A recipe is really a
formula and works because it is balanced with the right amount and type of
fat, liquid and dry ingredients, milk proteins, flavorings and others.
It also works because the proper
mixing and baking techniques are used. When you substitute one ingredient
for another, it affects the entire original formula, and most often, other
ingredients have to be added in or taken out. Many times, mixing and
baking techniques must change along with it, too. This is done so the
changed recipe will bake properly, taste great, have a nice texture, look
good and have a great smell, or resemble something close to its original.
Substituting ingredients can
be a hit or miss proposition because every recipe's formula is different.
Some recipe types tolerate substitutions better than others, such as
quick-breads and muffins, and some can't tolerate them at all, such as pie
crusts, butter cakes and pastry. For example, a quick-bread recipe can
have its fat is substituted with applesauce because it is not dependent
upon butter for its characteristics, but its
mixing
techniques have to be changed to give tender and flavorful
results.
On the other hand, if a pie
crust's or butter cake 's "plastic fat" (shortening, stick butter or
margarine) were replaced with applesauce, in my experience, it wouldn't
produce something that resembled a recipe that we are familiar
with. However, I have successfully reduced the amount of butter in classic
recipes,
but with much testing and patience. (The
Healthy Oven Baking Book, by Sarah Phillips, Doubleday, 1999)
You may see some different
opinions expressed here, other than what you have read in other books or
websites. This is based upon my own hands-on experiences from my many
year's of developing both full fat and reduced-fat recipes, creating
consumer food products, and doing extensive testing of ingredients when
writing my cookbook and recipes for this website.
Please
let me
know your
thoughts and experiences, and I will be happy to post them, here.
Happy Baking,
Sarah
Phillips
