soulgifts – Telling Tales

Dare I say it? Coronavirus panic. Here, it’s gone ridiculously crazy. Stockpiling is out of control. So, in the spirit of sharing knowledge and providing alternatives to some things that are well, scarcer than hen’s  eggs – I present you with an egg alternative.  And a few other tit bits.

The stuff in canned beans that I thought was oil actually has been given  a name – aquafaba– Latin for water and bean.  I didn’t know that till I researched it. It’s actually pretty cool stuff.

It can be used instead of eggs. ..

I was googling information for basic ingredient substitutes like cream, egg whites, egg yolk, yeast.  As you do.  I sometimes run out of stuff at the most inconvenient times. Or don’t have it in stock and it’s too late to go to the shops.

To my surprise I found a whole LOT of really useful information. I know, I know. I may well be one of the last few to stumble onto this treasure trove.

Here, let me share some of it with you. It’s really interesting. And you just need to know this! Trust me.

For example fresh yeast is not readily available here. I have had to resort to using the dry variety. My recipes are old. When fresh was best and dry was unheard of. How much fresh opposed to dry should I be using?  Rule of thumb 10gm fresh = 1 teaspoon dry.

Did you know there is a whole range of cream substitutes? I didn’t.

Cream	Amount	Substitute
Heavy Cream substitute	1 Cup	3/4 Cup milk +plus 1/3 Cup Butter or Margarine (*for use in baking or cooking)
		*OR* 2/3 Cup Buttermilk +plus 1/3 Cup Oil
		*OR* 1/2 Cup part skim Ricotta Cheese +plus 1/2 Cup nonfat yogurt (Blend this well)
		*OR* 1 Cup Whipping Cream
Whipped Cream substitute	1 Cup	Whip a can of completely chilled Evaporated Milk (13oz) with 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Sour Cream substitute	1 Cup	1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice plus enough Cream to make 1 Cup
		*OR* 1 cup Plain or Greek Yogurt
		*OR* 3/4 Cup Buttermilk mixed with 1/3 Cup soft Butter
		*OR* 6 ounces of Cottage Cheese blended with 1 teaspoon of Lemon juice
Light Cream substitute	1 Cup	3/4 Cup Milk +plus 3 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine (*for use in baking and cooking)
		*OR* 1 cup Evaporated Milk
Half and Half substitute	1 Cup	1/2 Cup Whole Milk +plus 1/2 Cup Light Cream
		*OR* 3/4 Cup Whole Milk +plus 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
		*OR* 7/8 Cup Milk +plus 1/2 Tablespoon Butter or Margarine
		*OR* 1 cup Evaporated Milk

Gemma, a professional chef shares baking secrets here – Bigger Bolder Basics.

Here’s just a few: egg white substitutes are literally coming out  of my ears! 1/4 cup per egg  of mashed banana, pumpkin or apple sauce….

But here’s the real clincher – Aquafaba can be used in sweet and savoury recipes as an egg white substitute. How weird is that? It emulsifies, foams, gelatinises, thickens, whips up. You can use it to make meringues, mayonnaise, butter, cheese, macarons, baked stuff.

Three tablespoons per egg can be whipped up into fluffy meringues amongst a whole host of other stuff. It keeps in the fridge, can be frozen, dehydrated.

There’s a whole community of people out there posting recipes and ideas about this stuff which has only emerged in the last few years. This is a strictly vegan site. This one is not limited to vegan discussion.

Now I always make sure to keep a can of chickpeas in my pantry. Mind you, it doesn’t have to be chickpease. ANy beans will do. But if you don’t want whatever you are making to be discoloured use the aquafaba from white beans. If I don’t have a specific use for the aquafaba, I add it to whatever I’m cooking, or keep it for later.

Raili Tanska

Think outside the   square