Terms of Use
PlainSubstitute presents cooking-ingredient substitution data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central database (379,000+ food records since the Standard Reference release in April 2019) and the Cook's Illustrated Test Kitchen corpus, for informational and educational use only. Tested substitution ratios are not a guarantee of recipe outcome, and dietary-restriction matches are not medical advice. See our methodology for refresh cadence.
Acceptance of Terms
By using PlainSubstitute, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the site.
Use of Information
Substitution information on PlainSubstitute is provided for general cooking guidance only. Results may vary by recipe. We are not responsible for recipe failures due to ingredient substitutions.
Dietary and Allergen Information
Dietary tags are provided as guidance only. For severe food allergies, always verify ingredients against product labels. PlainSubstitute is not a substitute for professional medical dietary advice.
Disclaimer of Warranties
PlainSubstitute is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not guarantee the accuracy of substitution ratios for all recipes and contexts.
Changes to Terms
We may update these terms at any time. Continued use of the site constitutes acceptance of updated terms.
Data Accuracy and Verification
PlainSubstitute aggregates and reformats information that originates from public government agencies, regulatory filings, and other openly available sources. While we take reasonable steps to ingest, normalize, and refresh this data, upstream records may contain clerical errors, lag behind real-world changes, or omit relevant context. You are solely responsible for verifying any fact that influences a legal, medical, financial, educational, safety, or similarly consequential decision. Cross-reference the official source before acting on anything you read here.
Acceptable Use
You may browse, read, and share PlainSubstitute content for personal, journalistic, academic, and non-commercial research use. You may cite specific records with attribution and a link back to the page on plainsubstitute.com. You may not (a) systematically scrape, crawl, or download the dataset in bulk without prior written permission; (b) resell, sublicense, or redistribute derived data products that compete with PlainSubstitute; (c) use our pages to harass, defame, or misrepresent any individual or organization appearing in the data; (d) remove, obscure, or mislabel source attribution; or (e) attempt to bypass rate limits, security controls, or authentication mechanisms.
Editorial Process
PlainSubstitute combines raw public data with plain-language summaries, explainers, and comparisons. Narrative sections are drafted by our editorial team from source data and reviewed before publication. We do not alter underlying numbers or filings — those are loaded directly from the upstream source. If you spot a summary that misreads the data, please email the correction link on our contact page.
Intellectual Property
The underlying public records surfaced on PlainSubstitute are in the public domain or otherwise freely licensed by the issuing agency — you are free to use those raw facts. However, our site design, layout, navigation structure, original editorial copy, category taxonomies, comparison tables, and curated rankings are the copyrighted work of Kiznis Studio. These creative elements may not be reproduced in whole or substantial part without permission.
Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms of Use from time to time to reflect changes in our data sources, product features, legal environment, or advertising relationships. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date above and — when appropriate — surface a brief notice on the homepage. Continued use of the site after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms. We encourage you to revisit this page periodically.
Governing Law and Disputes
These terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the jurisdiction in which Kiznis Studio is domiciled, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute arising from or relating to your use of PlainSubstitute will first be addressed through good-faith informal negotiation. If that fails, both parties agree to resolve the dispute in the courts with jurisdiction over Kiznis Studio's principal place of business. Nothing in these terms limits your statutory consumer-protection rights under applicable local law.
Legal Notices
For formal legal notices, DMCA takedown requests, subpoenas, law-enforcement requests, or correspondence regarding these terms, email legal@plainsubstitute.com. General questions, data corrections, and feedback should use the contact page so they reach the editorial team promptly.