Baking Soda versus Baking Powder | Real Women Store Grub

Most of us have probably experienced first-hand the fact that baking soda and baking powder AREN’T the same thing. But what exactly are the differences? To find out, I did what any person with an internet connection would do – I googled it!

Turns out that baking powder contains baking soda, but it also contains cream of tartar. Who knew?

Baking soda requires an acid to act, which is why you often find it in tandem with ingredients like buttermilk, cocoa or honey. Baking soda also begins to react immediately, so if you’re baking with it, you want to get your goods in the oven as soon as possible.

Baking powder, on the other hand, comes in double-rise and single-rise formulas. The double-rise variety activates when added to a liquid, but will activate again when it’s heated. So if you’re mixing up your favorite muffin or pancake batters the night before, chances are, your recipe uses baking powder, not baking soda.

I also learned that an excess of baking powder will give your baked goods a courser crumb and cause them to fall in the middle – now I know where I’ve been going wrong with a muffin mix I’ve been trying to perfect!

Now if you’re out of baking powder, you can substitute by mixing 1 part baking soda and 1 part cornstarch to 2 parts cream of tartar. Cut back the baking powder called for by ¼ (so if your recipe calls for 1 tsp of baking powder, use ¼ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp cornstarch and ½ tsp cream of tartar. However, the general opinion was that you should NOT use baking powder in place of baking soda. With descriptions like “excess acid” and “bitter,” it really doesn’t sound like it’s worth the risk!

An interesting side note is that baking soda lasts pretty much forever, as does cream of tartar, if kept sealed and away from heat. If you’re trying to make your food storage last forever with minimal rotation, you may want to consider storing soda, cornstarch and cream of tartar, since baking powder only has a 1-2-year shelf life…hmmm….