(upbeat music)
- Hi, I'm Jerry James Stone
and in today's video, I'm gonna discuss
the difference between baking soda and baking powder.
They both look alike, right?
It's like baking soda, is it baking powder, is it cocaine?
Honestly, who knows?
But the two leaveners couldn't be more different.
Actually, when added to dough,
it's what makes our baked goods like muffins and cookies
so nice and light and airy.
You definitely need to understand
how these ingredients work,
and that's what I'm gonna get into today.
So, just so you know, because they look alike,
they couldn't also be more different.
Baking soda is like four times
the strength of baking powder.
It's like when Bewitched got the new Darrin.
I mean, we all knew, right?
Like, we all knew.
Okay, so I'm gonna geek out with you just for a second.
We're gonna get into the science of baking soda.
Remember this from chemistry class,
baking soda, it's a base.
If you ever did that reaction in high school or whatever,
you added baking soda to vinegar
and you created the volcano, there's a reason for that.
The base reacts with acids, vinegar, for example.
Other common bases in baking include buttermilk,
brown sugar, cream of tartar, and even molasses.
So the thing about baking soda is that it starts to work
immediately when you add it to your batter.
So you can't just add it
and like set that aside for a long time
because that chemical reaction is pretty immediate.
As soon as it comes in contact with an acid,
it starts working.
So if you've ever made cookie dough and let it sit out,
let it sit in the fridge for a few days
before you actually make cookies
and you wondered why they didn't rise,
that's probably the reason.
So how does this compare to baking powder?
Well, this is where it gets a little confusing.
Baking powder's actually made up of three different things.
One of those being baking soda.
So, are you confused yet, that's okay, stay with me.
So it's made up with baking powder,
it also has cream of tartar, which just a little side note,
if you wonder where cream of tartar comes from,
it's actually a byproduct from wine making,
but I'll get to that at another time.
And the third ingredient is corn starch.
Those three things make up baking powder.
And baking powder, the way baking powder works
is it's actually dual acting.
So baking powder, unlike baking soda, which works
immediately when it comes in contact with an acid,
baking powder starts working
when it comes in contact with a moisture,
so as soon as you add it, it starts going.
But there's a second reaction, and that second reaction
only happens when heat is part of the equation.
So, baking powder works immediately when you mix it in.
But then once you start baking it,
that's when the second reaction happens.
So what's the difference here?
Well, baking soda, you use in recipes
like say Nestle Tollhouse cookies.
It's that acid and base interaction
that makes them nice and airy and fluffy,
it's the baking soda and the brown sugar.
But in a recipe like sugar cookies, baking powder is used
because no acid is actually involved in the recipe.
There's no chemical reaction required
from an extra ingredient.
The actual chemical reaction all comes from
the baking powder, which is made up of, once again,
baking soda and cream of tartar, which is an acid.
So why does some recipes call for both?
Well it's because those recipes
are demanding little bitches, that's why.
So the reason some recipes need both is because
they need more leavening than the actual acid
that's within the recipe provides.
So, you can only add so much of these.
Baking soda, for example,
if you don't balance the acid and the base,
then you're gonna get this metallic flavor once it's baked.
And you don't want that to happen.
The baking powder, it's a slower reaction,
even though it contains both,
it takes a little bit more time.
So by using both, you can get more leavening,
but you don't have to add more acid to your actual recipe,
which makes it a lot tastier.
So that's it, that's the difference
between baking soda and baking powder.
Now, if you want to know actually how to test
your baking soda or your baking powder to see if it's fresh,
just click the banner that's right below me here.
Right there, yeah, just click that,
and I have a few how-to videos that'll show you
exactly how easily you can test
whether both of those ingredients are fresh,
because you don't want to waste making a whole batch
of dough and making really bad cookies, nobody wants that.
So that's it, that's the difference.
Get the heck out of my kitchen, get to cooking.
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