The Food Substitutions Bible: More Than 6,500 Substitutions for Ingredients, Equipment and Techniques

You'll never need another substitution book...

I wanted was a thorough substitution book that covered both the basics and the out of the way, unusual ingredients. But, I also wanted it to be formatted well. Formatting, I've discovered, makes a huge difference when you're pressed for time and trying to find an emergency substitution. Your fingers have to be able to flip through the book and your eyes have to find the page you're looking for in a few seconds. Formatting truly makes all the difference in the world when it comes to this kind of cookbook. For those of us who love to cook or just simply cook a lot, I finally found a book that I think hits the mark! It's this book! The first time I opened up this book it was hard to put down. I expected to find a very dry, boring book of substitutions. Please don't get me wrong. I was just expecting information that was only useful, not information that was engaging and interesting as well. This book drew me and my husband in with its funny stories and interesting tidbits of information. For example, savory is a spice I've come across over the years in various recipes and have puzzled about. It is "known in parts of Europe as the bean herb because its pleasant spicy nature benefits beans, peas, and lentils. Summer savory is milder and the spiky leaves are more tender than those of winter savory." p. 496 Under the substitution section for savory, several good alternatives that are on my shelf were listed--thyme, rosemary, and safe. This book is hefty at 696 pages. But, the heft is worth it. This book doesn't sacrifice meat for size the way other books I've seen recently do. The type is very readable. The formatting is excellent--all of my complaints I've had with other cookbooks this year about formatting are null and void when it comes to this book. The book is arranged in alphabetical order with several helpful ingredient and measurement guides at the end. I would suggest using some tabs to mark the guide pages at the end that you tend to use a lot, then you will be able to flip to them quickly. The ingredients in this book range from things you use every day to that strange spice you once saw in a Middle Eastern cookbook named Za'tar. Even "egg scissors" are explained. Now, although you might never use many of these ingredients, you never know. I wish I had known the substitution for Golden Syrup a few months ago when I bought a bottle of it for a specific recipe. I had no idea that the substitution of light corn syrup or maple syrup (both of which were in my cupboard) would have been quite easy. But, the true test of a substitution cookbook is whether they will work. I looked up many substitutions I've been using faithfully in my cooking over the years and they are in there. If there are substitutions you use regulary, make yourself a cheat sheet or use sticky notes to tab the pages you turn to a lot. There is a lot of information in this book and it will take up a bit of space on your shelf, but my feeling is--it's worth it! It's going to have a permanent place on my shelf for many years. My compliments to the chef--this is a great cookbook! Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from The Lisa Ekus Group.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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Highly recommended for everyone who loves to bake &cook!

It's a great resource guide. It chock full of very useful information. I love it & used it countless times when I'm baking & cooking. It's handy & has loads of information on ingredient substitutions or ingredients that can be made in the kitchen like powdered sugar. I just live this book! It's a valuable resource guide & am very happy to have it!

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