FLAVOR of butter and use
chicken broth for the moisture content.  This works well for anything but a
crust....needless to say, diets do not have substitutes for pie crust mixtures
- the butter or other fat is necessary for the crust.  In the light of your
diet, try making a chicken stew or soup INSTEAD of a pie - the best diet is not
a diet at all, but a change in the lifestyle that made you
fat...PERMANENTLY.....making wise choices of food, low-fat, well-balanced, and
high in complex carbohydrates and fiber, will ensure you lose your weight and
keep it off. 

			D-who-stopped-dieting-and-started-being-healthy

    For crusts, sauteeing, and anything else you would use butter for I
    have found SOY butter to be a healthy and tasty substitute.
    
    								Dave N.
    

    I want to try a new recipe for white fish.  It calls for 1/2 cup of
    sherry or white wine, however, and I prefer to not use this.  (I don't
    keep any in the house.  Is there anything I can use as a substitute? 
    It is being used as a basting ingredient.  The directions say to put
    the fish in a casserole dish, sprinkle with garlic and oregano, and
    then pour the wine over it.  Any ideas?
    
    J.

    You could use clam juice, although the flavor won't be the same, or
    chicken broth.   There wouldn't be any alcohol left by the time the fish
    is cooked anyways, but I know some people prefer not to use wine even
    so.  I usually poach fish and shellfish in Entre Deux Mers, if I have
    any in the house - an especially good wine for scallops - although we
    often don't have anything but cheap California sherry (used for cooking
    only; "cooking" wine is too salty) available since we do not usually
    drink wine except when we host a dinner party.   If you substitute
    chicken broth, you probably want to dilute it with water so it won't
    overpower the taste of the fish.  You could even experiment with apple
    juice or other fruit juices.
    
    /Charlotte

    Actually, I've heard "they" (who?  don't know) have finally put
    the "all the alchohol evaporates" theory to a test, and have
    found that it does not.  Some does, but at least half is left.
    So if people are recovering alchoholics or do not care for the
    calories or don't like alchohol or don't keep it in their homes
    for any other reason, cooking wine is taboo too.
    
    --Louise

The topic of evaporation is not an answer to the question posed by the base
note.  So please let's leave it at that and not start the discussion again.


In answer:

Use your own fish stock, or the stuff many fish markets sell frozen.  Or you
can use clam juice (bottles available at many supermarkets), but it's very 
salty, so eliminate other salt from the recipe until you taste it.  

Chicken broth is ok, but water would probably be better to avoid changing the
flavor (as mentioned in .1).  

    I have, on occation, used a quality cider vinegar diluted with water or
    vegetable oil (depending on the dish). I do not remember the ratio of
    vinegar to water/oil, but this mixture (vinegar/water) retains some of
    the original "wine like" taste. A "wine vinegar" would work also I
    suspect, BUT I prefer the cider vinegar.
    
    Bob G.
    

    Try italian salad dressing.
    
    

  You didn't say why you don't want to use wine, but if it's to avoid
  alcohol, there are some "non-alcoholic wines" on the market, which
  I've seen in some supermarkets and liquor stores. I believe that the
  alcohol content has to be lower than some percentage to be advertised
  as "alcohol free", but that it may not necessarily be zero, and may
  still not be suitable for those with alcohol dependency. A chapter of
  AA might advise on the suitability of these products.

    About cooking off the alcohol -- I imagine it depends on the method
    of cooking -- when I use wine, I reduce it almost 100% -- I doubt
    there's any alcohol left --
    
    However, if I simmered something in wine, it wouldn't surprise me if
    some of the alcohol remained.
    
    					andrew

    My mother used to cook a Sukiaki recipe that called for some amount of
    either sake, white wine or 7-up.  I have no idea if that would make a 
    good substitution in any other recipe.

    I just read a magazine article entitled "Saavy Substitutes for the Real
    Thing," and in place of white wine in cooking, it says to use an equal
    part white grape juice, with about 1 Tbsp white vinegar for every 1/2
    cup of grape juice used.  The same for red wine, except she says to use
    Cranberry-juice cocktail in place of the red wine, and 1 Tbsp lemon
    juice for every 1/2 cup used.
    
    Thanks for all of your help and suggestions!
    
    J.

    I'm not sure that this is how to Write a new Note, but if this goes
    into the wrong place, please forgive me.  I've been away from Notes for
    a long time, but now have a terminal at home again, so have a question
    that has been plaguing me.
    
    I am a new Insulin Dependent Diabetic, and have been having a good time
    working on the idea of creating all kinds of goodies.  Now that I can't
    have any sugar.....I CRAVE DESSERTS....and I'm a person who never liked
    sweets......Figure that if you can....Depravation, I guess.
    
    I have allo kinds of sugar substitute in the house...Sugar Twin
    (regular and brown), Equal, Sweet Ones, etc.  Nowhere on any of the
    packages do any of them tell you how much to use of the stuff to equal
    the sweetness of sugar.  i.e., one packet (sweetness of 2 tsp. sugar)
    for 1/4 c sugar......
    
    I've researched this at the Library, in all the Diabetic Cookbooks I
    can find in the bookstores (but can't afford to buy yet), and nowhere
    does it tell me what to do.  
    
    I hope someone here can give me a clue......  If not, I have an
    appointment with the Dietician at Marlboro Hospital on Thursday and may
    call her in advance to set up an appointment with the Head Cook for
    the kitchen at the Hospital.  They are going to start a Diabetic
    Cooking class up there at the Hospital evenings in January that I WILL
    be attending, but in the meantime, can anyone help me?  Such delicacies
    that I am missing.....
    
    Sorry this is so long winded, but I'm frustrated..

With EQUAL, 1 packet equals 2 teaspoons of sugar.

1/4 cup is 4 tablespoons, is 12 teaspoons, or 6 packets.

Be aware that you can't cook (i.e. bake, fry, sautee, broil, etc.) with 
nutrasweet brand sweetener, you must use a saccharin based sweetener.

    		3 TBl Cocoa powder + 1 TBL Butter

    Here I am again, asking another substitution question.
    
    My 17 month old son is allergic to milk protein so I
    bought a breadmaker to make his bread.  Unfortunately,
    all of the recipes call for some sort of milk and butter
    (two things he cannot have).  Can I substitute water 
    for milk and oil for the butter?  What amounts?  Do you
    think it would be a 1-for-1 substitution?
    
    Thanks,
    Terry

Try reading 1475.*.  1475.1 suggests using soy milk and 1475.12 suggests using
soy butter.

    Suggestion - My mother-in-law is "lactose intolerant" and uses
    her breadmaker almost daily. 
    
    Her substitutions are "potato water" equal to milk measurement 
    in recipe. She makes this up be boiling cubed potatoes and saving
    the "broth". You can refrigerate the liquid for several days.
    
    Instead of "butter" she uses a vegetable oil based margarine. Not
    the soft spreadable kind by the stick margarine. Again, use the 
    same amount as your recipe calls for.
    
    I have found that many recipes for breadmakers will require
    adjustments. This all depends on altitude, etc. Your mileage
    may vary.
    
    
    
    

    re: .29 (use potato water as a substitue for milk)
    
    But, but, but - the reicipe that came with my breadmaker calls for
    powdered milk.  Seems like substituting a liquid would make it too wet. 
    Or does she use the potatos too and that somehow makes up for it???
    

    Good thinking - about the additional liquid.  I never
    thought of how the recipe may change with additional
    liquid.  In fact, my first inclination was to just
    substitute water.  I've ordered a cookbook that contains
    all milk free recipes.  I'm hoping this cookbook will
    have a bread recipe.
    
    Thanks again,
    Terry

    I haven't added milk to any bread recipe in more than 15 years.  There
    doesn't seem to be anything magic about it.  The potatoe water would be
    fine, but just directly substitute that for the water the recipe calls
    for.  Oil, shortening, or lard should substitute well for the butter. 
    (I know lard is PI in this day and age, but there is no substitute in
    some of my recipes.)
    
    meg

    I only have a couple of bread recipes that I ever actually bake that do
    call for milk - most of them just have water in them.  I bake bread
    maybe once a week, more often in the winter, but I do not have a bread
    making machine.  When we are on vacation, I usually bake bread for
    every day's lunch and dinner, in the "ad hoc" style (no recipe), and if
    there is some milk powder left over, I add it if I think of it since it
    makes the bread taste richer.  It doesn't seem to affect the quantity
    of flour it takes to get the dough to the right texture for a given
    amount of water: it takes about 3 1/2 times as much flour, by volume,
    as liquid, depending on the humidity and and how much other semi-liquid
    ingredients (like honey) you added.
    
    /Charlotte

    .30 and .32 - 
    
    The potato water substitution replaces the water/liquid called for in a
    recipe. You will have to "experiment". I know that sometime my
    mom-in-law will just boil 1 potat and puree it into the liquid before
    measuring and sometime she just uses the liquid. 
    
    I would call her and ask for the details but she is out motorhoming for a
    month, and get this she bakes up bread and freezes it to take along on
    these "camping" trips.
     

    I'm sensative to milk protein as well.
    
    I've successfully substituted soy milk for milk and margarine (Fleishman's
    unsalted) or shortening for butter.  Some margarines have a small amount
    of dairy in them, so look for those that are marked "pareve".
    
    Soy milk is also available in dry form, for recipes that call for 
    non-fat dry milk.