After busily cleaning out the pantry, I discovered two open, but only partially used, containers that I didn't know I had. One was baking powder and one was baking soda. It's always useful to have extra on hand in case of a baking emergency, but I figured that it would be a good idea to test them to see if they still worked, since chemical leaveners can lose their potency over time for various reasons, including poor storage conditions.
The procedure for testing these two products is simple. Get out two small glasses or bowls and fill one with 3-4 tablespoons of white vinegar and fill the other with 3-4 tablespoons of room temperature water. Add about 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to the bowl containing the vinegar and the same amount of baking powder to the water bowl. Each mixture should fizz up, with the soda/vinegar producing a bigger reaction. If they both work, mark the containers with the date and check them again in 6-12 months (if you haven't used them up by then) to make sure they're still active. And if they don't fizz up, you better stop by the store before the next time you want to whip up a batch of cookies.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-16-2006 @ 3:03PM
Harlan said...
Eh, what? Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Unless you're storing it above 60 degrees C (140 F), or dissolving it in water, it's gonna stay NaHCO3 for the forseeable future.
Baking powder might be more sensitive to water vapor, since it has starches and acids in addition to baking soda in it. However, baking powder also comes in cans with nice sealed lids, so I'm pretty skeptical that it's a big problem...
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10-16-2006 @ 4:31PM
Rhea said...
I have the same situation: baking powder and soda that's been in the pantry since who knows when. This is a great tip, to test them. But I must admit, I'm too lazy to do it. I would just toss them and get new stuff. They're cheap.
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11-22-2006 @ 7:09AM
blackcaesar said...
We did experiments yesterday in lab on three baking powdwers and their carbon dioxide releasing powers. The first baking powder was a partial container that had expired in 2000 had about 8.5% gassing power. the second powder, an unopened container expired in 2002 had 14.5% gassing power. The third, an opened container, not due to expire until 2007 had 16 % gassing power. We tested the powders on specialized equipment designed to compare the gassing power to barometric pressure and atmospheric temperature. It seems that baking powder will use some of its efficiency over time but unless it is over 5 years old, I wouldn't sweat it. Besides baking powdwer is cheap. Buy a can every year if you don't use it that fast.
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