The secret to frugal living: Save in the kitchen: Ingredient substitutions

Save in the kitchen: Ingredient substitutions:
Originally published in All You Magazine

Swap out pricey ingredients with cheaper substitutes—you'll save money and no one will be the wiser. Keep your grocery bill down with smart substitutions. Find the ingredient you need on this list, then switch it out for the cheaper (but just as tasty) alternative.

* Red Wine: Pure cranberry juice
* White wine: White grape juice or apple juice
* Mascarpone: Cream cheese mixed with a bit of heavy cream
* Buttermilk (1 cup): 1 cup milk plus 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or white vinegar (let stand for 10 minutes)
* Crème fraîche (1 cup): ½ cup sour cream mixed with ½ cup heavy cream
* Edamame: Green peas or black-eyed peas
* Maple syrup: Brown sugar with a little water
* Molasses: Honey
* Cake flour (1 cup): 1 cup minus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
* Macadamia nuts: Walnuts, almonds or cashews
* Fresh herbs (1 Tbsp.): 1 tsp. dried herbs
* Allspice (1 Tbsp.): 1 tsp. cinnamon plus 1 tsp. nutmeg plus 1 tsp. ground cloves
* Unsweetened chocolate (1 oz.): 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder plus 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
* Vanilla bean (1 inch long): 1 tsp. vanilla extract
* Chives: Scallion greens
* Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs

More Substitutions:
*FRUITS AND VEGETABLES:
Lemon juice: 1 tsp. = 1/2 tsp. vinegar
Garlic: 1 small clove = 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
Tomato juice: 1 cup = 1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water
Tomato sauce: 2 cups = 3/4 cup tomato paste plus 1 cup water

DAIRY PRODUCTS:
Eggs: 1 large egg = 1/4 cup egg substitute
Whole milk: 1 cup = 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water
Half-and-half: 1 cup = 7/8 cup milk plus 11/2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
Heavy cream: 1 cup = 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter plus 3/4 cup milk (to use for baking, not for whipping)
Sour cream: 1 cup = 1 cup plain yogurt
Plain yogurt: 1 cup = 1 cup cottage cheese (blended until smooth), buttermilk or sour cream
Buttermilk: 1 cup = 1 cup minus 1 Tbsp. sweet milk plus 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar (let it stand for 5 minutes before using)

FLOUR:
All-purpose flour: 1 cup sifted = 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cake flour
Cake flour: 1 cup sifted = 1 cup minus 2 Tbsp. sifted all-purpose flour
Self-rising flour: 1 cup = 1 cup minus 2 tsp. all-purpose flour plus 11/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt

SUGAR:
Granulated sugar: 1 cup = 1 firmly packed cup brown sugar
Brown sugar: 1 firmly packed cup = 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup molasses
Powdered sugar: 1 cup = 3/4 cup granulated sugar

HERBS:
Fresh herbs: 1 Tbsp. = 1 tsp. dried herbs
Dried herbs: 1 tsp. = 1 Tbsp. fresh, finely cut
Allspice: 1 tsp. = 1/2 tsp. cinnamon plus 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
Apple pie spice: 1/2 tsp. = 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg plus 1/8 tsp. cardamom
Pumpkin pie spice: 1 tsp. = 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. allspice plus 1/8 tsp. nutmeg

WINE:
Red wine: 1 cup = 1 cup beef broth, tomato juice or water
White wine: 1 cup = 1 cup grape juice, apple juice, chicken broth or water

CHOCOLATE:
Unsweetened: 1 oz. = 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Semisweet: 1 oz. = 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate plus 4 tsp. sugar
Unsweetened cocoa powder: 3 Tbsp. = 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted

CONDIMENTS:
Balsamic vinegar: 1 Tbsp. = 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar plus 1 tsp. honey
Light corn syrup: 1 cup = 1 cup honey
Honey: 1 cup = 1 cup maple syrup
Baking powder: 1 tsp. = 1/4 tsp. baking soda plus 5/8 tsp. cream of tartar
Cornstarch: 1 Tbsp. = 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Ketchup: 1 cup = 1 cup tomato sauce, 1/2 cup sugar plus 2 Tbsp. vinegar (to use for cooking, not as a condiment)
Dry mustard: 1 tsp. = 1 Tbsp. prepared mustard