Empty shelves force cooks to get creative with ingredients amid coronavirus outbreak
Anyone brave enough to risk shopping of late has learned ground beef and chicken are as tough to find as toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
And heaven help shoppers looking for eggs.
The coronavirus outbreak not only has changed the way Americans shop — emptying shelves and closing stores — but it’s also changing the way they cook.
Home chefs are now being forced to improvise, as they discover key ingredients are missing and surmise a quick trip to the store is not the answer during a pandemic.
Ingredient alternatives are now a best practice, the Alabama A&M & Auburn Universities Extension noted in a recent report.
“With the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), having to undergo a quarantine of up to two weeks is a possibility,” the extension reports. “A quarantine can mean that you may run out of certain ingredients in your kitchen.”
Here is a list of key cooking ingredients and some easy alternatives, as suggested by experts at the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Nebraska and the Food Network.
- Cream of tartar = Distilled white vinegar or lemon juice.
- Vinegar = Lemon juice.
- Sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk = Plain yogurt.
- A cup self-rising flour = 3/4 cup and 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- A cup heavy cream for a baking recipe = 3/4 cup milk and 1/3 cup butter or margarine.
- Large egg for baking recipe = 1/4 cup applesauce.
- A half teaspoon baking soda = 2 teaspoons baking powder.
- A teaspoon of baking powder = 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream tartar, plus 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch.
- Chicken broth = A bouillon cube in boiling water.
- Butter = Vegetable shortening.
- Brown sugar = Granulated sugar and molasses.
- Crushed crackers = bread crumbs.
- Tomato sauce = Tomato paste mixed in water.
- Nutmeg = cinnamon.
- Cup of chili sauce = 1 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, dash of ground cloves and dash of allspice.
- One clove garlic = 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Red wine (any amount) = An equal amount of apple juice or white grape juice.
This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Empty shelves force cooks to get creative with ingredients amid coronavirus outbreak."