If you’re in a berry conundrum you might find it hard to decide between blueberries and cranberries, especially if they’re in season. The thing is, both fruits are delicious in their own way and are used pretty differently. So what’s the main difference between the two ? Which should you use, and for what ? …
Do you ever find yourself with an abundance of tangerine and don’t care for them at all ? What if your favorite recipe calls for mandarins and you really don’t like them ? More, what if that mulled wine asks for clementines and you have none on hand ? Well, then you’re in dire need …
If that cool recipe you’ve fallen in love with asks for kumquats, you may be in for a surprise. In any other time than November-March, kumquats are out of season and very hard to come by. But is there something else you could use instead ? Well, if you’ve ever had kumquats you know they …
Pineapples are a delicious bunch, but a real pain to cut through. Most of us have eaten canned pineapple most of our lives, and rarely ever seen a whole one. But once you see it, you can’t help but notice how spiky it is. It doesn’t look very friendly, does it ? Why is pineapple …
If you haven’t had papaya before, and you’ve only just sliced into yours, you may be incredibly confused. Your papaya may be smelling weird, beyond weird, downright nasty. Why is that ? Why does papaya smell so bad ? Does it always smell bad, like durian ? Is it something you get used to ? …
Papaya. As nice as it sounds, it tends to smell weird and sometimes it’s downright bitter. But why is papaya bitter, and is there anything you can do about it ? After all, for such a tropical fruit, a bitter flavor really isn’t what you’d expect. And especially in a setting where you’d try to …
If you’re looking for a papaya substitute, you may be thinking it’s hard to find. In truth, papaya has a very special flavor that’s hard to completely replace. But in terms of texture and color, it can be substituted by other sweet and tropical fruit. Depending on what you need the papaya for, one or …
If you haven’t grown up with tamarind, then you may be a little confused as to what it is, and what the difference is between the sweet and sour kind. Tamarind is a pod that is heavily used in Asian cuisine, and it’s used both in sweet and sour form. But what’s the difference between …
If Thanksgiving is right around the corner and you find yourself without a cranberry in sight, you might think you’re in trouble. But you’re not, because there are a few cranberry substitutes, some easily available in some areas, and some you might have to look for carefully. Sure, nothing beats fresh, tart cranberries but when …
Let’s face it: Maraschino cherries sound great, and when you were little you thought they were this expensive, high-quality fruit you only ate every few years. As an adult, you now know they’re mass produced and taste just like they look: neon-sweet, nothing like a cherry, and annoying. So what do you do when your …
Blueberries are possibly one of the most sought-after berries in the past decade. They’ve been branded a superfood and are definitely delicious, and you can make some of the best muffins of pancakes with them. Sometimes though, you find yourself completely without blueberries. Maybe they’re out of season, maybe you live far from a store …
Strawberries are really hard to replace, and the flavor they bring to any dessert is like nothing else. Still, sometimes you might find yourself in the position of having to replace strawberries, and that’s that. So what do you do ? We’ve made up a lit of the best candidates possible, keeping texture, flavor, and …
Are you in the middle of making oatmeal cookie batter and totally forgot about the raisins ? Don’t worry, there’s definitely something you can use instead. In fact, there’s several options you have, depending on your taste and how easily you can find them. So here’s the best ideas for raisin substitutes, and we’re pretty …
Does your new favorite recipe call for olives but you just can’t stand them ? Or maybe you absolutely love them but can’t find any right now ? There are substitutes for both sides of the camp, both for olive lovers and haters. Some of these will have more in common with olives, specifically green …
Passion fruit are amazingly delicious little things, but their high price can instantly upset anyone. So what do you do if you’re in desperate need of passion fruit, but don’t want to shell out $2 per fruit ? There are alternatives you can use, and they will cover the flavor quite nicely. So we’ve made …
Passion flowers are really something else. They look both strange and mesmerizing, and often like they belong on a coral reef, with colorful fish swimming by. Or maybe that’s just our imagination. Maybe you just got a young seedling as a gift, and are wondering if it will give you actual fruit. That’s a very …
Don’t you absolutely love passion fruit ? It’s probably one of the most interesting fruits to look at, smell, or eat ! These wrinkly babies are delicious, but also downright expensive. But why is that ? After all where passion fruit grows, it does so in large numbers, so there shouldn’t really be a crop …
If you’ve ever wanted to make something with fresh, delicious berries you’ve noticed they cost a small fortune for 7 oz of fruit ! Really, the prices on berries are ridiculous when you stop to think they grow freely on the side of the road. Ah, yes, but are those berries the same as market …
If you’re absolutely in love with pomelos, you know they’re not supposed to be bitter. Well, at least the good ones, and the ones you usually find in supermarkets. But what if you do happen across a bitter pomelo one day, what then ? And is there anything you can do to remove that bitterness …
Got a hankering for prickly pear cheesecake but just can’t find any ? If you’re in the middle of winter you’re out of luck. These things are also hard to find outside of America, so if you’re from anywhere that’s not America you’ll definitely need a substitute. But what is the best substitute for prickly …