I accidentally bought a jicama today because I was looking for an entirely different ingredient without knowing what it looked like. Enter Cook’s Thesaurus, a “cooking encyclopedia that covers thousands of ingredients and kitchen tools.”
My friend came across this helpful web site when she called me one day asking about a couple of unfamiliar ingredients in a recipe she was wanting to try. My response: “Google it!” (That’s my response to pretty much anything that I don’t have the answer to.)
Unfortunately, I didn’t consult the site before shopping today and now have a tan-skinned tuber with a “mild, nondescript flavor, but a nice crunchy texture” instead of a “small brown onion with papery brown skin with a more delicate, garlicky flavor”.
Oh well, check out the site for yourself at http://www.foodsubs.com. The site includes photos, descriptions, pronunciations and substitutions. Very helpful stuff.
