Nowadays, baking soda is pretty common in food, especially to make your cakes soft and fluffy. However, baking soda reacts and inflates when mixed with flour or maida. But has it happened that even after adding soda to food items, it does not rise? If yes, let us tell you that the baking soda has passed its best date. Therefore, it is essential to keep its expiry date before using it. Today, we'll tell you how to test baking soda in a few minutes at home, but before that, let us know the difference between baking soda and baking powder.
Baking soda
Baking soda reacts with moisture and sour substances to release carbon-dioxide gas. Being made from sodium bicarbonate causes bubbles to collect in the food, making them spongy. In addition, baking soda needs sour substances like curd, buttermilk etc., to be active. Therefore, baking soda alone does not work in recipes that do not contain sour ingredients.
Baking powder
Baking powder's base is more acidic than baking soda and adding it to food automatically starts working. It starts reacting as soon as it comes in contact with moisture. When placed in the oven and exposed to heat, the bubbles formed earlier get more prominent, and the recipe becomes more spongy. It only takes a minute to test the baking soda, so try it and use it afterwards.
Ingredients to test:
- Baking powder or baking soda - 1/4 tsp
- Hot water - 1/2 cup hot water
- Lemon juice - 1/4 tsp
Method
1. Put 1/2 cup hot water in a bowl.
2. If checking baking soda, add 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to the water.
3. If you are testing baking powder, there is no need for you to add vinegar.
4. Add 1/4 tsp of baking powder or baking soda to this mixture.
5. After adding baking soda or baking powder, it's still good if the mixture has instant bubbles or fizzing. However, if you don't see any bubbling, it's time to replace the baking soda.
