Product Description

The best and most complete substitutions guide, by the author of A Man, A Can, A Plan.

Some of the greatest cooking discoveries are the result of creatively substituting one ingredient, one piece of equipment, or one cooking technique for another.

The Food Substitutions Bible compiles all types of substitutions into one comprehensive, easy-to-use handbook. Simply organized from A to Z, its 1,500 entries have more than 5,000 substitutions. This reference covers: - Common cooking measure equivalents - Metric conversion tables - International equivalency tables for temperature, weight and volume - Emergency substitutions - Time-saving substitutions - Healthy substitutions - Alternatives for hard-to-find and ethnic ingredients - Alternatives for vegetarians - Innovative ideas for varying the flavor of a dish in countless ways

Every substitution includes instructions with exact proportions for accurate, reliable replacements. When multiple substitutions are given within an entry, they are organized into categories for quick reference. Some of these include: If You Don't Have It, To Vary the Flavor, To Save Time, and For Better Health. The book also has an appendix with handy reference charts.

The Food Substitutions Bible is the most authoritative, comprehensive and easy-to-use book on substitutions ever published.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #189902 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 621 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780778801191
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
Most informative... I find I am using it all the time... information about the characteristics of foods, equivalents, and measurements. (Peg Rahn Pasadena Star-News 20060328)

A terrific resource... an instant must-have reference in my kitchen, and I know of nothing like it. (Dana Carpender Ventura County Star 20061213)

Entries are careful, offering definitions, detailed substitutions and often including suggestion for varying flavors or boosting nutrition. (Food Network Kitchens Orange County Register 20060810)

Well-researched, well-tested reference book... The guy is seriously detailed-oriented... endlessly useful. (Andrea Clurfeld Neptune Asbury Park Press 20050914)

A must-have for the serious cook. All charts, no recipes and no prose. Useful when you need it. (Marlene Parrish Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 20051215)

A compendium of alternatives for everything from allspice to wild rice. (Plus antelope, alligator, bear... (Aleta Watson San Jose Mercury News 20051123)

The book to turn to when you've found what you to make... [but don't want] to run to the store. (Kim Davaz Eugene Register-Guard 20051225)

More than 5,000 substitutions for almost every type of food... directions for making reliable replacements. (Sharon Thompson Knight Ridder Newspapers 20050913)

Offering practical information and great ideas, this book is packed with creative solutions. (Detroit News 20060119)

Full of very practical information... A must for the inquisitive cook. (Jennifer Mackenzie Peterborough Examiner 200601)

Packed with useful information... more than two pages of substitutes for butter alone. (Janice Okun Buffalo News 200510)

This would be handy reference for any cook to keep on the bookshelf. (Natalie Haughton Los Angeles Daily News 20051026)

This is the hands-down best [guide] I have ever found... you need this book. (Susan Miller Lewisboro Ledger 20051115)

A solid, useful work on using substitute ingredients and tools in the home kitchen... a clearly written and well-organized book. (Andrea Dietze Library Journal 20051128)

625 pages of highly useful information... If you've got questions, Joachim's got answers. Highly recommended. (Restaurant Hospitality 20090807)

A blessing to cooks all over... 5,000 substitutions for almost every kind of food, ingredient and measurement imaginable. (Jo Ellen O'Hara Birmingham News 20090924)

Great book... more than 5,000 creative solutions and fascinating info on everything from exotic ingredients to common cooking techniques. (Lynn Nusom Las Cruces Sun-News )

A complex, valuable guide to alternative ingredients, techniques and equipment. (Douglas Levy Oakland Press )

[This] is one of the best resources on the subject. (Jill Wendholt Silva Houston Star-Telegram )

It is truly the bible of food substitutions and should be in every reader's kitchen. (Sue Epstein Jerusalem Post )

About the Author
David Joachim has authored or edited more than 25 cookbooks. His book A Man, A Can, A Plan has sold more than 800,000 copies. He lives in Pennsylvania.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

Ain't nothing like the real thing, Baby
Ain't nothing like the real thing

Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing

Substitute me for him
Substitute my coke for gin
Substitute you for my mum
At least I'll get my washing done

The Who, Substitute

Both of the songs quoted above summarize my general philosophy of cooking. The lyrics of the first song make an impassioned plea to accept no substitutes, while the second song essentially says, "do whatever works."

When it comes to cooking, I truly believe that there "ain't nothing like the real thing." For instance, nothing tastes or acts quite like butter in cooking. But I am also a realist. I know from experience that sometimes you just have to get by with a substitute. Most cooks have, at one time or another, been in the middle of making a meal or special dish and found that they have run out of a key ingredient or don't have that special pan called for in the recipe. Other times, cooks simply want to create a different flavor or texture by experimenting with something new and exciting.

The answer to these dilemmas? Substitute.

Some of the greatest cooking discoveries have been and continue to be made by substituting one ingredient for another, one piece of equipment for another, or one cooking technique for another. Thousands of years ago, when our ancestors experimented with cooking food in clay pots rather than directly over an open flame, they opened the door to a slew of new moist-heat cooking methods, such as boiling, blanching, poaching, stewing, and steaming. Today, innovative cooks make all kinds of substitutions to suit their preferences. Those who like the taste of deep-fried food but don't care for the extra calories may turn to oven-frying, a lower-fat technique that simulates deep-frying by lightly coating the food in oil then baking it in a very hot oven. Other cooks improvise in a pinch by using whatever they have on hand. They substitute vinegar for lemon juice, oil for butter, and hot sauce for ground red chile peppers. Don't have the mirin called for in the recipe? Use a mixture of sherry and sugar instead. Can't find your fondue pot? Use a heavy stoneware dish set on a warming tray or a heating pad. Cooks make these sorts of last-minute adjustments all the time. Whether you change your ingredients, equipment, or techniques, substituting is a matter of tailoring your cooking to meet your immediate needs.

This book compiles a wide range of substitutions into one comprehensive, easy-to-use guide organized from A to Z. Beginning with Abalone and ending with Zwieback, it offers alternative ingredients, equipment, and techniques, including emergency substitutions, time-saving substitutions, healthy substitutions, alternatives for hard-to-find ingredients, alternatives for vegetarians, and ideas for varying the flavor of a dish in countless ways.

Many of the substitutions yield results that are remarkably similar to those you would achieve with the "real thing." For instance, 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) salt makes a very close approximation of 1 cup (250 mL) store-bought self-rising flour. For those seeking a less-rich alternative to whipped cream, evaporated milk whips up surprisingly well and makes a creamy, lower-fat substitute that you can dollop onto your favorite desserts.

Other substitutions in the book are not intended to imitate the original item. Instead, they are meant to inspire creativity or stimulate experimentation in the kitchen. For example, replacing apple butter with pumpkin butter will not approximate the original. But it may provide a flavor variation that takes your recipe where you want it to go.

Just keep this cardinal rule in mind: Substitutes will always produce slightly different results. Sometimes the results will be fabulous. Sometimes they may be even closer to what you are going for (if you are experimenting). No matter what you anticipate, expect the results to be at least slightly different when substituting one ingredient, piece of equipment, or technique for another. For instance, using all-purpose flour instead of cornstarch as a thickener produces a slightly coarser, fluffier texture and faintly wheat-like, somewhat earthy flavor. Cornstarch produces a finer, smoother texture and an ever-so-slightly sweet flavor.

Keep in mind, too, that food and cooking are subject to myriad minute variables of time and temperature; ingredient and equipment type, quality, age, and handling; and, of course, user skill level. Whenever you alter one of these variables by substituting, the results, however microscopic, are bound to be different. The fact is that in the ever-changing world of food production, there are few absolutes. And these are mostly mathematical equivalents. For example, 3 teaspoons (15 mL) will always equal 1 tablespoon (15 mL). But, believe it or not, many other mathematical measurements change, depending upon variables such as time, temperature, ingredients, cooking technique and even location. For instance, the boiling point of water is 212°F (100°C), right? Well, that's only at sea level. Go up 5,000 feet (1,525 meters) and water actually boils at about 203°F (95°C) because there is less atmospheric pressure on the surface of the water as it heats. Cooks who bake cookies and cakes at such elevation often increase their oven temperature by 25°F (14°C) and slightly reduce cooking times. The higher oven temperature helps batters and doughs set before the leavening gases overexpand as a result of the thin, dry air at that altitude.

As you can see, substituting is something that certain cooks do all the time without even thinking about it. If you live at high altitude, you are probably used to substituting amounts and temperatures for those given in recipes. If you are lowering your saturated fat intake, you probably substitute oil for butter when sautéing. If the herb cilantro tastes soapy to you, then you probably substitute another more agreeable herb such as parsley.

Substitutions can solve many problems in the kitchen. But they can't work magic. If you have run out of an ingredient and really want to replicate the original exactly, my advice is simple: don't substitute. If you absolutely must have the flavor of cardamom in a recipe, go buy some cardamom instead of substituting another spice such as cinnamon. Cinnamon will taste like cinnamon and not like cardamom. However, if you want to experiment with changing the flavor of your recipe, cinnamon may be an acceptable substitute.

Often, that's the reason I substitute one thing for another: just to try something new With that in mind, I hope you find this book both practical and enjoyable, a reference that inspires you with fresh ideas and gives you all the information you need to improvise with confidence at home or in a commercial kitchen.

I hope you have as much fun experimenting in your kitchen as I have in mine. Happy substituting!

--

How To Use This Book

1. The entries in this book are arranged alphabetically and cross-referenced like an index. The entries are alphabetized by the letter rather than by the word so that multiple word entries are treated like single words. For example, the entry Applejack appears after Apple Corer and before Apple Juice.
2. Each entry has been arranged into two columns. The left-hand column contains introductory and reference information. The right-hand column contains the substitutions.
3. The introductory information in the left-hand column begins with a brief description, useful tip, or interesting fact about the item. If the item is known by any alternate names, these alternate names appear just before the description. For example, the entry for Annatto Oil begins, "Also known as manteca de achiote." These alternate names are followed by the item's description, in this case, "Food coloring made from the hard reddish pulp that surrounds the seeds of the annatto, a tropical American tree. In Jamaica, annatto oil is used to color codfish cakes."
4. In many entries, the introduction is followed by a box of useful measurement equivalents, such as 1/2 cup (125 mL) 4 oz (125 mL). In some cases, the equivalents have been rounded for ease of measuring.
5. The substitutions in the right-hand column appear in bulleted lists and have been categorized under one of five subheadings. Most substitutions fall under the subheading "If You Don't Have It," which appears in a shaded box at the top of the right-hand column. These substitutions are intended to replace items that you have run out of or cannot find in your market. However, in some cooking situations, you may want to intentionally vary the flavor of the finished dish, save time when preparing it, or improve its healthfulness. These types of substitutions appear under the subheadings "To Vary the Flavor," "To Save Time," and "For Better Health." If a particular item, such as Eggplant, has several varieties, those varieties and their characteristics appear beneath a fifth subheading, in this case, "Eggplant Varieties."
6. In some entries, the suggested substitution is a basic recipe that may replace a common store-bought item. For instance, in the Annatto Oil entry, the first suggested substitution is a simple recipe for Homemade Annatto Oil. Every entry lists the preferred substitutions first, followed by those that less closely match the replaced item but still make a fair substitute. In most entries, canned, jarred, and frozen versions of fresh ingredients are not listed as substitutions. It is assumed that the reader will use discretion and preferences when choosing these common substitutes. In those few cases in which a canned, jarred, or frozen substitution is listed, the item being replaced is listed as fresh. For instance, in the Bell Pepper entry, the first substitution... (20051207)

Customer Reviews

About as good as you can expect from a 'Bible'. Buy It!
`The Food Substitutions Bible' by David Joachim runs a big risk in assuming such a pretentious title, as it simply invites a search for things which are missing in order to take it down a peg or two. I have to say, however, that compared to several other `bible' titles published by this `Robert Rose, Inc.' company, this book more than lives up to its promise. On the way, it happens to fill a great need in one's culinary library.

Most good cooking manuals have substitutions and `how to make' for several of the more common pantry items such as buttermilk, lemon juice, crème fraiche, and preserved lemons. It it's an especially good book, it may have as many as 100 such substitutions. This book advertises `more than 5000 substitutions'. The book doesn't just stop at one substitution or recipe for each item. Many options have three or four or five. It also does not stop with formulas or recipes. It does an excellent job, for example, of giving substitutions for common cooking tools such as a zester or a potato ricer.

Of course, I could not resist trying to find things the book missed. I am happy to say I did find a few, but I am also happy to say that with one exception, they were all very obscure. I found no entries for the ancient Roman fermented fish sauce, `garum' or the traditional French sour grape condiment, `verjus' or the middle eastern spice, `Aleppo pepper' or the North African pantry item, salt preserved lemon. I think all these are fair, in that I have seen recipes for all these in at least one cookbook and I have seen all of them used in at least two modern cookbooks.

I also felt some of the substitutions were just a bit less than useful, as the item being substituted may have been just as hard or harder to come by than the missing ingredient. For example, if I don't have venison, it is highly unlikely I will have antelope meat or gazelle meat or buffalo meat. Fortunately, this observation is generally a quibble, as we are also given `beef' as a substitute for venison.

My last quibble with these entries is that several substitutions are a bit questionable for all but the most casual situations. For example, suggested substitutions for mozzarella are Gouda, provolone, Muenster, and Fontina. I think all of these are much too strongly flavored to act as a good substitute for classic mozzarella uses. I suppose that if all you want is `some soft cheese', these would work, but I would question all of these in a baked dish or in classic raw dishes such as the Caprese salad.

The other side of the coin is brilliantly represented by the ingredient guides in the back of the book including apples, rice, clams, pears, dried beans, lentils, olives, mushrooms, potatoes, chiles (fresh and dried), flour (wheat and alternatives), Asian noodles, roe, crabs, oils, vinegars, and salts. These pages alone are worth the price of the book. I am forever trying to remember which apples are best for baking and which clams are best for chowder. I will have to puzzle no longer.

Oddly, this book will probably be more of a service to experienced cooks than to rank amateurs, as it is at its best with unusual ingredients. The experienced cook will also be much better at identifying the good from the bad substitutions.

Very highly recommended for all cooks!

Great Resource for Amateur or Experienced Cooks
I really enjoyed this book, even though like others stated, some of the items were so obscure I had never heard of them! LOL. Saying that, I would still recommend it highly for anyone who cooks. I mean who hasn't started cooking and realized they did not have an essential ingredient. I looked up several of my favorites items to see if any of the substitutions were feasible, most were. Each of the ingredients in their reference book includes a description of the item, i.e. Durum Flour: finely ground durum (high-gluten) wheat.

One of the features I liked about the book is that some of the listed ingredients, i.e. butter and all-purpose flour, include substitutions "To Vary the Flavor" or "For Better Health". Many of the substitutions also include info on how it might affect your recipe. For example, if you look up Butter, the "For Better Health" substitution states: 1/2 butter and 1/2 vegetable oil, best "for baking, especially quick breads and some cookie doughs: reduce baking time slightly; baked goods will be slightly more chewy; use pastry or cake flour for lighter texture..." This kind of info is just the thing to help make me a better cook.

The final sections include ingredient tables for common foods and include direction of what they are best suited (cooking, baking, eating). Other tables include ingredients with characteristics of each variety and what can be substituted within the categories (potatoes, beans, pears, apples, olives, legumes, lentils, mushrooms and more).

I definitely recommend this book for anyone who loves cook.

Belongs in every kitchen
This book deserves 5 stars on several accounts: 1) Sheer number of and variety of ingredients included;I thought I was fairly well read on food but I am learning all matter of new things--jaggery, anybody? Caerphilly? 2) Cookware is listed, too. 3)Lay-out: items are listed alphabetically, each with a straightforward description and specific quantities of the recommended subsitutions. 4)Obviously, a lot of very careful research went into this reference. 5)I've had it several months now and it continues to prove its usefulness time and time again.

The guiding scenario for the book is the cook who is trying to follow a recipe faithfully but lacks a required ingredient or implement. This is not for the person who has food allergies and sensitivities--most substitutions are from the same family of foods. Likewise, the cook who wants to make the stew calling for a cup of mushrooms but has a mushroom phobe in the family and is looking for something else to take their place is not going to find that kind of information.