Don't get caught short in the kitchen. When you forget to buy an ingredient, use a clever alternative.

If you've ever come home from a day of shopping and started cooking, only to discover that you have forgotten to buy an important ingredient, this list of cheats and substitutions will help you cope. Here they are:

Corn Syrup

If you don't have corn syrup or don't want to invest the money in buying a bottle when you know you won't use it again, substitute 1-1/2 cups of sugar in 1/4 cup of water.

Honey

If you don’t have or don’t like honey, substitute 1-1/4 cups of sugar in 1/4 cup of water to fulfill the honey requirement of most recipes.

Breadcrumbs

Substitute ground saltines or flavored crackers for breadcrumbs. You can also dry fresh bread in the microwave in less than five minutes. Once dry, crumble the bread into a plastic bag and keep the extra for next time.

Flour as a Thickening Agent

There are a number of thickening agents that you can use instead of flour. Cornstarch, arrowroot, and tapioca, can all be used alone or in combination.

Baking Powder

If you don't have baking powder on hand, you can substitute 1/4 of a teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in 1/2 cup of buttermilk. This replaces one teaspoon of baking soda.

Dried Herbs

Substitute with fresh by tripling the required amount. The reverse is also true. If your recipe calls for fresh and you want to use dried, reduce the required amount by two thirds.

Fresh Garlic

Nowadays, garlic is available in many forms that you can use as a substitute for fresh. Jarred minced garlic can be used in equal proportion, and garlic paste is also a good choice. The old standard is to substitute 1/8 of a teaspoon of garlic powder for one clove of fresh garlic.

Granulated Sugar

If you run out of granulated sugar, you can substitute an equal amount of either honey or powdered sugar.

Buttermilk

You can make a buttermilk substitute by adding one tablespoon of vinegar to one cup of milk.

Tomato Juice

You can easily substitute either tomato paste or tomato sauce for tomato juice using these ratios: One can of tomato paste diluted with four cans of water, ½ cup of tomato sauce diluted with ¼ cup of water.

The lesson in all of this is to keep certain key ingredients around as multi-taskers. Basic ingredients like sugar, vinegar, flour, lemon, and cornstarch can be used as cheats in a number of creative ways. With the basics on hand, when you get caught short, you'll be a master of improvisation.