Can you use bicarbonate of soda instead of baking powder?

Answer 1

Yes they are the same. In Australia you tend to say bicarb of soda but in America you tend to say baking powder (these terms are used elsewhere but to keep it simple I'll just put these two). however there is also baking powder this is a different substance and cannot (or should not) be a substitute (or substituted) for bicarb of soda. hope this helped!

Answer 2

Bicarbonate of soda and baking powder are both leavening agents. Leavening agents need an acidic ingredient to work. Bicarbonate of soda is pure leavening agent with no acid added and will only work in recipes where there is an acidic ingredient included separately (lemon juice, chocolate, buttermilk or honey). Baking powder has the acidic ingredient included but it is tasteless, so it is used in recipes such as vanilla sponge cake where you don't want an acidic taste to the cake.

Answer 3

Baking soda is pure sodium bi carbonate. Acts as food leavening agent.

Baking powder is a mixture of 3 components:

1. Sodium bi carbonate

2. Acidifying agent

3. Drying agent (eg. starch)

Under acidic conditions, reacts with chemical components of food items and produce carbon di oxide which escapes by expanding on baking at high temperature, thus enabling rising of food items.

Answer 4

After looking at other sites i came to the conclusion that they are the same. i think the Americans use the term baking soda where the English use bicarbonate of soda.

Actually brits use both, the baking powder has additional rising agent such as cream of tartar to get an even lighter result, such as sponge, whereas sod bicarb on its own relies on the recipe ingredients along to giver the CO2 reaction.

Answer 5

No. The main active ingredient in baking soda is SodiumBicarbonate, not Calcium Bicarbonate.

Also, calcium bicarbonate exists only in aqueous solution containing the ions calcium, dissolved carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, and carbonate.

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), usually is prepared by the reaction of calcium carbonate, sodium chloride, ammonia, and carbon dioxide in water.

Answer 6

Not exactly, although the two perform the same function in a recipe.

Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), which is the raising agent, but also contains an activating acid such as tartaric acid, and a filler, often corn starch.

Therefore, baking powder will work without adding an acid, but baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) needs an acid to be added to the mix...this is often vinegar (acetic acid), lemon juice (citric acid) or Vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

Answer 7

No. Baking powder is made up of two components: bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar.

Answer 8

Yes