You use is when your talking about one thing and are when your talking about lots. For example Katie is in the garden and Jack and Jill are in the garden. There are lots of other places we use are too. You say "are you okay?" not "is you okay?".
INSTEAD
you can use or , otherwise, or rather than.
We could use leather instead.
what can i use instead of glyerin in making tootpaste
You Can Use Paper Bags Instead Of Plastic
In this situation, you should use "what" instead of "which."
Will, when, why, it, can
For thickening soups, stews, and gravies, you can use flour instead of cornstarch.
You could not use lightning instead of batteries.
Yes, you can use butter instead of margarine in this recipe.
Yes, you can use ghee instead of butter in this recipe.
Australians use kangaroos instead of reindeer at Christmas.