When you like making delectable pastries, cookies, and cakes, the baking aisle may be a source of amazement. It might also be perplexing if you don’t know which brand of baking soda to purchase. Someone may claim to have pure baking soda, while another may claim to be aluminum-free, and let’s not even get started on baking powder. But is all baking soda created equal?

Should you choose one kind of baking soda over another? And, if so, what should you be on the lookout for? It’s time to find out.

How Many Kinds of Baking Soda Are There?

Officially, there is just one kind of baking soda, which is sodium bicarbonate (CHNaO3). Baking soda is mined using sodium carbonate (Na2C03), also known as washing soda.

When individuals bake something that does need the use of sodium carbonate, such as pretzels, some misunderstanding arises. Sodium carbonate, on the other hand, is more industrial and may be used to make glass.

Baking soda will always be sodium bicarbonate and nothing else.

What is Baking Soda Used For?

Baking soda has various applications, but the one you’re interested in is baking. Baking soda is used as a leavening agent in the kitchen. It is often mixed with acids to make carbon dioxide. The rising CO2 bubbles aid in the inflation of the batter.

Baking soda is used in recipes for pancakes, cakes, muffins, friend food, and other quick-baking products. Baking soda is not found where yeast is found because yeast produces gas for extended periods of time whereas baking soda burns off quickly.

Is All Baking Soda Edible?

Indeed, baking soda is edible in its whole. As previously stated, baking soda is a moderate foundation. This implies it may be used in baked products or homemade toothpaste. You may also take it as an antacid if your stomach is unsettled. Take care not to knock over the baking soda or inhale it. The powder may irritate the eyes and throat.

Don’t Confuse Baking Soda With Baking Powder

The distinction between baking soda and baking powder is another cause of confusion for bakers and chefs alike. They sound similar, and you may believe they can be used interchangeably. Don’t worry, we’ve all made that beginner error! However keep in mind that baking soda and baking powder are not the same thing. When a recipe asks for baking soda, use it. Never use baking powder as a replacement.

Should I Look For Aluminum-Free Baking Soda?

Aluminum has never been added to baking soda. This myth may have originated from individuals mistaking baking soda for baking powder. When you see that one item contains something, such as aluminum, you begin to question whether the others do as well. Moreover, several firms represented their products as aluminum-free, which proved to be deceptive since pure baking soda contains nothing but sodium bicarbonate.

Are you curious about what may happen? See What Happens When You Use Baking Soda Instead of Baking Powder in a Cake?

Pure Baking Soda vs Baking Soda

So, what’s the point if all baking soda is theoretically the same? The difference occurs throughout the production process. There’s a reason why certain baking sodas cost twice as much as generic brands.

Why is genuine natural sodium bicarbonate so costly? Since extracting sodium bicarbonate and maintaining it as pure as feasible is a complicated operation. Businesses that mine baking soda, such as Natural Soda in Colorado, must use a technique known as solution mining.

Solution mining, which involves sending hot water down to dissolve minerals such as nahcolite, has been around for a long (where baking soda comes from). The enriched water is subsequently returned to the surface via the pump, where sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate are removed.

Baking soda is extracted from water by crystallizing the liquid, then spun dry and checked for purity.

How Commercial Baking Soda is Made

Your cupboard baking soda is a bit more processed than its purer version. Do you remember sodium carbonate? It may be used to make baking soda. Here’s how it’s done: After dissolving washing soda in filtered water, carbon dioxide (CO2) is blown through.

Baking soda is formed when CO2 combines with sodium carbonate. The water is then removed using a centrifuge.

Nevertheless, when you think about it, it doesn’t really distinguish the general process from the solution mining one. When baking soda is produced in this manner, no contaminants are added.

This indicates that there is almost no difference between baking soda and pure baking soda.

Wrapping Up

So, is all baking soda created equal? Indeed, on a chemical level. Even though the creation differs, the things on the shelf are all the same. There is no reason to select naturally occurring baking soda over one manufactured in a facility since both techniques introduce few to no pollutants. So you may use any baking soda you wish.

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