Cooking Equivalents

Lemon Zest, Lemon Juice, Horseradish, Mustard and Paprika Emergency Recipe Substitutions and Cooking Tips

It is fun to make recipes that have been in the family for ages and vintage cookbooks are also a great source of hearty recipes. However, this can also mean needing an ingredient you haven’t stocked in your kitchen spice cabinet for ages! Knowing an ingredients “equivalent” or substitution can save the day.  Mom demystifies zest, horseradish, mustard and paprika and provides emergency substitutions for these ingredients.

Horseradish:  Horseradish gives recipes a kick.  It is the secret ingredient in my grandmother’s crab dip.  The taste is strong, sometimes described as tangy and hot, sort of like very strong radishes.  Fresh horseradish root is twice as strong as bottled. Prepared, or bottled horseradish is mixed with vinegar and other flavors.  1 tablespoon fresh horseradish equals 2 tablespoons of bottled.  Horseradish is also served alongside Prime Rib and other meats.  You can also substitute 1 teaspoon of wasabe, or Japanese horseradish or a few drops of hot sauce.  Keep in mind these substitutions are much hotter than horseradish so start with small amounts and adjust to taste.

Mustard:  Mustard is another ingredient used in casseroles and dips to give recipes a kick. 1 teaspoon of dry mustard equals 1 tablespoon of prepared mustard.  You can also start with 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard and add more, adjusting to taste.  Before chilies and peppers arrived from the New World, Europeans used mustard and horseradish to spice up dishes.  Try adding a few drops of hot sauce or a dash of chili pepper if you don’t have any mustard.

Paprika:  Paprika is made from sweet, mild red peppers and has a light, delicate taste.  Its bright red color is also makes it a popular garnish.  If your recipe calls for a dash of paprika on top, it is probably there more for coloring than for flavor.  My grandmother’s hot dip calls for a sprinkle of paprika after baking.  You can substitute a dash of chili powder for color instead.  Chili powder has a smokier taste and is stronger so use sparingly.  Cayenne pepper is also red, but it is even hotter, so beware.  Another option is to decorate the top of your creation with something else, like minced parsley.

Lemon Zest or Citrus Juice:  Lemons add zip or tartness to sauces and holiday dips.  If your cottage garden is out of lemons at the moment, all is not lost.  1 teaspoon shredded lemon peel (zest) equals 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract or 2 tablespoons lemon juice.  The juice of one lemon equals about 2-3 tablespoons.  You can also substitute 3/4 cup lime juice for one cup of lemon juice.  Or  Substitute 1?2 cup vinegar for every cup of lemon juice.

Because these ingredients are mainly used as flavoring, feel free to experiment with different spicy ingredients.  For more of Mom’s cooking tips and apron humor visit her on the web at http://www.MomsRetro.com. Happy cooking!

About the Author

Laura Zinkan is a writer in California, she cooks up http://www.MomsRetro.com where you can find retro art and kitchen tips for busy cooks. She also cultivates a gardening site at http://www.theGardenPages.com with plant profiles, growing tips about succulents and native plants. Or drop by the LA blog http://www.angelcityart.blogspot.com to share her unique vision of California. Copyright 2009 by Laura Zinkan. Article may be reprinted if author credit is given with a website link. All rights reserved.

Cooking Equivalents - Substitutions 2.01

 

Cooking Equivalent

Top Five Cookbooks for the Cooking Fanatic

The smell of ribs smoking on the grill, the tangy sensation of barbecue sauce on the tongue, and spicy meat combinations are frequent characteristics of St. Louis, Missouri cooking. The tastes of St. Louis barbecue are world famous, and many people have tried to replicate those flavors at home in their own backyards. This has lead to a proliferation of great cook books meant to help people create delicious summer feasts.

Let’s take a look at the top five cookbooks dedicated to the kind of cooking Missouri has become famous for.

License To Grill

This classic from barbecue experts Chris Schlesinger and John “Doc” Willoughby doesn’t just focus on the recipes themselves—although there are more than 200 of them included in the cookbook—but also on the philosophy and techniques for producing the best barbecue results. They even include foods such as lamb, eggplant, and tomato that aren’t normally part of St. Louis food service, but which can still pack a tasty punch on the grill.

Texas on the Halfshell

This unique barbecue cookbook takes things to a hardcore level and actually includes instructions on how to build a smoker out of a 55 gallon drum, Texas-style. Written by Phil Brittin and Joseph Daniel, the book pushes St. Louis cooking aficionados out of their comfort zone and helps them expand their frontiers with some serious Southern barbecue recipes. This cookbook is a great resource for those looking for tips in food service or simple St. Louis style cooking.

BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbecue Belt

Combining a healthy dose of local folklore and the cooking equivalent of “fish stories,” this easy to read book by David Gelin is also jam packed with the kind of recipes that get passed down from generation to generation. Some of the suggestions in this book will be a revelation for anyone who has wanted to get full exposure to the different styles of barbecue cooking.

Marinades, Rubs, Brines, Cures & Glazes

The experienced barbecue enthusiast knows that it’s not just how you cook the meat, but how you prepare it beforehand that can make all the difference in the resulting flavor. In this cookbook, Jim Tarantino exposes little-known secrets of preparing meat through the use of more than 400 recipes. Not only is traditional American barbecue included in its pages, but the book also makes forays into the barbecue styles found on almost every other continent.

The Big Book of Barbecue Sides

Man cannot live by meat alone, and any successful barbecue joint or backyard picnic also serves a healthy share of sides to go along with the main meat course. While St. Louis, Missouri cooking might accentuate beans and slaw, this book by Rick Browne brings out some unique options like corn pudding, homemade salsas, and even pasta to help complete the barbecue experience.

This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts St. Louis. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts St. Louis offers Le Cordon Bleu culinary education classes and culinary training programs in St. Louis, Missouri. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/St-Louis for more information.

The jobs mentioned are examples of certain potential jobs, not a representation that these outcomes are more probable than others. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts St. Louis does not guarantee employment or salary.

About the Author

Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America provides quality culinary  training with professional chefs. Le Cordon Bleu offers programs in Culinary Arts, Pâtisserie and Baking, Hospitality and Restaurant Management, and Online programs. Visit  http://www.chefs.edu for more information. Le Cordon Bleu does not guarantee employment or salary.

Approx. what is the equivalent of a cooked chicken in cups (of chopped chicken)?

If you are talking if you were to cook a whole chicken what percentage would be the meat. you got to figure 1/3 of a chicken is unusable(bones, fat, etc) not sure how much it would be in cups. however take the weight of an average chicken just figure 1/3 off that.

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