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Baking soda is a leavening agent that is used in cooking and baking to make food rise. It is also known as Bicarbonate of Soda and Sodium Bicarbonate. Baking soda is found in all living things to help provide a natural pH balance.Using pure baking soda for cooking is a popular application for this material.

1. Uses For Baking Powder
2. 101 Uses For Baking Soda

Another use for baking soda. Will remove splinters! Yes, it will. Make a paste out of baking soda and water. Put a small amount on a bandaid wear it for about an hour. 23 Benefits and Uses for Baking Soda Written by Ryan Raman, MS, RD (NZ) on November 24, 2017 Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is widely used in baking.

Uses For Baking Powder

First, a quick chemistry lesson on baking soda. It helps food rise this by releasing carbon dioxide bubbles. This expands the dough or batter, creating a fluffy product. It forms the texture and grain in pancakes, cakes, bread, and other foods.

When mixed with acidic compounds such as buttermilk, vinegar, yogurt, or lemon juice, it will create the reaction that releases the carbon dioxide.

Using Pure Baking Soda for Cooking

In addition to being a popular ingredient found in many baking recipes, having baking soda on hand can be useful in the event of a kitchen fire. Got a small grease or electrical fire? Throw some sodium bicarbonate on it. Just don't use it on deep fryer fires, as the gas release could cause a harmful splatter. Scuff marks on the floor or grease spills can be cleaned by sprinkling baking soda on the area and wiping it up with a warm, damp washcloth or towel.

Baking Soda in the Kitchen

Here are a few more things to know about baking soda, and how to use it in the kitchen--even if you're not preparing a meal.

• Don't get baking soda confused with baking powder--they are different ingredients all together. Many forms of baking powder, which is different than baking soda, include sodium bicarbonate with other compounds.
• In addition to using baking soda for cooking and baking, it can also be used in refrigerators and other odor-prone areas because it is a natural deodorizer.
• If you're cooking or baking, you probably have to clean up. Want a natural cleaning product that is relatively inexpensive? Mix baking soda with some warm water to clean aluminum items such as baking sheets. It can remove tarnish from silver if the silver comes into contact with aluminum foil. Stained enamel cookware can be renewed by scrubbing it in a baking soda/water mixture. Baking soda is also used with cold water to remove surface rust. (Hot water can corrode steel). It is also useful when mixed with warm water to clean tea and coffee stains from the inside of mugs.
• Got a clogged or overall dirty sink and want to clean it naturally? Sprinkle a few teaspoons of baking soda down the drain and splash some white vinegar on top. It will fizz up and clean the pipes, often removing clogs at the same time.

• The chemical reaction of creating carbon dioxide doesn't start until the baking soda hits 80 °C or 176 F, so batter at room temperature will not start producing carbon dioxide until you put it in the oven.

Recipes That Use Baking Soda

Baking soda is a popular ingredient in many recipes, including these:

101 Uses For Baking Soda

Both baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents, which means they are added to baked goods before cooking to produce carbon dioxide and cause them to rise. Baking powder contains baking soda, but the two substances are used under different conditions.

Did You Know?

You can substitute baking powder in place of baking soda (you'll need more baking powder and it may affect the taste), but you can't use baking soda when a recipe calls for baking powder.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. When baking soda is combined with moisture and an acidic ingredient (e.g., yogurt, chocolate, buttermilk, honey), the resulting chemical reaction produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that expand under oven temperatures, causing baked goods to expand or rise. The reaction begins immediately upon mixing the ingredients, so you need to bake recipes which call for baking soda immediately, or else they will fall flat!

Baking Powder

Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate, but it includes the acidifying agent already (cream of tartar), and also a drying agent (usually starch). Baking powder is available as single-acting baking powder and as double-acting baking powder. Single-acting powders are activated by moisture, so you must bake recipes which include this product immediately after mixing. Double-acting powders react in two phases and can stand for a while before baking. With double-acting powder, some gas is released at room temperature when the powder is added to dough, but the majority of the gas is released after the temperature of the dough increases in the oven.

How Are Recipes Determined?

Some recipes call for baking soda, while others call for baking powder. Which ingredient is used depends on the other ingredients in the recipe. The ultimate goal is to produce a tasty product with a pleasing texture. Baking soda is basic and will yield a bitter taste unless countered by the acidity of another ingredient, such as buttermilk. You'll find baking soda in cookie recipes. Baking powder contains both an acid and a base and has an overall neutral effect in terms of taste. Recipes that call for baking powder often call for other neutral-tasting ingredients, such as milk. Baking powder is a common ingredient in cakes and biscuits.

Substituting in Recipes

You can substitute baking powder in place of baking soda (you'll need more baking powder and it may affect the taste), but you can't use baking soda when a recipe calls for baking powder. Baking soda by itself lacks the acidity to make a cake rise. However, you can make your own baking powder if you have baking soda and cream of tartar. Simply mix two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda.

Related Reading

• 5 Simple Buttermilk Substitutes: Most buttermilk you buy is made using chemistry. You can make homemade buttermilk yourself by simply adding an acidic kitchen ingredient to milk.
• Common Ingredient Substitutions: Baking powder and baking soda aren't the only cooking ingredients people run out of!
• How Baking Powder Works: Learn how baking soda makes baked goods rise and why it's used in some recipes but not others.
• How Baking Soda Works: Learn how baking soda works and how this affects how quickly you need to bake a recipe once you mix it.
• Baking Powder Shelf Life: Baking powder doesn't last forever. Learn about its shelf life and how to test it for freshness so your recipe doesn't fall flat.