Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder: The Difference

The surprising differences between Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder and how they work and affect your baking. Be a better baker by learning these fundamentals!

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Are you ready to make cookies that rival your favorite bakery? 🍪 The Ultimate Cookie Handbook shares the sweet SCIENCE of cookie baking in a fun, visual way, allowing you to create & customize your own recipes. Don't be surprised if your creations start being requested by EVERYONE at every event.

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I'm Tessa Arias, the creator of Handle the Heat, trained chef, and cookbook author. I share sweet treats with a sprinkling of baking science — not to mention tons of mouthwatering recipes.

[luckyguy]

This was the BEST and most concise explanation of the difference between Baking Soda abnd Baking powder I have ever seen. Thanks!

[AtlantaTerry]

If your baking soda is too old, do not throw it away. Instead, use it in your laundry as a water softener. I add some to the wash at the start and when I run the clothes through an additional rinse cycle.

[utahmillers]

67 years and I'm still learning about the basics of life (and cooking).

[cookingwithmon]

My wife made banana nut bread but did not have baking soda. She used 1 tsp of baking powder. Result - it was light and not fully leavened. From now on, she said she will not deviate from the recipe. Thanks again.

[stuartcrossland]

Baking soda is bicarbonate of soda and Baking powder is a mixture of cream of tartare and bicarbonate of soda.

[Bluebunny]

I'm really loving these science-behind-baking videos! I'm doing a marathon of your playlist right now. There's just so, so much to learn about baking and I hope I get to apply what I learn soon!

Im 71 just made biscuits, first time.

[tarayataraya]

WOW I bet you did well in school with Chemistry. Best explanation I have ever seen.

[JaneDoe-ccdv]

Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogen carbonate), commonly known as baking soda, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. Carbon dioxide production from exposure to heat starts at temperatures above 80 °C.

2 NaHCO3 = Na2CO3 + H2O + CO2

Since the reaction occurs slowly at room temperature, mixtures (cake batter, etc.) can be allowed to stand without rising until they are heated in the oven.
Baking powder, also sold for cooking, contains around 30% of bicarbonate, and various acidic ingredients which are activated by the addition of water, without the need for additional acids in the cooking medium. Many forms of baking powder contain sodium bicarbonate combined with calcium acid phosphate, sodium aluminium phosphate, or cream of tartar. Baking soda is alkaline; the acid used in baking powder avoids a metallic taste when the chemical change during baking creates sodium carbonate.

[annielam]

It’s truly the most in-depth explanation between the difference of the two. I watched so many videos on this topic, and never really understood it completely. Thank you so much for this information!

[SiobhanTF]

Those dimples stole my heart and still i didn't understand the difference.

[carrieli]

Thanks for your video. I just put 25g of baking soda instead of powder into my muffin mixture, it tastes bitter. as a result, I have to throw them all to trash.

[lagrace]

I was trying to get the answer why do we need both of this to get a really nice resutls when we are baking, now I´m able to understand why! Thanks so much!

[vloggerex]

Thanks much for your presentation ive learn a lot.

[fritzieayop]

Thank you for your explaination between baking soda and baking powder

[purebliss]

Thank you for sharing. Learned a lot. Many years ago I made chocolate cookies that required baking soda but didn’t have baking soda instead I used baking powder. The cookies were baked but the moment I bite in it it was hard as a rock but somehow it was still chewable it melt in my mouth. It still tasted good. But I learned my lesson. Never substitute baking soda to baking powder or vice versa. Your explanation even made it clearer to me now. Thanks.

[samihoang]

thank you so much! I have a question, one of my friends said that baking soda is so that the dough expands, and baking powder is so that it rises. Is this true?

[lflucena]

Tessa, I must confess.i felt in love, was making some pancakes and was confused about what is baking powder and what is baking soda. You're a life savior!

[atinukeladipo]

is baking soda the same as bicarbonate of soda?

[macvideoworld]

This finally solved my unsolved mystery of what was the difference between these two.
Not too long, not full of ads, not full of fluff (no pun intended), but very informative. I gave up on both baking soda and powder until i saw this video, which gave me renewed energy and excitement to bake again! Can't thank you enough. WiIl surely have to try your recipes next.