During Covid-19 lockdown, most of you have found yourselves in the kitchen. Because of lesser items in supply stores and comprehensive requirements of materials in the pantry, you are subject to panic. But don’t fret. There are some really amazing life-solving options you can resort to when faced with a cooking crisis. Regardless of which crucial ingredient you have run out of, you don’t have to throw your much-sought-after recipe out of the window. With the help of much-needed kitchen hacks and simple substitutions, your day can be saved.
Try some of the emergency solutions to save a pending disaster when a proper ingredient is missing.
Chocolate
If the recipe demands 1 cup of unsweetened chocolate and all you got is some cocoa, you are good to go. Substitute 3 tbsp cocoa plus 1 tsp of vegetable oil/ melted ghee/butter and you will be rewarded with 3 tbsp of good chocolate. There are many other alternatives but this is your best bet.
Thickening Agent
Most sauces, gravies require flour as a thickening agent, but what if you don’t have any on you? For every 2 parts of flour, take 1 part of cornstarch or 1/4 parts of cooking tapioca and problem solved. Simple cookery hacks, isn’t it?
Sauce
To whip up about 2 cups of tomato sauce, you will need 1 cup of water and mix ¾ cup of tomato paste to it. Vice-versa, you can take a cup of ketchup and place it on simmer. Once it reduces to half, you will achieve ½ cup of tomato paste. It’s an easy fix.
Baking powder
When this common item is out of stock in the pantry, the first reaction is panic. Because it is commonly believed that there is no proper substitute to baking powder. However, if you add baking soda to a small quantity of tartar cream, you can expect decent results.
Butter
It is very much possible that you have used the butter in your kitchen to spread on bread. But don’t fret, pick some Ghee/ vegetable oil and add salt. You can freeze it if you want and it will give you a similar option in cooking.
Buttermilk
If the recipe needs Buttermilk and all you have on hand is some yoghurt or milk, you can achieve good results by mixing the materials right. You can use yoghurt and beat it by adding small amounts of water.