Rice Flour: The Silent Worker
Rice flour is the quiet colleague who always gets the job done without fanfare. It’s gluten-free and neutral in taste. Use it in shortbread cookies or as a thickener for soups. It makes things crisp, not chewy.
I used it for a lemon cake once, and nobody guessed it wasn’t all-purpose. They just said, “Wow, this cake has a delicate crumb.” I smiled and kept the secret.
Self-Rising Flour: The Cheater’s Friend
Self-rising flour is all-purpose flour that already has baking powder and salt mixed in. It’s not a direct swap—you need to cut the baking powder from your recipe. But if you have it, use it for biscuits or scones. It’s like ordering a pizza with pre-sliced pepperoni: effortless.
One morning, I ran out of AP flour but had self-rising. I made pancakes that were so fluffy, my husband asked if I’d gone to culinary school. I said, “No, just read the bag.”
