Mr. Rawles,
Regarding the letter “DIY Baking Powder Solves a Shelf Life Dilemma”, Baking soda can be used alone with any acid, whether powdered — like what’s added to baking powder — or liquids like buttermilk (the fermented kind, not the leftover liquids from sweet butter), yogurt, kefir, sour cream, lemon or lime juice, vinegar.
Since baking powder is made with baking soda, I didn’t understand why some people claim they don’t like the [alkaline] baking soda taste. But then I found
this on the Ellen’s Kitchen site:
“The problem with baking soda is that it releases the gas all at once! So if the cake batter sits around for a while before you get it in the oven or it you beat the batter too much, the leavening will be lost and your baked goods will be flat. You don’t want to add too much either, because the taste is rather salty and you’d have to add more acid too. If you don’t have enough acid to react with the baking soda [then] you won’t release the gas, plus your cake or muffins will have a bitter or soapy taste because of the unreacted bicarbonate.”
Since I live in a humid area, I store mine in a Mason jar that’s been put into a vacuum device similar to this one at the Instructables site. [JWR Adds: A jar lid ar adapter can be used with a Food Saver vacuum sealer, to the same effect.]
Thanks for your info, – Shreela
JWR,
The recent discussion of baking powder prompted me to remember a book I inherited from my Father titled “War-Time Guidebook for the Home” published by the Popular Science publishing company.
This out-of-print book is in in my opinion is second only to the Bible as the next most necessary book a citizen devoted to serious preparedness needs to have available, rating even higher than the Foxfire series.
Though some formulae in the first part of the book are archaic, many are virtually lost to “modern” society and relevant if or when the supply chain most rely on collapses, including how to make glues, cosmetics, poultices, beverages, etching compounds, cements, medicines, etc.
The second part of the book is a general fix-it guide for the home and farm and covers woodworking, plumbing, painting, electrical, heating, furniture and is a how to guide to “make do or do without” Thank you for your helpful web site. – E.C., Whitefish, Montana