What happens if you use baking powder instead of baking soda?

Answer 1

baking powder is baking soda and an acid. Today most baking powder is double acting, which means it rises once when it gets wet and again when it gets hot. The answer to the question depends on what your substituting in. Sometimes baking soda is used to adjust the pH (acid or base level) of a dish. Baking powder won't really help there.

If you use the same amount of baking powder instead of baking soda in a cake it will not rise properly.

I made two batches of banana bread. One using baking soda, as called for in the recipe. The other only using baking powder (without adding any cream of Tartar). They both had the same rise to them. I was very surprised. However, I think it does depend on what type of result you are trying to achieve. If you have time to experiment, then you should. There's no better teacher than experience. That's what I did.

Answer 2

Single acting baking powder will not have any noticable difference since it is baking soda with Cream of Tartar. Cream of Tartar is the acid to activate the baking soda. However, if you use a double acting baking powder which is likely if you live in the United States you will get additional lift since it has two active agents, one that reacts to liquids as baking soda does and one that reacts to heat. The reverse using baking soda instead of baking powder can leave your end product someone flat, but that may be a choice to consider. Some cooks use baking soda instead of the recipes original suggestion of baking powder to create more dense cookies. If you do this do not forget to add the acid vinegar, lemon or Cream of Tartar. When buying baking powder avoid those with aluminum. buying the more expensive product is worth it and keeps the aluminum out of your body. Hope this helps, you can learn more about cooking at our WEB site http://healthylife.rmtrain.com. We are in the midst of writing a cook book to be released this summer, "The Science of Cooking without MSG" that discusses in easy terms how common chemicals work in cooking and how to avoid dangerous chemicals being added to many common foods. It is a book that is filled with a lot of great knowledge about cooking and how to create great food the old fashioned way. John