5 Food Substitutes That Will Save You a Grocery Trip

It's Wednesday night, your family is hungry, and you didn't have a chance to get to the store. You planned to make a certain dish, but you're missing an ingredient. Before you panic, search Google to see if there are any substitutes for that ingredient. It turns out there are a lot of food substitutes out there that do a great job impersonating the real thing. Here are five substitutes that might save a dish when you find that you're out of . . .

Buttermilk

Traditional buttermilk is the liquid leftover after churning fermented cream into butter. But today, most buttermilk is simply cultured. Most people don't keep buttermilk on hand in their refrigerator. So, when a recipe calls for it, rather than having to jet off to the store, consider adding lemon juice or white vinegar to milk. Either one of these acidic ingredients will provide that sour taste associated with buttermilk. Making homemade mashed potatoes or craving buttermilk biscuits? Just doctor up your milk with lemon juice or vinegar, and you're good to go!

Mayonnaise

Planning to whip up some tuna salad but realize you're out of mayo? If you have an avocado on hand, your problem is solved. All you have to do is cube the avocado, and then mash it with a spoon or fork until it makes a spread. Now use it anywhere you would normally use mayonnaise. You can even use avocado to substitute for mayonnaise as a recipe ingredient. Avocado contains roughly half the fat and calories of mayo, so you're doing your waistline a favor too!

Sour Cream

You're setting out all the fixings for beef tacos when you open the fridge and--no!--you forgot to buy sour cream. Before you wonder if your family will even eat tacos without sour cream, check your fridge for another ingredient: plain Greek yogurt. It may be a little thicker, but Greek yogurt has that same tanginess you crave in sour cream. Some people suggest adding a little lemon juice to the yogurt to infuse even more tang.

Heavy Cream

You've decided to make fettuccine Alfredo, so you go to your pantry for a can of heavy cream only to discover out you're plum out. Never fear! There's a really simple substitute for heavy cream that involves mixing 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch with 1 cup of milk. You'll stir the mixture until it's combined, then wait for your faux heavy cream to thicken. Heavy cream made this way may change the taste of your baked goods, so it's really only a good substitute for heavy cream in cooking.

Ricotta Cheese

Italian dishes sometimes call for ricotta--that mild, creamy, slightly sweet fresh cheese traditionally made in Italy. But unless you happen to be Italian, you probably don't have ricotta cheese in your refrigerator right now. There's a very close second for the cheese you need, and it's much more likely to be in your kitchen: cottage cheese. Also a fresh cheese, cottage cheese has a lumpier texture than ricotta, but this difference can be partly overcome. Drain your cottage cheese through a fine sieve, and you'll end up with a grainier texture that's more equivalent to ricotta.

Food substitutions can be a lifesaver when you're making a meal and are pinched for time. When you find yourself out of one of the above ingredients, be sure to check your kitchen for a suitable substitute.