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The Four Basic Recipe Substitutions You Need to Know
Are they critical details or just the chef’s preference?
Have you ever looked at a recipe and thought, “What’s kosher salt? I only have regular salt” or “I don’t have a lemon, what could I use instead.” Have you looked in your pantry and wondered, “Why do I have five kinds of vinegar?”
These technicalities make recipes unapproachable to an inexperienced cook. And, more experienced cooks will end up with a pantry full of similar ingredients.
Each type of salt, sugar, acid, or fat exists for a reason. That reason was it was available at a particular time and location in the past when someone created the dish.
Nowadays, especially in the United States, we cook meals that represent many cultures. But this should not mean requiring cooks to own the staple ingredients from every part of the world.
A new cook who is creative and adventurous might switch apple cider vinegar for white wine vinegar, and everything will work out. But why does the chef call for one kind of vinegar or another?
This simple guide will help the beginner cook get off the ground, covering the basics. The actual amount of substitutions are limitless.
