Baking Soda and Baking Powder
Baking soda and Baking powder both are used to make the recipes fluffy. Both the goods forms carbon dioxide and produces small air-bubbles, which makes the dish fluffy and spongy. But though they perform same function, both of them are quite different from each other.
इस पोस्ट को हिन्दी में पढिये - Baking Soda and Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Baking Soda contains sodium bicarbonate, that produces Carbon dioxide gas on reacting with moist and sour products. Carbon dioxide gas is produced in the form of air-bubble that makes the recipe spongy.
Baking Soda requires curd and other sour food products to exhilarate. Baking soda do not react if the recipes do not have sour taste.
Baking Soda reacts instantly on getting mixed into any moist product and forms air-bubbles. Thus, the recipe should be baked or made instantly once the baking soda is added to it, else the recipe wont get spongy.
Baking Powder
Baking powder contains baking soda, other acidic medium (Cream of Tartar) and starch to maintain its powder form.
Baking powder starts to work instantly when added with food because of the presence of acidic medium (cream of tartar). Baking powder is used for the recipes which is not sour in taste.
Baking powder used in food nowadays is double action. The first reaction takes place when it gets mixed with moist products and the other reaction takes place when it comes in contact with hot substances i.e when the recipe is kept in the oven. The bubbles gets big in size and becomes more spongy. Due to the double action property, you can even bake the recipe 15 minutes after mixing baking powder to it.
The recipes which are to be baked for long time uses baking powder instead of baking soda. As baking soda stops to work once it comes in contact with hot substances, whereas baking powder contains cream of tartar that makes the recipe more spongy on being baked in the oven. Baking powder is used to make cakes, muffins, cookies etc.
Can we use Baking Powder instead of Baking Soda to bake the recipe?
Yes, you can substitute baking powder for baking soda to bake the recipe. You have to increase the quantity of the baking powder to 4 times as it contains 2 parts of cream of tartar and 1 part of baking soda, else the excess quantity of cream of tartar distorts the taste of the recipe. Excess use of baking soda can alter the taste of the recipe and make it saline.
Can we use Baking soda in the place of Baking powder?
No we cannot substitute Baking soda for Baking powder to make any recipe. Baking soda needs acidic medium to get activated. Likewise, if we will make cake by adding only baking soda to it, then it will not become spongy as it does not have acidic medium.
Can we add more Baking powder to the recipe, if my cake does not rise?
Excess of baking powder can make a recipe saline in taste. It can make the recipe rise instantly forming big bubbles which can cause holes in the cake or any other recipe due to which the cake can squeeze.
The cake rises first and then squeezes. What to do?
This can happen when you have not mixed the baking powder/baking soda well with the flour. The quantity of baking powder might be more in some areas and less in other parts of the recipe causing big air-bubbles into it causing the burst.
Or the other reason can be that you might have used excess quantity of baking powder-baking soda than required.
My cake does not rise and become spongy. What to do?
If the quantity of baking powder is less than required, then the recipe will not rise and become spongy. Or may be your baking powder has expired and is not working or getting activated when mixed with the substance.
How to know whether the baking soda or baking powder is working or not?
The age of baking powder is from 6 months to 1 year, whereas baking soda does not ever get expired.
Take 1/2 tea spoon baking soda and pour 3 tea spoon vinegar in it. If it forms the bubbles instantly, then the baking powder is working properly.
If the foam appears by adding 1/2 cup warm water into 1 tea spoon baking powder, then it is working properly.
