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Questions tagged [baking-soda]

84 questions
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4 answers

What is the difference between baking soda and baking powder?

And can I use one in place of the other in certain recipes?
thelsdj
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How can I tell if this is baking soda or powder?

Sure it'd be easier and cheap to just buy new soda and powder but I'm curious. I had a jar of either baking soda or powder. The marker with which I'd labeled it rubbed off during a house move and I do not recall which one it was. Is there an easy…
brenzo
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How should baking soda be used to tenderize meat?

At some Chinese restaurants, I've had beef dishes where the meat was unusually tender. It also has a somewhat unusual texture, which is hard to describe. I understand that this is a result of using baking soda to tenderize the meat. How should one…
erichui
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Can/should I use baking soda when cooking beans?

My recipe for hummus says to cook the garbanzo beans with a little baking soda to soften them. Does this work with other legumes? I've often seen the advice against salting the cooking water for beans, as it supposedly toughens them. Will a…
Rob Lewis
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3 answers

Baking soda as a substitute for baking powder

I am making a pancake recipe that calls for 2 teaspoons of baking powder, which I do not have. I was wondering if it would be ok to use baking soda as a substitute, and if so, how much would I need to use?
orange
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Why should I boil pretzels in baking soda water before baking?

This weekend I made pretzels from Alton Brown's recipe. This recipe, and others I've seen, call for dipping the pretzels one by one in boiling water with baking soda for 30 to 60 seconds. I assume the boiling water will help the pretzels come up to…
stephennmcdonald
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How to make baking soda

I'm in a place where buying baking soda is proving to be quite difficult*, so I was looking for substitutions, and it seems there really aren't any. So this got me thinking: Baking soda is made (or otherwise harvested from nature) in some way. How…
Flimzy
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Substitution for baking soda in pancakes

I attempted to make pancakes this morning, only to discover that I was out of baking soda. I tried substituting baking powder, but it didn't work at all. The pancakes didn't bubble on the griddle, and they were far too doughy. If this happens again,…
Martha F.
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Can I use baking powder in place of baking soda for dipping pretzels?

I made pretzel dough and its ready to be shaped. Somehow I have no baking soda left. Can I use baking powder in place of baking soda? Or is there something else I can use for the dipping step? What will happen if I just skip the dipping step?
Catsunami
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If I can't find baking soda or baking powder, what should I do?

Suppose I'm somewhere where stores don't seem to stock baking soda or baking powder. Are there other names either of those might be sold under? Or are there things I could substitute? Related: How to make baking soda (but apparently you can't…
Cascabel
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How long does bicarbonate soda (baking soda) keep?

I am thinking of baking biscuits for presents for Christmas. However, the recipe calls for baking soda, and I cook from scratch fairly rarely, so I'm worried the leftover bicarb will go strange in my cupboard. And since people use it for all sorts…
Margaret
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Interpreting a recipe from Mrs Beeton: "carbonate of soda"

Prompted by a discussion at English.se I may be going to make Mrs Beeton's soda biscuits recipe: SODA BISCUITS. INGREDIENTS.—1 lb. of flour, 1/2 lb. of pounded loaf sugar, 1/4 lb. of fresh butter, 2 eggs, 1 small teaspoonful of carbonate of…
Chris H
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Can I store dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, etc) together?

I am planning on making a bunch of gingerbread this year, the recipe I use takes both baking powder and baking soda. In order to cut down on dishes and time I thought I might mix all of the dry ingredients together in multiple batches and store it…
binarylegit
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Why should I bake baking soda for making ramen noodles?

I see this recipe for ramen noodles ("alkaline noodles") that says to use bicarb / baking soda that is baked in a very slow oven for an hour (250F / 120C) before incorporating into the noodle dough. Is it necessary to bake the bicarb? What does…
hoc_age
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What provides the acid for leavening in this banana bread recipe?

I have made this banana bread recipe a couple of times. The ingredients are: All-purpose flour Salt Brown sugar Baking soda Bananas Butter Eggs My understanding is that baking soda requires some acid such as milk or yogurt to provide leavening.…
verbose
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