Baking Soda Vs. Baking Powder

The middle of the 19th century saw yeast being replaced by chemical agents for making breads and cakes fluffy. The carbon dioxide emitted by the growth and respiration of yeast would make the bread fluffy. The chemical that replaced yeast and had similar property of emitting CO₂ was sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃), commonly known as baking soda. Then, what is baking powder? Baking powder is a mixture, whose main constituent is nothing but baking soda again. Then, why are we doing such experiments since senior high? Do we need to make this comparison? Yes, we do. Now we will see and learn why!

Differentiating between Baking Soda and Baking Powder

Although, baking soda is the main component of baking powder, there's a vast difference between the two. Before understanding the difference, we need to know how baking soda works. NaHCO₃ is nothing but an alkali (base), opposite of an acid. When this alkali reacts with any acidic solution it emits CO₂ which is responsible for a baked recipe's fluffy character.

NaHCO3	+	CH3COOH	→	NaCH3COO	+	H2CO3	→	H2O	+	CO2
		Acetic Acid (vinegar)		Sodium Acetate

When we add baking soda to any dough, it reacts with the acidic components in it, like yogurt, sour cream, lemonade or buttermilk which we deliberately add while baking. This reaction discharges CO₂ bubbles which makes the dough to rise.

Coming to baking powder, as we said, it is a mixture. Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda and some dehydrated acid (mostly cream of tartar); i.e. the acid with which the soda is supposed to react while baking, is already added to the main agent. While baking when we add baking powder to water or milk, this liquid medium facilitates the alkali-acid reaction which is not possible when they are in dry powder form. This reaction produces the famous CO₂! To maintain the dryness, baking powder always has an added drying agent (mostly starch).

So, Which is Better?

The answer simply depends on what the use is. It is necessary to use baking soda for some recipes, while others may call for the addition of baking powder. This essentially depends on which other ingredients are used in the recipe. Pure baking soda is alkaline and if added in excess, without proper acid neutralization, will give a bitter taste. It is always advisable to use baking soda instead of in cookies. That's because in cookie recipes, we add enough acidic ingredients, such as buttermilk or lemonade, to neutralize the alkalinity of the soda.

On the other hand, baking powder is a mix of both a base and an acid. Taste wise, it has a neutral effect. In most recipes that use baking powder, there are often other neutral-tasting ingredients, like milk. Baking powder is the commonly used ingredient in cakes.

Apart from cooking, the baking soda vs baking powder war is waged on another battleground. Both of these powders are commonly used for cleaning and deodorizing purpose. While differentiating both, cleaning is one aspect we can't overlook. Both of these are widely used for cleaning purposes. For general purpose cleaning, baking soda is recommended. This is because, more often than not, while cleaning, we use a wet swab or cloth. As, we've seen, this would facilitate an acid-base reaction, if we are to use baking powder for wet cleaning purpose. But, for cleaning stubborn patches like burnt food stains, baking powder can prove highly effective.

Baking soda works as a good deodorant. Both baking soda and baking powder can be used for this purpose. If placed in refrigerators or store rooms, they can quickly get rid of any foul smell. Again, one should ensure complete dryness while using baking powder, as moisture will make it ineffective and may enhance the odor instead. Uses of baking soda includes brushing teeth with baking soda.

So, with various aspects studied for the comparison, you can very well conclude that both are very useful, and surely our kitchens cannot do without either of them.