How to Remember the Difference Between Baking Powder and Baking Soda
Baking soda and baking powder are chemical leavening agents that give baked goods height through acid-base reactions that release carbon dioxide, but they work in slightly different ways. To better understand how to use them, it is helpful to understand what they are.
Baking soda, also known as “soda bicarbonate” in the UK and some Commonwealth countries, is pure sodium bicarbonate, an ionic salt with the chemical formula NaHCO 3 . It is inherently alkaline (basic) with a pH of 8 and provides the “bulk” of the acid-base reaction. If you are using baking soda for sourdough, you will need to add an acid it will react with, such as vinegar, lemon juice, tartar, or (depending on how you use it) cocoa powder.
If your recipe does not contain naturally occurring acids, you will probably need a baking powder that contains baking soda and one or more acids that it can react with. Storing acids and bases in the same container may seem like a bad idea, but the acids in the baking powder are in crystalline form and can only interact with the baking soda after you see a little water. Almost all leavening agents you buy at the grocery store have a “double action”, which means there are two acids in the mixture: one immediately reacts when mixed with the batter, and the other is activated later by heat. from the oven.
Now about mnemonics. Even if you understand the theory behind the two baking powder and how they work, it will still be difficult to keep those names in your head. If you get the concept but have naming issues, just remember: SOda for baking is ONLY SOdium bicarbonate and baking powder is perfect ready-made. And, if all you have is baking soda, don’t worry – you can make your own all -in-one chemical baking powder by adding a little tartar.