Questions and Answers
What is the purpose of baking powder in food?
To produce carbon dioxide gas
What are the two active ingredients in baking powder?
Bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar
When should baking powder be added to the ingredients?
At the end of the mixing process
What happens when bicarbonate of soda is used without an acid?
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What is the purpose of self-raising flour?
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What effect does heating have on the reaction between baking powder and water?
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Study Notes
Chemical Raising Agents
- Baking powder is a common chemical raising agent used in food, consisting of two active ingredients: bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate, an alkali) and cream of tartar (potassium hydrogen tartrate, an acid).
Types of Raising Agents
- Self-raising flour is a type of raising agent that already contains baking powder.
- Bicarbonate of soda can be used as a raising agent if the other ingredients contain an acid, such as buttermilk, lemon juice, or vinegar.
How Raising Agents Work
- When bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar come into contact with water, they react to produce new molecules, including the gas carbon dioxide.
- The formation of carbon dioxide gas creates little gas bubbles that make foods like cakes and muffins light and fluffy.
Important Tips
- Be careful not to use too much bicarbonate of soda, as it can make foods taste soapy.
- Heating up a mixture containing baking powder speeds up the chemical reaction, causing the carbon dioxide gas to form more quickly.
- It is best to add baking powder to ingredients last, as it starts to react as soon as it comes into contact with water.
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