Avoid Cooking Disasters: Learn the Art of Substitution

It took me quite a number of years to realize that recipes do not have to be followed to the letter. I was always a stickler for making the new recipes I found the exact same way that the instructions coached. I'm glad to say that I got over that "quirk" and cooking is even more fun now.

There are many parts of most recipes that can use substitutions for the ingredients that are called for. One of those items is the spices that are used. If you are on a sodium restricted diet for example, you do not need to use salt just because the recipe says "salt and pepper." There are a number of substitutions that would taste great in the place of salt. Try using onion powder or garlic power for that substitution.

Experiment with various spices and herbs. If a recipe calls for rosemary and you happen to have sage and thyme on hand, go ahead and try to see if either of them (or a combination) will match well with the dish you are preparing. If the recipe calls for fresh herbs and you want to use dried, go ahead, but remember to convert the amounts. If your recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley or thyme, you will not be using 2 tablespoons of the dried variety.

Another thing that I have substituted many times is ground meat. If a recipe calls for ground beef, there is no reason at all not to use ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork in the recipe. I have not come across a recipe yet that it did not work well with. One note here is that if you are making something where the meat will be highlighted and not just put into a casserole (such as a meat loaf) the different kinds of meats will produce different flavors.

One of the easiest substitutions to make is with the kind of pasta you use. There are dozens of pasta varieties and many of them will work well with your recipes. You will be able to tell which pasta will be good with which recipe. Some things will not work very successfully; you won't want to use bow tie pasta in a macaroni and cheese or chili mac, most likely. Then again, maybe those are the kinds of experiments you enjoy trying.

Often casseroles will call for a particular vegetable such as corn or green peas to be added. This is another area where anything you want to substitute should work just fine. Try mixed vegetables or peas and carrots for a variety. Frozen vegetables work better for most casseroles so you will probably not want to substitute canned vegetables; they are much too soft and mushy for use in many recipes.

One vegetable that is very good in soups and casseroles that will need some extra preparation is carrots. Granted you can use frozen carrots but I've never enjoyed the flavor of those so I have used fresh carrots for all recipes where I used them. Just take a little extra time to cook them first. The already peeled baby carrots are an excellent choice because you will not have to use up more of your time with peeling them. Just keep them as they are or cut them in half and the only thing you will need to do is cook them until done. If it is a soup you will be putting the carrots into, this step isn't needed because they can cook right in the broth as long as there is enough cooking time to soften them (about 25 minutes).

Another thing that is very easy to change in a recipe is the kind of cheese that you use. A lot of recipes, for example, list "shredded cheddar cheese" as the ingredient to use. If you check out the shredded cheese section of the grocery store, though, you will see all kinds of options. There are mixes like Colby and Jack cheeses, or "four-cheese blend." There are pizza mixes and Mexican mixes and many more, so just decide which cheese may taste best with the kind of dish you are making.

You may be surprised to find that the substitution(s) you make in recipes, even your old favorite stand-by recipes, sometimes actually make it better than it had been before. Don't be afraid to experiment. If it seems like something will work in a recipe, go for it and give it a try. You may stumble across some new recipes that will become family heirlooms for years to come.