Here are my twin grandsons helping me bake last weekend.
I love to bake. But my baking experiments are not always successful. I came across these hints in ALLRECIPES.COM and wanted to share them with you!
1. Make sure that your Baking Soda and Baking Powder are fresh!
Baking soda and baking powder are essentially chemical leaveners that react to temperature and other ingredients, so you are testing to see if the chemicals are still active. All you have to do is drop a little bit of the baking soda or baking powder into hot water (and vinegar if testing baking soda) and look for a bubbling reaction — if there’s fizzing, it’s still good to use!
This test will help you know if your baking soda or baking powder will help your cakes and muffins rise, or if you should go out and invest in a new package. It’s so easy to do and only takes a minute, so get testing!
What You Need
Baking powder or baking soda
Measuring cup
Hot tap water
1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon
White or apple cider vinegar (if testing baking soda)
Instructions
- Measure out the water: Measure out 1/2 cup of hot tap water.
- Add vinegar: Baking soda needs an acid to get a reaction, so add 1/4 teaspoon of a simple vinegar like white or apple cider vinegar to the water if you’re testing baking soda. If you are testing baking powder, you do not need to add any vinegar.
- Add baking soda or baking powder: Add 1/4 teaspoon of the baking soda or baking powder.
- Look for fizzing! After you add the baking soda or baking powder, look for an immediate bubbling or fizzing reaction. If it happens, your baking soda or baking powder is still good! If you see no bubbling, it’s time get replacements.
