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Baking soda is a pantry staple. It's employed in a host of ways, but is typically used for cleaning, and most often appears as a key ingredient in baking. If it isn't currently sitting in the cupboard, a box of baking soda is likely to be found in the back of the refrigerator with its cardboard box tongue sticking out, absorbing all the funky smells floating around the icebox. If you've ever been baking a batch of cookies and found yourself without this leavening agent to hand, the thought may have crossed your mind to simply nip a little from the odor-eating bicarbonate in the fridge. Don't do this, unless you want fishy cheese-flavored cookies.
Even if you keep a pretty clean refrigerator, baking soda has a pretty short shelf life. Once a box has been opened, you'll want to use or discard it after roughly six months. This is actually when you should throw it in the fridge. Though out-of-date baking soda might not be of any use in your baked goods, it'll still soak up all the weirdness of leftovers in the fridge. But seriously: once baking soda has been sitting in the fridge, it should stay there -- because it will corrupt muffins, cakes, and breads alike.
Baking soda (the common name forsodium bicarbonate)is an alkaline -- which allows it to neutralize acid, much like the ones that create nasty smells in the refrigerator. Conversely, baking soda can help when you get acid reflux by changing the pH of your stomach acid. When mixed with a liquid as well as an acid (or a combination of both, like vinegar), baking soda produces carbon dioxide, making it equally effective in leavening baking dough as it is in creating science fair volcanoes.
What happens to baking soda as it gets old is that its ability to create and release carbon dioxide, once activated, diminishes. Unopened baking soda will last up to 18 months, but as soon as it's exposed to the air it will degrade pretty rapidly. If you find that your baking soda is off and you need a leavening agent, you can substitute baking powderfor baking soda in a bind. It's important to know that baking soda is a stronger leavening agent than baking powder, so you'll need about three times more baking powder than baking soda called for in your recipe. Oh, and it may also affect the flavor of your bake. It's important to keep track of the age of your baking soda to avoid these kinds of mishaps.
What To Do With Old Bicarbonate
If you didn't write adate on your box of baking soda when you opened it, it's not the end of the world. There's a simple trick to test the fizziness of your bicarbonate: Scoop a small amount of baking soda into a dish and pour a few drops of acid (like vinegar or lemon juice) on it. If the bicarbonate starts to fizz, it's still got some leavening power. If nothing happens, you know that your soda's gone flat and it's time to get a new box.
If the idea of throwing out baking soda frequently makes you shudder, there are some ways you can use bicarb that's no longer bake-worthy. If your soda is less than a year old, this is the perfect time to put it in the fridge to eat up bad smells and reduce stink for the following six months. Old baking soda is a great appliance cleaner when made into a paste. Just add a little water -- enough to make it pasty -- and use that to clean your oven. When you're finished, simply sponge off the remaining paste. But whatever you do, don't bake with the old stuff, unless spoiled milk-flavored muffins are your thing.
Unfortunately, baking soda is no longer useful for baking once it's been used in this way, as it has absorbed the bad smells from your fridge. However, if your kids need to present a science project, it can be used to make a stinky baking soda volcano!
Don't do this, unless you want fishy cheese-flavored cookies. Even if you keep a pretty clean refrigerator, baking soda has a pretty short shelf life. Once a box has been opened, you'll want to use or discard it after roughly six months.
It's important to note the fresher the baking soda, the more effective it is in cooking. Once a box of baking soda is opened, it has a shelf life of about six months to one year.
And when your refrigerator starts to reek of all of those things (or worse), you can just tear open a box of baking soda, stick it in the door, and wait for it to deodorize the stench. It's a housekeeping hack that has stood the test of time because it works.
Too much baking soda can leave a soapy or chemical taste if there isn't enough acid in your recipe to balance it out. It can also overleaven a recipe, paradoxically producing a cake that is heavy with a sunken center.
To eliminate odors, baking soda actually absorbs the smells (and tastes) of whatever's sitting in your fridge. As a result, you'll never want to use baking soda from your fridge as an ingredient in your cooking or baking, otherwise, you risk compromising the smell and flavor of your final dish.
To test baking soda, place a few tablespoons of vinegar in a small dish or measuring cup, then stir in about a teaspoon of soda. The mixture will immediately begin to fizz if the soda is still active; if there's little to no reaction, it's time to buy a new container.
When to use which one. Baking soda is used in recipes that also include an acidic ingredient, such as cream of tartar, buttermilk, or citrus juice. Conversely, baking powder is typically used when the recipe doesn't feature an acidic ingredient, as the powder already includes the acid needed to produce carbon dioxide.
It's safe to use around your home, children and pets. Put 1/2 cup baking soda, along with the regular amount of laundry detergent, in the wash to give a cleaning boost, and when added to the rinse cycle, it helps remove odors.
Store unopened boxes or containers of baking soda in a cool, dry place, like a pantry. Once opened, baking soda should be stored in a sealed container. If yours came in a box, transfer it to a jar or similar container that's airtight.
There are several pantry-friendly ingredients that you can use as baking soda substitutes, including egg whites, self-rising flour and even club soda. Or, you can use baking powder - and even a couple of extremely scientific sounding items that perhaps you just happen to have lying around - baker's ammonia anyone?
Notes. Do not let the baked baking soda come in contact with your skin, as it is a caustic substance. If you do make contact with the baked baking soda, flush the area thoroughly with water.
However: when baking soda is heated without an acid, carbon dioxide is released slowly which leaves a yucky soapy, metallic tasting cake. This is because baking soda is a base and needs an acid to neutralise it. When it is neutralised, carbon dioxide is released faster which removes the soapy taste.
If a recipe is relying on an acidic ingredient for flavor (like buttermilk or lemon juice), too much baking soda would neutralize that flavor. Using both baking soda and baking powder maximizes the flavor and the rise.
Don't throw it out! Use it as a cheap, nontoxic cleaner. It's safe to use around your home, children and pets. Put 1/2 cup baking soda, along with the regular amount of laundry detergent, in the wash to give a cleaning boost, and when added to the rinse cycle, it helps remove odors.
Baking soda starts losing its potency as a leavening agent within 6 months of opening the package and lasts up to 3 years in an unopened package, but read on for ways to extend the life of your baking soda and an easy way to tell if your box is still potent.
Because baking powder and baking soda have a similar makeup, baking powder will last about six months on the shelf once it's opened, and three years in an unopened package.
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