Omnivorous Surfer

So often when cooking I don't have exactly what the recipe calls for and wonder what I could substitute. When I can't find one in one of my cookbooks, I usually just guess what might work. Sometimes I just wait until I can get to the store for the exact ingredient.

Today I found Cook's Thesaurus while simply looking for information about green chilis. It not only listed a huge variety of chilis with their substitutes, but also included a heat indicator for each; I hadn't realized my cayenne peppers were that high on the scale! This site will suggest substitutions for an amazing array of foods and seasonings. Next time I don't have the right ingredient, I'll know where to look.