Jean B. MacLeod

This is an odd sort of book. It's an alphabetical dictionary of any food ingredient you might need and what to use if you don't have it, or if you need to avoid it. Thus on the first pages we find:

ACHIOTE/ACHUETE See ANNATTO OIL; ANNATTO SEEDS

ACHIOTE PASTE/RECADO ROJO (Latin American seasoning and coloring) - 1 tablespoon
• 1 tablespoon Sazon Goya Seasoning
• 2 teaspoons ground annatto seeds or powdered annatto/bijol (for coloring; lacks seasoning)
• 1 teaspoon paprika (for coloring only)

ACIDULATED WATER (anti-browning agent for certain cut fruits and vegetables) - 1 cup
• 1 cup water plus 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (rinse well with fresh water after soaking)
• 1 cup water plus 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup water plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 cup water plus small pinch ascorbic acid granules, or 1 (250-mg) pure vitamin C pill crushed to a powder
• 1 cup apple juice (for holding prepared apples)

ACITRÓN (Mexican candied cactus pieces) - 4 ounces
• 4 ounces candied pineapple

On page 500 we find:

PECTIN, REGULAR, POWDERED - 0.4 ounce (enough for two 1/2-pint jars)
• 1 1/2 ounces regular liquid pectin (Add after the mixture is brought to a full boil, bring again to a full boil, and boil for 1 minute to activate the pectin.)
• 1 (0.6-ounce) packet instant powdered pectin (Reduce the sugar by half and prepare following the package directions.)
• 4 teaspoons powdered apple pectin (Add after the mixture is brought to a full boil, bring again to a full boil, and boil for 3 minutes to activate the pectin.)
• 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice, if not already included in the recipe (for jams and preserves; will also reduce the amount of sugar required)
• 1 slightly underripe quince, peeled and chopped (for jams and preserves)
• 1 crab apple or small tart green apple, peeled and grated (for jams and preserves)
• One-quarter of the fruit underripe and three-quarters of the fruit fully ripe (for jams and preserves)
• Increase the cooking time until the jam reaches the desired gel (will result in reduced volume).
PEKMEZ/PETIMEZI (thick Turkish sweetener) See GRAPE MOLASSES

PENNYWORT, ASIATIC/GOTU KOLA/GOTUKOLLE/BUA BOK - 1 bunch (4 ounces/1 cup sprigs)
• 1 cup baby arugula leaves, flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, or watercress sprigs

PEPPADEW/PIQUANTÉ PEPPERS, JARRED (South African sweet pickled Juanitapeppers)
• Pickled Italian cherry peppers or pepperoncini, plus a little sugar, agave syrup/nectar, or other sweetener added to the brine

and on the 741, final page of the list:

ZERESHK (Middle Eastern small dried berries) See BARBERRIES, DRIED

ZINFANDEL VINEGAR - 1 tablespoon
• 1 tablespoon Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar, or other mellow red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon red wine

ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS See SQUASH BLOSSOMS, SUMMER

ZUCCHINI/ITALIAN SQUASH/COURGETTES (straightneck, round, and baby/mixed colors) - 1 pound
• 1 pound pattypan or scallop, globe, calabacitas, yellow squash (straightneck or crookneck), Tromboncino, young Zuccheta, or Zephyr summer squash
• 1 pound young calabash/cucuzza, chayote, or bottle gourd
• 1 pound green, immature Potimarron squash (for round French zucchini/Ronde de Nice; more dense)
• 1 pound seedless cucumbers, such as Armenian, Asian, Persian, or Kirby (juicier)

That's it. A huge long list. No text. Very useful but very odd.

I received a review copy of "The Complete Food Substitutions Handbook: Including Options for Low-Sugar, Low-Fat, Low-Salt, Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free, and Vegan" by Jean B. MacLeod (BooksGoSocial) through NetGalley.com.… (más)

Seasoning Substitutions by Jean B MacLeod is another book she has put together than is both amazingly helpful while also being very interesting, though not really in a sit down and read cover to cover way.

So many recipes call for ingredients many of us don't keep on hand. In addition, there are times when we are simply out of something we usually have but don't feel like going out to get. This book is your savior at those times. The substitutions are often simple one-for-one swaps or a case of mixing common ingredients to get the taste similar to what you wanted. If this were the only good thing about this book it would still make it essential. However...

If you sometimes like to experiment with creating your own recipes or maybe trying to come up with a unique flavor for an old standby dish, this book will offer a world of ideas. Think of tastes you might want to combine, without worrying about availability. Then start looking through this book and seeing what might be similar and made from readily available ingredients. Play with it, have fun. This just opens up an incredibly wide range of possibilities.

Finally, I know some people who would likely enjoy reading through the book, maybe not straight through but starting with some vague idea then just letting the flow of ideas lead them on different paths through the entries. Not necessarily with any recipe idea in mind but just to imagine new things for future use. These are the same friends I have who read recipe books the way I read collections of short stories.

All in all, I would recommend this to anyone who even semi-regularly cooks. Being able to substitute, whether from lack of ingredients or from experimentation, is a valuable ability. This can make even a beginning cook start to feel like recipes are fun guidelines and not things set in stone.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.… (más)

This is an amazing book of substitutions that really reads like a dictionary. This would be a great addition to anyone's kitchen for swapping out ingredients for healthier choices. There are amazing recipes as well. The vegan ganache looks amazing and I did experiment with it, I was very pleased with the recipe!



Great addition for anyone that wants a complete and I do mean complete, book for healthy food swaps.




rel="nofollow" target="_top">This review was originally posted on Fictional Blonde… (más)