Interesting culinary ideas come across at every step and there is an irresistible desire to try to implement each of them in your kitchen. But here's the bad luck - some of the ingredients in the recipes are very rare and expensive. Novate.ru suggests not to give up and just replace them with more affordable counterparts, many of which are probably in your kitchen.
1. Mascarpone
If you want to know which product is the real pride of Italians, we will answer - mascarpone cheese, which is made from the milk of cows or buffaloes. It has a creamy consistency similar to sour cream and a delicate creamy taste. Cheese is absolutely versatile, used for making pizza, pasta, and a huge number of delicious desserts, such as tiramisu. Thanks to mascarpone, dishes acquire a spicy taste, special lightness, tenderness and airiness. However, the cost of cheese is not cheap, to put it mildly.
If you are not yet ready to spend money on culinary masterpieces, try using a cheaper analogue, suitable in consistency, in the recipe. There are several options here: the most inexpensive is a mixture of cream and high-fat grated cottage cheese, a little more expensive - Philadelphia cheese or ricotta. Or you can go even further and prepare an alternative from fermented baked milk by simply freezing it in the refrigerator. The finished dish will turn out to be no less tasty than with the original ingredient, and hardly anyone will notice the substitution.
2. Anchovies
If you are a fan of Italian cuisine, then you must have noticed that anchovies are among the components of many recipes. However, this is not only a small fish, a special way of salting is very important here. After catching, the anchovies are placed in a previously prepared spicy salting, and then transferred to barrels filled with sea salt, and left there for two to three months. It is this procedure that allows the fish to acquire the very taste for which cooks appreciate it.
Therefore, all you need is to buy spicy salted small fish in the store. These can be sardines, hamsa or sprat - they will add spice and piquancy to the dish as well as traditional anchovies. If the recipe indicates that anchovies are not used as a full-fledged ingredient, but as a seasoning, you can try adding fish sauce, for example, Thai or Vietnamese, instead. The result will delight you - the sauce will enhance the taste of the ingredients, as well as add a magical aroma to the dish.
3. Maple syrup
Each national cuisine has its own ingredients, which pass through all culinary recipes as a leitmotif. In Canada, this ingredient is maple syrup. It is not only served as a sauce for pancakes and other baked goods, but also used in the preparation of candy, ice cream and even cornbread. Maple syrup has a special aroma and a light woody flavor, which may not be to the liking of a person who is not used to such delicacies. However, despite the specific taste, it cannot be denied that the product is a natural sweetener and, unlike the same sugar, is absolutely harmless to the body. The syrup does not cause food allergies, and also contains many antioxidants, vitamins, micro- and macroelements. As for the calorie content, it is quite small - 261 kcal.
If the cost of maple syrup seems too high or you don't like the taste of the original product, try replacing it with buckwheat or acacia honey.
4. Coconut milk
This product is an indispensable ingredient in many cocktails, sauces, desserts and even soups (especially Thai cuisine). The addition of this component makes the finished dish or drink more tender, airy and healthy. Coconut milk has anti-infectious properties, controls blood pressure, helps fight stress and cholesterol, and strengthens bone tissue due to its high phosphorus content.
If the product specified in the recipe is not at hand, replace it with regular milk or low-fat cream. They are suitable in consistency, but the characteristic coconut aroma can be given by adding a small amount of coconut flakes.
5. Rice vinegar
Rice vinegar has a mild, slightly sweet taste. It gives originality and piquancy to ready-made dishes, and is also less nutritious and acidic than its “brothers”. There are three types:
• white - the lightest and less saturated in taste, mainly used as a dressing for appetizers and salads;
• red - has a sweet and sour taste. It goes well with seafood, rice noodles and is an ingredient in many sauces;
• black - the thickest in consistency and rich in taste. It is used as a seasoning for meat during stewing and roasting. Present in recipes for sushi, rice noodles, seafood dishes.
Despite the fact that rice vinegar is not considered a luxury product and its cost is not very high, the product cannot always be found on store shelves. In this case, we suggest preparing a worthy alternative. To do this, take a small amount of regular vinegar, add soy sauce and sugar to it. Voila - the analogue of rice vinegar, suitable for most recipes, is ready.
6. Capers
If you are just starting your journey in the field of culinary or previously preferred to cook simple, understandable dishes for everyone, such an ingredient as capers can put you into a stupor, because it is more popular in Western Europe. What is he like? Capers are the unblown buds of the capers' flowers, which are distinguished by their olive color and small size. Most often they are sold salted or pickled. Capers have a pungent, salty, slightly tart taste and aroma that are somewhat reminiscent of mustard. This similarity is due to the fact that they contain a large amount of mustard oil. Capers are used as an additive and are not a staple in the dish. They are very useful for the body, as they contain many trace elements (calcium, phosphorus, iron, iodine, etc.) and vitamins (A, C, group B).
If you come across this ingredient in a salad recipe, replace it with pickled gherkins, and if in a meat or fish dish, then green olives. Of course, the taste is unlikely to be identical, but very similar is a fact.
And here 10 foods that last almost forever without losing their nutritional value