What is baking soda? Calling it a mysterious white powder isn’t as fun as it used to be.
Baking soda is a nickname for sodium bicarbonate. It’s made from soda ash, also known as sodium carbonate. To make the stuff in the orange box, soda ash is mined in the form of an ore called trona. Chemistry ensues. The result is NaHCO3. The Damsel doesn’t understand these kinds of things but is grateful there are people in this world who can take care of chemistry related items for her.
Sodium bicarbonate works because it reacts with acid components to release carbon dioxide bubbles. (Think baking soda + vinegar = science fair volcano) Those bubbles get trapped in dough and so on, and causes it to rise. And, it has this cool property that at baking temperatures, it doesn’t need the acid partner to release the bubbles. So when you’re mixing up a cake, it releases the bubbles when it gets baking-hot but not before. Apparently that’s good. The Damsel guesses premature bubble formation wouldn’t work out so well for the cake.
In case you’re wondering about man-made chemicals in food, baking soda is a natural thing to put in your body. Your body even makes it, in dissolved form, to counter your strong stomach acid. So no worries there.
In another post, the Damsel will instruct the class on a few of the bajillion uses for the stuff.
A shoutout to Helen, the Damsel’s adorable Australian friend. She sent chocolate all the way from the land down under. Such actions deserve public praise and adulation. There is great joy at the Cottage by the Mountains!
