What are some of the substitutions you can make when cooking? For instance, if I don't have sherry, can I use Madeira? If it asks for a demiglace, can I just use a stock and thicken it?
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If you do decide to make your own demiglace use chicken stock that you made yourself. I tried it once & I’ll never do it again. Too time consuming. As far as substituting Madeira for Sherry, I’m really not sure. I keep a bottle of inexpensive Sherry (dry) on hand at all times just for cooking. My primary use for Sherry is stir fry.
Thanks Alta. Actually, those were just examples. I'm wondering what people here have substituted in their cooking with no ill effects.
I know who shouldn't answer this question. 
I frequently use chicken livers instead of foie gras.
There is NO substitute for demi glace. And commercial demi glaces blow. Subtituting wines is fine. I do it all the time. As long as the volume remains the same, the only change will be in the flavor. Obviously sherry isn't going to make a good veal marsala.
PH
PH
quote:I frequently use chicken livers instead of foie gras.
What's wrong with you?
Don't you know how brutal those chicken livers are treated!
Helpful hint:
Demiglace IS time consuming, so do yourself a favor. Make more than you'd ordinarily need; then pour the leftover into icecube trays, cover in plastic wrap, and freeze. Now you have controled serving amounts that you can drop into a skillet whenever you wish.
Demiglace IS time consuming, so do yourself a favor. Make more than you'd ordinarily need; then pour the leftover into icecube trays, cover in plastic wrap, and freeze. Now you have controled serving amounts that you can drop into a skillet whenever you wish.
Good advice, mneeley490. I have a quart of demiglace in various portions in my freezer for future use. It is time consuming (but very easy) to make. Well worth the effort.
PH
PH
A recipe is only a point of departure, anyway. If a recipe calls for 1 tsp dried basil, I give it 2 to4 tsp, depending on what it is I'm making. I don't like green bell peppers, so I substitute red bell peppers. "1/4 cup chopped onions" means 1 cup chopped onions. "1 clove garlic?" Are you kidding me? What's the point of 1 clove? Give me 6 cloves. "1 cup water" might mean 1 bottle of beer, or half a bottle of wine, slightly reduced. In a bread or biscuit recipe, "1 cup milk" becomes 1 cup orange juice and a couple tbs dry milk (try it in your next batch of buscuits), or half a cup milk and a couple of mashed bananas. "2 cups flour" can become 1 cup flour and 1 cup rolled oats, with milk or flour added to adjust the consistancy. 1/2 cup shortening can become 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup olive oil. Yes, baking recipes aren't as forgiving as others, but after a few hundred loaves of bread and batches of biscuits, you learn how to improvise.
When making something new, I try to find a few versions of a recipe to understand the parameters, and then it's off to the races with my own version.
Sorry that wasn't exactly responsive to your post, but I usually don't think in terms of substitutions, but in terms of what do I have to work with, and what do I absolutely need that requires a quick trip to the store.
When making something new, I try to find a few versions of a recipe to understand the parameters, and then it's off to the races with my own version.
Sorry that wasn't exactly responsive to your post, but I usually don't think in terms of substitutions, but in terms of what do I have to work with, and what do I absolutely need that requires a quick trip to the store.
quote:Originally posted by mwagner7700:
What are some of the substitutions you can make when cooking? For instance, if I don't have sherry, can I use Madeira? If it asks for a demiglace, can I just use a stock and thicken it?
You weren't really looking for answers to those question. You were trolling, right?
