While most home cooks have used baking powder and baking soda in all sorts of recipes — from and pies, to and cakes — many people don't really know why they're different and how they should be used.
asked culinary science experts to help break down the facts about these handy little baking agents.
Baking soda and baking powder are both chemical leaveners, which means they make our breads and cakes rise. They do this by causing a chemical reaction that releases carbon dioxide and creates the lift in baked goods.
Baking soda is alkaline, which means it has a higher pH value than acids like lemon juice, buttermilk, vinegar, sour cream and other common baking ingredients. So when it interacts with an acid, which has a lower pH value, it creates a chemical reaction, releasing carbon dioxide, as it tries to get to a neutral pH value.
Baking powder, on the other hand, is baking soda that contains two acids, so no additional acid is needed in the recipe to cause the reaction, Dan Souza, editor in chief of , told TODAY Food. “It’s a complete leavening system in and of itself, whereas with baking soda you need something acidic,” he added.
In fact, chef Peter Reinhart of tol
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