MacLeod presents her latest book as more than just a list of A-to-Z entries offering a one-stop place to find possible substitutes for recipe ingredients. One of the things this reference guide provides is the ability to substitute more vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, and low-salt ingredients for your current recipes. The health-conscious will even find thirteen pages on flour substitutes. Since the correct flour match usually depends on the protein content the original baker intended, MacLeod lists that information along with tips to guide you.

If you want to try cooking international dishes, this book also shines. On a single page, the global listings include substitutes for banana flour (Filipino), barberries (Persia), and roasted barley (Tibet and Ecuador). Honey bees work their sweet magic on every continent. Substitutions for Sardinian, Italian, Hawaiian, French, Asian, and Greek honeys are included, offering up one sweet smorgasbord of possibilities. A unique feature is the “Make Your Own” recipe, such as making nut milk from local hazelnuts. Found in entries throughout the book, these recipes will be much appreciated by the reader living far from supermarkets.

MacLeod’s guide also makes it easy to try new recipes without wasting money on a one-time usage ingredient. How many cooks still have some exotic spice in their cupboard purchased long ago? Navigational strategies include an alphabetical letter in the page header, see other entries statements, and a 25-page food equivalents section. Baking pan size equivalents are an added bonus.

You may never again make a last-minute dash to the store while other ingredients wait on your countertop, nor search online for ingredient substitutions. Why waste valuable time when you have this compact, 225-page reference guide at your fingertips?

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