Ever get a frantic phone call about soda vs. powder? My daughter just moved into her first house with her first kitchen and she is learning the “kitchen” ropes. She calls me the other day because she is baking some cookies (from scratch), had some baking powder, but the recipe called for baking soda! She didn’t know what to do and needed my help.
So here is a “not so” common sense cooking tip:
– Soda has to have liquid and acid to work
– Powder only needs a liquid because it has the acid (cream of tartar) already in it. If all you have is powder and the recipe calls for soda you can triple the powder to equal the soda – but this might change the taste 😏 so the best bet is to have both in the pantry.
Check out these links for some really helpful information about what baking soda and baking powder are and also how to make it work if you ever get caught without one.
Bonappetit Magazine “effed it up column”.
Thought Co. the science behind the scenes.
Hope this helps! Sometimes what “experienced” cooks don’t realize is that cooking is not just common sense!
Enjoy!
Maurie Kay
