Instructions: THE flour is measured, the butter softened, the pan greased and the oven heated. And theres not a drop of buttermilk to be found.

Just about every cook has experienced the sinking feeling of discovering that the cupboard is one ingredient shy of a complete recipe or that the market doesnt stock some offbeat item thats called for.

Heres a list of acceptable substitutes for those times when youre in a pinch. Theyll work in almost all instances. Remember, though, if the ingredient is a major player in the recipe, integral to the flavor or the composition, its best to wait until you have all the right stuff on hand.
| Allspice, 1 teaspoon ground: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon EACH nutmeg and ground cloves.
| Arrowroot, 1 1/2 teaspoons: 1 tablespoon flour.
| Baking powder, 1 teaspoon: 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar.
| Butter, 1 cup: 1 cup margarine or 7/8 cup solid vegetable shortening.
| Buttermilk: plain yogurt; 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar mixed with milk to equal 1 cup.
| Chili sauce: ketchup with prepared horseradish and lemon juice to taste.
| Fresh chives: green onions, including the tops.
| Chocolate, unsweetened, 1 ounce: 3 tablespoons cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon butter.
| Chocolate, semisweet, 1 ounce: 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate plus 1

tablespoon sugar.
| Chorizo sausage: hot Italian sausage, seasoned with garlic and ground

red pepper.
| Cornstarch for thickening, 1 tablespoon: 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.
| Creme frai^che, 1 cup: 1 cup whipping cream with 2 tablespoons buttermilk, mixed in a glass container and allowed to stand at room temperature until thick, 8 to 24 hours. Stir and refrigerate up to 10 days.
| Half-and-half: 7/8 cup whole milk plus 1 1/2 tablespoons butter.
| Sour cream: plain yogurt.
| Farmers cheese: dry curd cottage cheese or queso fresco.
| Fish stock: equal parts clam juice and water.
| Dried currants: chopped dark raisins.
| Sifted cake flour, 1 cup: 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour.
| Self-rising flour, 1 cup: 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
| Fines herbes: equal parts chervil, chives, tarragon and parsley.
| Fish sauce, 1 tablespoon: 2 teaspoons soy sauce and 2 mashed anchovies.
| Five-spice powder: equal parts cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Sichuan peppercorns.
| Fresh gingerroot, 1 tablespoon: 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger.
| Fresh herbs, 1 tablespoon minced: 1 teaspoon dried, of the same kind.
| Fresh horseradish, 1 tablespoon grated: 2 tablespoons prepared, well-drained.
| Hot sauce: crushed red pepper flakes or ground red pepper.
| Italian herb seasoning: mixture of oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, rosemary and sage.
| Lemon grass, 1 tablespoon minced: 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind.
| Lemon juice, 1 teaspoon: 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar or cider vinegar.
| Mustard, prepared, 1 tablespoon: 1 teaspoon dry mustard mixed with 2 teaspoons wine vinegar, white wine or water.
| Pancetta: cooked, lean bacon.
| Pine nuts: walnuts or almonds.
| Prosciutto: country ham.
| Pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with 1/8 teaspoon EACH ground ginger, nutmeg, mace, cloves.
| Sake or rice wine: dry sherry or dry vermouth.
| Shallots: minced onion with half a small clove of minced garlic.
| Light brown sugar, 1 cup: 1/2 cup dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar or 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon molasses.
| Superfine sugar: granulated sugar mixed in the food processor until it is powdery.
| Tamarind paste, 1 tablespoon: 1 teaspoon EACH date, prunes, dried apricots, lemon juice.
| Tomato sauce, 1 cup: 3/8 cup tomato paste and 1/2 cup water.
| Chinese black vinegar: balsamic vinegar.
| Seasoned rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon: 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
| Vanilla bean: 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract for each bean.
| White wine for cooking: dry vermouth.
| Cake yeast, 5/8-ounce cake: 1 packet active dry yeast.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.