Q&A: Why is bi-carb soda used in cooking if it works as a cleaning product?
Written by Guest on April 30th, 2011Question by ELLE: Why is bi-carb soda used in cooking if it works as a cleaning product?
Wouldn’t that be bad for us to eat? What purpose does it actually have in cooking?
Best answer:
Answer by racer 51
it’s a leavening. it puts carbon dioxide into what’s being baked and helps it to rise.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
April 30th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Baking soda is used as a buffer for baked goods. it helps to lessen the rising of cakes, cookies, muffins, etc. Baking powder, on the other hand has aluminum in it. so get the kind that does not have that in it. You can make things that do not need to be raised. Without flour, that is. It is the flour that needs to be raised so we can light fluffy pancakes, etc. Get a cook book that doesn’t need things like baking soda, powder, flour, etc. They are out there. Good Luck and God Bless.
April 30th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
Besides it being a leavening agent that helps produce carbon dioxide, it makes baked items lighter and fluffier. Yes, it can be used as a household product, but so can vinegar and lemon juice, etc.
April 30th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Baking soda is used as an leavening agent in baked goods because it gives out carbon dioxide when reacting to an acidic liquid (e.g. milk, yogurt), as well as when exposed to heat. Too much of it can produce discoloration and/or a crumbly texture in baked goods. ‘Unreacted’ baking soda is responsible for the bitter taste that probably all of us have encountered. Baking powder contains a portion of baking soda, plus an acid and a stabilizer, or drying agent (usually a starch).