Baking powder and baking soda are things that we use every day, a little baking soda in the laundry, some baking powder in the cake. But do we really know what these things do to the stuff we apply it to?
Did you know that one can hurt you?
Did you know that one can hurt you?
Author: Naomi Smith
Baking Soda and Baking Powder -the differences/health negatives
and benefits
Baking soda
This is an important ingredient in the food that we cook. It
can also be used for things like cleaning, shampoo, to extinguish small
electrical fires and grease fires, tenderize meats, and soften veggies.
One thing about baking soda, about it being able to extinguish
fires, is that you would only want to use it on small fire. This is
because it would make the grease splatter if used on a big fire. Baking
Soda can extinguish small fires because it releases carbon dioxide.
At one point in history baking soda was used in America to
soften vegetables. But it is not used anymore, because people like crisp
veggies more now. In Asia and Latin America baking soda is used to
tenderize meat.
Baking Soda can be used as a disinfectant, though it is a very
weak one. It also may help against weak fungi and to get rid of the musty
smell on books.
It can be used as a leavening agent, though it will not rise
unless it is cooked. This is because it must reach 80 degrees Celsius to
make the baking soda rise.
Baking Soda is made of sodium hydrogen and sodium
bicarbonate. The formula is called NaHCO3. This formula has different
names beside baking soda; there is cooking soda, bread soda, and bicarbonate of
soda.
The ancient Egyptians would use this as soap. Then in
1846 bakers Austin Church and John Dwight started the first factory to develop
baking soda from carbon dioxide and sodium carbonate.
Leavening agent, (Baking Soda) reacts with acidic components:
Phosphates
Cream of tartar
Lemon juice
Yogurt
Buttermilk
Cocoa
Vinegar
Used in breadings such as for fried foods to enhance crispness
Used in breadings such as for fried foods to enhance crispness
Heat causes sodium bicarbonate to act as a raising agent by
releasing carbon dioxide when used in baking. The carbon dioxide production
starts at temperatures above 80 °C. Since the reaction does not occur at room
temperature, mixtures (cake batter, etc.) can be allowed to stand without
rising until they are heated in the oven.
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Baking Powder
A lot of recipes will call for baking soda instead of baking
powder. Usually the recipes will have some kind of liquid acid, like
yogurt or buttermilk to make the baking soda get bubbles. Which make the
food rise.
People usually prefer to use baking powder over yeast.
This is because baking powder rises quicker than yeast.
Many recipes instruct you to mix all the dry ingredients
together and then add the liquid. That keeps the baking powder from reacting
until the end of the mixing process.
Many recipes tell you to mix only briefly -- just until the
ingredients are moistened. That minimizes the escape of the gas from the
batter. If you were to stir for a long time, the reaction would end and the
stirring would have allowed the bubbles to escape.
For more baking tips and techniques, see the links below.
Baking Powder is mainly made of three different things- A
base, an acid, and filler. All three have to be dry powders. There
are two kinds of baking powder. One is double acting baking powder and
then there is single acting baking powder. Double acting baking powder
makes bubbles when it gets wet and hot, where single baking powder makes
bubbles when it gets wet.
The bubbles are very important because they are what release
the carbon dioxide, and that is what makes the food rise. Because of this
you would not want to stir food you were making too long because it would
release all the bubbles. Therefore, it would not make the food rise.
Baking Powder’s formula, when containing sodium sulfate, is
NaAI(SO4)2.
Sodium aluminum sulfite is in baking powder is horrible for
you. This sodium aluminum can affect your mood, memory, and so much
more. So definitely don’t use baking powder unless you just have to. Do a
search on negative health effects of baking powder.
There are alternatives to baking powder though. One kind
is aluminum free. Rumford and Bob's Red Mill are two brands.
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