What to Do If You're Missing a Key Ingredient Mid-Recipe

You're halfway through a recipe and realize you're out of something crucial. Don't abandon the dish — most recipes are more flexible than they seem.

Common swaps that work: butter and oil are interchangeable in most cooking (not all baking). Milk can be replaced with yogurt thinned with water. Lemon juice and vinegar substitute for each other. Fresh herbs can be replaced with dried at about 1/3 the amount. Broth can be replaced with water plus a splash of soy sauce. Heavy cream can be approximated with milk plus melted butter. The worst thing you can do is panic and add something random — think about what role the missing ingredient plays (fat, acid, liquid, flavor) and substitute within that category.