Recession-Friendly Baking Tips

Yep, times have changed and we’re rolling with the punches.  We’re back with our new “Recession Friendly Cooking Tips” column.  This week, we’re all about baking…

Occasionally, we’ll run into a recipe that calls for a some obscure or pricey ingredient, and I don’t want to invest in something I’m only going to use once.  No worries.  Here’s a few substitutions that don’t affect the outcome.

*Try replacing one cup of buttermilk with one cup of whole milk mixed with a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice.

*No glucose syrup in the pantry? Consider corn syrup.  No one will ever know.

*Out of self-rising flour?   Substitute one cup of self-rising with a cup of all-purpose flour sifted with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1.5 teaspoons baking powder. Voila!

 

I’ve always wanted to make fudge or caramel, but I don’t own a candy thermometer and I didn’t know if this was a one-time urge or a career.  So I wasn’t about to invest in one yet.  I learned you don’t really need one.   Just use a glass of cold water and a spoon.  As your sugar cooks, test the temperature by taking a small spoonful and dropping it into the water. Then feel it with your fingers.  If it’s soft and gooey, you’re in the soft stage.  If it forms a hard shell, you’ve got yourself a hard crack. Play around with different textures and see what you prefer!

If you don’t own a double boiler, now’s probably not the best time to buy one.  People melted chocolate and baked custards before the invention of the double boiler.  Alll you really need is a saucepan filled with barely simmering water and a glass or stainless steel bowl to place over it.  Anything heatproof does the job.