How to Substitute 10 Expensive Ingredients and Make Food Taste Like a Restaurant

Those who like to venture into the kitchen must have realized that the main ingredients of certain dishes, such as truffles, some types of cheese and vanilla, can be quite expensive sometimes, right? In that case, you might wonder if it’s possible to replace them with something more affordable and still get a similar result, have you ever been in a similar situation?

If the answer is yes, check out this article that awesome.club prepared and see some tips for cheap substitutions for expensive ingredients, which will leave your recipes with a restaurant taste.

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, with each gram costing over R$300. It is basically the stigmas of a type of flower and its high price is derived from the high production costs. That’s because, each little piece must be extracted by hand and yields very little. For each gram of this spice, about 200 thousand stigmas are needed. Its taste is described as being sweet and astringent at the same time, and saffron is an ingredient in many expensive dishes.

However, it is possible to use a much cheaper replacement at home and get a result, not exactly the same, but similar and raise the level of your dishes, leaving them looking like something made by a professional. To do this, you can mix paprika and turmeric (which is known as turmeric) in equal amounts.

Another ingredient that tends to be very expensive is cardamom, which is an aromatic plant with a sweet taste and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. Its price is not as high as the previous item, but in Brazil 250 g can cost almost 200 reais. But what to do if you have plans to prepare a dish that calls for cardamom and you don’t want to spend all that money?

Well, one solution could be to mix cinnamon with nutmeg. These two spices will bring sweetness and aroma to your recipes and, in addition to being much cheaper, they are found everywhere.

Goat cheese is another expensive ingredient, 100 g can cost more than 30 reais, which can be replaced with cheaper ones and still leave your dish with that restaurant-made look. Generally, it has a smooth consistency, a very characteristic flavor and can be used in numerous recipes.

One way to get a similar result, but for a fraction of the cost, is to use plain yogurt without whey or cream cheese with a few drops of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

Authentic balsamic vinegar is produced in Italy, with grape juice that is fermented in barrels for at least 12 years. The result of this whole process is a dark liquid, with a thicker consistency and a very marked flavor. Therefore, it is usually used in small quantities. The traditional ones tend to be expensive, but one way to replace them in recipes and get a very similar result is to use a mixture of red wine vinegar with sugar or honey.

About 30 g of caviar can easily cost more than 300 reais and that’s for the cheaper versions. In the case of sturgeon caviar, which is considered the most expensive, prices can reach over US$39,000 per kilo. But if you want to try this delicacy without all that expense, the good news is that you can replace it with capelin roe. They are much cheaper and have a similar taste.

Maple syrup, or maple syrup, is made from the sap extracted from some trees native to the United States and Canada during the spring period. With about 66% being formed by sucrose, maple syrup is widely used, both in sweet and savory recipes. Because the raw material is only extracted during one season of the year, the prices for this ingredient are usually very high, with a 250 ml bottle being sold for more than 70 reais in Brazil.

A more pocket-friendly way of replacing it is using a mixture of brown sugar and water, mixing until it has a syrup consistency, or changing it to cane molasses (molasses).

When thinking about expensive ingredients, the first thing that may come to mind for many people is truffles, small fungi that grow wild in some parts of Europe. Their high price, which can reach approximately 28 thousand reais per kilo, is due to the fact that they are rare. To find them, there are hunters who use trained dogs to sniff them out and, after being taken from the ground, the truffles need to be delivered quickly or they lose their quality.

But if you want to make a restaurant-worthy dish and bring some of that flavor without shelling out that huge sum, one solution is to replace them with porcini mushrooms. They are cheaper, easier to find and taste very similar.

Arboreal rice, the one used in the preparation of risotto, is not one of the most expensive ingredients on this list, costing an average of 26 reais. However, when you take into account the other existing types, it can weigh on your pocket. However, the good news is that you can exchange it for any other variety of short-grain rice, which costs from 6 reais. The result will not be the same, as they do not have the same amount of starch, but it will be very close and will result in a delicious dish on a daily basis.

Vanilla is very present in various types of sweets, especially because it has a flavor that pleases many people. The real one, which are the grains found in the pods of some species of orchids, is one of the most expensive ingredients in the world. For you to have an idea, the kilo has already been sold for more than 3 thousand reais, this is because of the production time, which is very long.

However, there is a much cheaper solution currently, which is artificial vanilla essences. They can be found in any market and are very similar, and can be used without fear.

Mascarpone is a type of Italian cheese known for its sweet taste, creamy texture and high fat content. One of its most popular uses is as one of the main ingredients in tiramisu. However, in addition to being an expensive cheese, it is not so easy to find.

If you’re thinking of making this dessert but don’t want to break the bank, replace the mascarpone with two parts cream cheese and one part plain yogurt. The result will be a cream with a smooth texture and flavor that will make your recipe worthy of a restaurant.

So, have you ever used a cheap ingredient to replace a more expensive one and had a good result? Share with us in the comments!