Just realized I was using baking powder and baking soda wrong for 10 years

I always just grabbed whichever was closest to make my cookies rise. Last month I tried a coffee cake recipe that fell totally flat. My neighbor who bakes for the county fair saw me tossing the batch and asked what I used. When I told her she laughed and explained the acid thing. Now everything actually puffs up right. Anyone else have a baking science moment that made you feel silly?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee_butler1mo ago

My first thought was "great, now I have to keep two different white powders in my pantry and remember which is which." At least I finally know why my "science experiment" cookies were so dense.

spencer_thomas41mo ago

Well, that's a great lesson to learn the hard way. I had a similar moment when I realized I'd been using baking powder that was years past its expiration date and wondered why my biscuits were always so dense. For you now, does this new knowledge make you want to go back and retry any of those old recipes that never turned out right, or are you mostly relieved to know the difference going forward?