Cooking guides and conversion charts
How to substitute across a whole category, charts for measurements and temperatures, and notes on cooking around what you do not have.
Start here
4 guidesBroad guides that cover the substitutions you will reach for most.
Ingredient substitution guide
The swaps people look up most, with amounts, then the top swap for every ingredient we cover, by category.
Ingredient substitutes by category
The index to the box: the staple swaps with amounts, then the first nine cards in every category, with a line on each and a link to the rest of its drawer.
What an ingredient is actually doing
The jobs an ingredient does in a recipe — fat, acid, leavening, binding — and which of them a substitute has to cover.
Baking substitution guide
Swaps for eggs, butter, flour, sugar, and leavening agents, with the ratios baking demands.
Charts & ingredient guides
6 guidesLook-up tables for measurements, temperatures and swap ratios, and the longer reads on spices, oils and vinegars.
Baking conversion chart
Cups to grams, ounces, and tablespoons, plus pan sizes and metric equivalents.
Temperature conversion chart
Fahrenheit, Celsius, and gas marks for oven settings, meat doneness, and candy stages.
Spice substitution chart
Quick-reference table of spice and herb swaps with equivalent quantities.
Spice substitution guide
The longer read on spices and herbs: heat levels, flavor families, and blend rebuilds.
Oil substitution guide
Choosing between sesame, coconut, vegetable, and olive oil by smoke point and flavor.
Vinegar substitution guide
Balsamic, rice wine, apple cider, and sherry vinegar compared by acidity and use.
Dietary needs
2 guidesPlant-based and gluten-free swaps, with the ratio for each.
Technique & kitchen
6 guidesWorking around missing equipment, methods, and storage constraints.
Cooking method substitutes
Adapting a recipe when you have a different oven, hob, or appliance than it assumes.
Kitchen equipment substitutes
What to reach for when you do not own the tool a recipe calls for.
Cooking tips
Practical technique notes that make substitutions more forgiving.
Ingredient storage guide
Storing ingredients so they stay usable — and so you need fewer substitutes.
Meal prep substitution guide
Swaps and storage choices that survive a week of batch cooking.
Holiday cooking guide
Substitutions for traditional holiday dishes, where texture matters most.