If you have a recipe that calls for self-rising flour and all you have on hand is all purpose flour, what are you going to do? Run to the store and spend money on something you'll only use once? There's no need for that. Just convert your all purpose flour to self-rising flour using this formula: For each cup of self-rising flour you need, combine 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Alternatively, if you have all purpose flour and need cake flour, you can scoop up a cup of all purpose flour, then remove 2 tablespoons of the flour, and substitute 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Be sure to sift well after mixing the cornstarch in, before using the flour. Occasionally, I will want to use a recipe that requires buttermilk, which I never have at The House. It's easy enough to make buttermilk at home, as long as you have milk and vinegar or lemon juice. Using a measuring cup, pour in 4 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice. Add enough milk to equal 1 cup, stir, then let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes, as it curdles. Just adjust the proportions to equal the amount of buttermilk you need, and if there are leftovers, refrigerate until needed. I've seen it said the buttermilk can last for a few weeks, but I wouldn't keep it that long, so I would just make as much as I needed. Does anyone else have any MYO/Diy baking or cooking tips? I'm always on the lookout for ideas, so feel free to share yours!
I cant eat eggs as I have an allergy to them, but I switch out the eggs in a recipe for bananas. I find that it works just the same and sometimes it actually comes out even better. I especially like to make banana and caramel cake using bananas in place of the eggs. You can cook it in the microwave, especially as mug cakes, and they come out so light and fluffy. Way better than eggs when I make cakes with eggs for other people in my opinion, actually.
That's interesting. I would imagine it's difficult to have an allergy to eggs, since they seem to be in so many products, probably even more so than many of us realize. I have heard of substituting applesauce for the oil required by recipes, as well. What proportion of a banana do you use to equal one egg, and does it matter which size of egg the recipes calls for?
Yes but this can be expensive in the long run as the ingredients often cost almost as much as the product itself, if not more. At least where I'm from this is the case.
Good tips Diane Lane. I would probably use the cake flour one for sure, and maybe the buttermilk one as well. I mean they sell cake flour, but I don't make alot of cakes so it wouldn't be practical for me to have. Howevre, making this recipe might be something good. I would think so. I wish other people would put food hacks on here, as there are many of them.
I did not know that bananas can be switched for eggs in a baking recipe. I will be trying that one soon. Not that I am allergic I just like the idea of using something else in the recipe. Bananas are hard to keep in this house, we eat them as fast as they come into the house, any left go into smoothies or banana bread.
Thanks for the tip, my mom used to love baking when she was alive, while I don't even know how to bake. However, here is one site that gives you tips regarding baking in general:Log In
We buy the morning bread every day and one time our housemaid joked that we can bake our own because she had studied a course on bread-making. And we have an oven so what is the problem? I'm still contemplating if it would be economical because it is not easy to make the dough. Besides, it is impractical to bake bread for 3 or 4 people only. Now, the suggestion is going far, our 2 housemaids are joking that maybe we can sell bread to our neighbors so it would be economical for us. Hmm, let me think about it. Can I have the calculator so I can compute for the cost of the ingredients and the processing?
You can actually make great pancakes this way too! You use bananas isntrad and they come out super fluffy and flavorful. They are also lighter I feel and sweeter without being cloying.
It can be surprising what egg is in. They use it for a glaze on breads for example which can be frustrating for sure! I've also heard of substituting applesauce for oils and butters before. I've made applesauce "brownies" (I suppose blondies might be more accurate though) which required no butter or oil and those came out surprisingly well! It depends on how big the banana is, but I usually cut it into chunks about 1 inch thick and add 4-5 chunks per egg required in the recipe. I usually under estimate though. You can tell the consistency isn't quite there, so then I'll add a few extra chunks if it seems to need it. How ripe the banana is can effect it too. The softer it is the less I seem to need. Good luck trying it in a recipe! I was a little unsure about how it'd turn out but they always seem to come out nicely when I do it! I love banana bread which means there's often not many left here for recipes too! Bananas can be frozen then blended to make an icecream of sorts as well. They make great fluffy pancakes! I forgot about using them that way it's been so long since I've done it. I might just have to make banana pancakes tonight!
Yes, I have subbed applesauce in a number of baked goods. I think it works really well. It is just one of the ways you can add liquid to your baked goods. I don't know if using applesauce saves money, but it certainly saves calories and I think it tastes just the same. You don't need to take an immediate trip to the store either if you are out of something.
I have never tried making my own baking goods, but I used to make my own laundry detergent and fabric softener all the time and both worked amazingly well. I saved quite a bit of money that way too.
Now I feel like banana pancakes as wel... Should have had breakfast! I also substitute milk for oil sometimes. Milk might make the mixture take longer to cook but I find it healthier overall as well.
Unfortunately I'm allergic to milk too, but I've used oat milk before to make pancakes and they seem to turn out pretty well. Better than with soya milk anyway. The soya milk seems to make the pancakes heavier I find. I'm also fine with using water in place of the liquid in pancake recipes though. I'd rather use water than oil if I'm trying to watch calories especially!
It never would have occurred to me to substitute banana chunks for egg, or milk for oil. Of course, I tend not to have milk in the house, but right now I do, since I have some of the shelf stable milk, which is a godsend. I do often have bananas, though, and usually they're soft ones, since I eat them when they're firm, so if I don't eat them quickly enough, I could definitely consider swapping out the eggs in the recipes for banana chunks. Eggs are sometimes pretty expensive, so that would also be a money saver, and then I'd have more for making actual food like bacon and eggs.
I'm so sorry you're allergic to milk! Have you tried almond one? I drink that now instead of regular milk and I wouldn't go back! They even have vanilla flavored alternatives that make the food even tastier.
That would really depend on what would be convenient at that time. I can research about a good alternative if there's no available ingredient in a store. If I have extra money and there's no available ingredient at home instead then I would buy it from the store. Based on the hacks you've posted, it seems that it would require a person to spend more just to be able to provide a substitute to the original ingredient that's lacking.
If your maid wants to make bread, why not have her make some and see how well you like it, and then you can decide whether you think it is worth it for her to keep making it. If you are just looking at price, and you buy cheap white bread, then you probably can't bake it much cheaper yourself. However, the taste difference between home baked bread and ANY store bought bread is incredible ! there is just something wonderful about the aroma and flavor of fresh hot bread, that nothing can compare with it. Also, there are so many different kinds of bread that you can make, that you can enjoy gourmet bread every day, for about the same cost as you would pay for a loaf of plain storebought bread. I say......have her make some and check it out before you decide not to do it, @Corzhens ! !
All of my friends love brownies and are constantly buying brownie mix. It is so expensive sometimes at the premium grocery stores where they shop. So, I make my own. Here is a link to one of the various recipes I have used to make my own mix:Log In. Sometimes, I make really large batches (like 5 times the amount) and mix it up really well. Then, I store it in an air-tight container. Then, I just scoop out as much as I need at a time. Once you do it once or twice, you pretty much learn how much you need for the size of your pan. I haven't bought brownie mix in years and a regular sized batch of brownies costs me around .30 cents (US).
