Q. How do I replace a dry sweetener such as sugar with a liquid sweetener such as maple syrup in baking?

A. See chart here, compliments of NKCS Instructor, Joyce Rosenblum.    Get Answer >>

Q. What can I use to replace an egg in a recipe?

A. Work out what you want your egg replacement to do. Do you want to replace a whole egg, or just the yolk or just the white? This will help determine what to use in place of the egg product. Eggs have different uses - sometimes they are used for binding, sometimes for leavening (making lighter/fluffier) or sometimes just for the taste. You should also try to be aware of which of these elements you are trying to replace.

Fruit makes an excellent replacement for eggs - try bananas, apple puree or any high pectin content fruit. Usually 1/4 cup of banana will replace 1 egg.

Tofu is fabulous as a replacement, as it will take on the flavour of whatever you are cooking it with. As a general rule, 1/4 cup of tofu will replace 1 egg. Whip or beat it before adding it to the recipe.

Put together 1 tbsp flaxseed (ground up) with 3 tablespoons of water to replace one egg. Make sure that the mixture has gelled before using it. Some people recommend simmering the two items together to thicken this mix.

For a replacement for just the egg white, mix 1 tbsp plain agar powder (available from health food stores/Chinese stores etc) with 1 tbsp water. Whip together, chill it and then whip it again.

Another egg replacement is 2 tbsp water mixed with 1 tbsp of oil and 2 tbsp of baking powder. Mix together well before adding.

In savory recipes, such as a vegetarian loaf, try binding agents like mashed potato, tomato paste or rolled oats. These agents help to thicken and gel with the other ingredients. Also bread crumbs, cornmeal/flour, arrowroot and whole-wheat flour are good substitutions.

Apple sauce, canned pumpkin, mashed canned fruit of choice - all of these can be used as an egg replacement in baked goods. These will leave their own flavour of course, so be sure of the taste you want. Fruit can make the baked item heavier, so add a little baking powder if this concerns you. Try the blends of peach/apple; strawberry/apple etc for delicious muffins.

It is possible to make pancakes without eggs. In fact, any flat baked product that requires only 1-2 eggs can usually survive without an egg with no problems. The main thing is to substitute a little extra liquid (1-2 tbsp) to make up for the egg's removal. There are differing recipes (some just with flour, some with fruit such as mashed banana), so it is best to use a search engine to find a recipe you like. They do work, so try them out, just be sure the pan they are fried in is seasoned as you would with normal pancakes.

An egg sandwich? Yes! You can use tofu - use a search engine or a tofu/vegetarian cookbook for suggested recipes. It still tastes good, and curried tofu-egg sandwiches are a must.

* The best thing to do is to try out different types of egg replacements on your favorite recipes until you find the one that suits you best for each recipe. There are no hard and fast rules.

* Be careful of purchasing egg 'substitutes' which often contain eggs (if you don't want to use eggs at all). Always look for egg replacements/replacers. Best thing of all, read the label.

(source; www.wikihow.com)    Get Answer >>

Q. Where can I purchase a knife guard?

A. www.fantes.com, www.cheftools.com, or Williams & Sanoma. Broadway Panhandler, is within walking distance of the New York cooking school location. Also try, Kitchen Capers, next to Mediterra (Palmer Square area).    Get Answer >>

Q. What is the mentor program?

A. The Natural Kitchen Cooking School Mentor Program is a wonderful opportunity for 
you to ask questions, share concerns, goals and deepen your 
connection with food and how it affects your well-being. How does the program work? You are asked to share which days of the 
week, Mon.-Fri. and time of day are best for you to have a 30-minute phone session, one time per month, between school sessions, with an 
assigned mentor, whom you will be responsible to call at the 
scheduled time. If you are unable to make the call, please let your 
mentor know ahead of time. It will be up to you and your mentor to 
see if a make-up call time can be agreed upon. (Please don't make 
this a habit) We will try to honor the day and time you chose. It is our goal to make your experience at the NKCS as positive as 
possible. As we receive your requested time for a call, we'll match you 
up with a mentor. Take advantage of this one-on-one time to talk 
all about YOU!    Get Answer >>

Q. Regarding slicing and dicing vegetables, can I get a refresher on the knife skills we learned in class?

A. Here are some links for video tutorials:

Knife handling and safety, low cuts, high cuts, safe holding hand posture, slicing and dicing, onion high cut:
(You have to click on the various topics to view the video segments)

Julienning, dicing, onion dicing, mincing garlic:
(There's also a video on how to cut a red bell pepper on the lower right side)    Get Answer >>

Q. I've noticed a wide variety of salts available in health foods stores. Can they be used interchangeably?

A. Christine's favorite salt to use is SI brand sea salt (it almost has a sweet undertone). Found here

The flavor differences among various sea salts are subtle. I would say you can use them interchangeably and for various purposes: baking, cooking, pickling...so experiment and have fun trying a few different varieties!

Here is a link to the Salt Works website, with fabulous descriptions of the various types of salt and what they recommend using them for:

and here is some info regarding the health benefits of sea salt.

(though many people do well with very little salt in their diet, so use moderately)    Get Answer >>

Q. What is miso and can the different types of miso be used interchangeably?

A. Miso is a fermented soybean paste that is used to flavor dishes and season soup like bouillon. There are many varieties made from soybeans, barley, chickpeas, brown and white rice. Red miso is a salty tasting short-term fermented miso made from soybeans and sea salt which should be used for occasional use because the salt content is higher than that of the longer-term aged varieties. Yellow or sweet white miso has a mellow flavor. The most medicinal miso is barley miso which is aged over two or more summers and is usually recommended for daily use.

Miso contains live enzymes that help with digestion, circulation and strengthens blood quality. Remember when adding miso to a dish make sure that you do not boil the miso. Boiling will destroy the beneficial enzymes. You just want to remove some liquid from the dish, add the miso and stir until dissolved. You can replace miso with herbs or bouillon. Health food stores, Wegmans and Wholefoods usually carry several varieties.    Get Answer >>

Q. Where can I find beautiful boxed chocolates that are vegan?

A. Look no further than these sites:


Rose City Chocolates

Raw chocolates:

Raw Guru

Divine Treasures Chocolates    Get Answer >>

Q. Is there a handy website to obtain subway directions for NYC?

A. Try www.hopstop.com    Get Answer >>

Q. What should I charge for personal chef service, and what would be a typical menu to prepare?

A. On our www.nkchef.com site we charge $65 per hour of cooking and $50 per hour of shopping or commuting. So you could work with an hourly rate, or some chefs charge by the number of dishes and servings per dish (I feel that can get confusing though). Usually within three hours you can prepare about 3 or 4 recipes, depending upon the complexity. A sample dinner menu could include:

1. Minestrone Soup
2. Tofu Lasagna
3. Arugula Salad with Dried Figs, Apricots and Pecans
4. Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Strawberries and Tofu Almond Cream    Get Answer >>

Q. Where can I find a good Omega-3 supplement that's vegan?

A. Christine really likes Dr. Fuhrman's 100% vegan DHA supplement, along with others found here (just know that not all of them are vegan – they have to be listed as vegan). The Osteo Sun Vegan is a great calcium with vitamin D supplement.    Get Answer >>

Q. Are the various thickeners interchangeable? (ie kudzu, arrowroot, agar flakes, cornstarch)

A. Kudzu and arrowroot are both thickeners that can be used interchangeably to create gravies, thickened sauces and puddings. Kudzu is more dense than arrowroot, so you will need to use less kudzu in a recipe than arrowroot. You can replace 1 tablespoon of kudzu with 1 1/2 tablespoons of arrowroot.

Cornstarch can be used to replace both kudzu and arrowroot, in equivalent proportions as arrowroot (so just like arrowroot, you will need to use more to replace kudzu in a recipe: 1 Tbsp. Kudzu = 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch). We recommend using arrowroot and kudzu instead of cornstarch, as they have alkalizing properties that cornstarch does not.

Agar flakes are not a thickener, but a jelling agent. They are the vegetarian version of gelatin, and are used to make aspics and jelled fruit desserts. Kudzu and arrowroot can be used in conjunction with agar flakes to make a pudding or pie, but neither kudzu or arrowroot can be used in place of agar flakes. Kudzu and arrowroot will make a liquid thick and creamy, whereas agar flakes will make a liquid more solid and gelled.    Get Answer >>

Q. I'm pressure cooking rice, beans. I forget which you add the salt to in the beginning or end and do I add kombu or bayleaf when cooking both?

A. We recommend adding salt to your grains in the beginning. For beans, we recommend adding the salt toward the end of the cooking time, during the last five minutes.

Kombu and/or bay leaves can be added to cooking beans at the beginning to help soften them.    Get Answer >>

Q. The recipe calls for safflower oil and I only have canola oil. Can I use the various oils interchangeably? How about the different vinegars and mustards?

A. Safflower oil and canola oil are both mild oils, which have a high heat tolerance, so either can be used for high heat frying and baking. Taste-wise, regular olive oil can be used in baking, although is does impart a slight olive taste in cookies or cakes. Extra virgin olive oil is best reserved as a dipping oil only (some sources say that it’s too delicate to tolerate any heating). Coconut oil has a high heat tolerance, and can also be used for baking and frying. However, just like the olive oil, coconut oil definitely imparts a distinct taste in your baked goods. Always check labels on any oils you purchase to see what is recommended for both use and heat tolerance is (if any).

Brown rice vinegar, white vinegar and apple cider can be used interchangeably. Brown rice vinegar has the mildest taste, and white vinegar has the sharpest taste. Balsamic vinegar has a distinct flavor all it’s own, although white balsamic can be used in place of the darker varieties. In cooking, there are no fixed rules, and we always encourage experimentation!

Mustards are relatively interchangeable. For example, a Dijon mustard can be replaced with a wholegrain mustard. However if you wish to impart a nice yellow color in a potato or macaroni salad, you will do best to either stick with a standard yellow mustard (the kind typically used for hotdogs) or if using a different mustard you may need to add a pinch or two of turmeric for color.    Get Answer >>

Do you have a suggestion for our list of FAQ's? We'd love to hear your ideas for any additional questions you think we should add! Please post in the Student Forum for everyone to see.