What is baking soda? Baking soda and bicarb soda refer to the same thing. Australia, New Zealand and the UK use the term bicarb soda, while the US refers to it as baking soda.
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, a fine white powder that has many uses. You may wonder about bicarbonate of soda vs. baking soda, but they are simply alternate terms for the same ingredient. If your recipe calls for bicarbonate of soda, it is simply referring to baking soda.
In Australia, we mostly refer to it as bicarbonate of soda but overseas - especially in America - it's referred to as baking soda. They aren't interchangeable, but bicarbonate of soda and baking powder are both leavening agents.
Yes, these are two different names for the same product. In Australia, we tend to use the name bicarbonate of soda (or bicarb soda for short), whereas overseas they usually call it baking soda.
If you don't have baking soda, you can use baking powder, at three times what the recipe calls for. So if a recipe calls for one teaspoon of baking soda, you can use three teaspoons of baking powder. Baking powder also contains a little bit of salt, so it's also a good idea to halve the salt the recipe calls for.
Baking powder on its own doesn't cause as strong a reaction as bicarbonate of soda, so it is recommended that you use around 3x the amount of baking powder when using it to replace bicarbonate of soda (eg. if the recipe calls for 1tsp. bicarbonate of soda, use 3tsp baking powder instead).
Whilst baking powder may offer some cleaning effect, it really is just designed for baking, and so it is not recommended that you use it for any cleaning purposes.
Lemon juice is high in citric acid, so it's great for activating baking soda as a baking powder substitute. Just be warned: lemon juice also has a strong flavor. Use it as a replacement in recipes that only call for a small amount of baking powder (or in a dish where you wouldn't mind a lemony flavor).
Club soda — or other carbonated waters — can replace small amounts of baking soda if you're in a pinch.
Baking soda and vinegar, when mixed together, can form a chemical reaction that looks sort of like an eruption. This chemical reaction can help clear your toilet and any pipe clogs that you might have.
The mixture quickly foams up with carbon dioxide gas. If enough vinegar is used, all of the baking soda can be made to react and disappear into the vinegar solution. The reaction is: Sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid reacts to carbon dioxide, water and sodium acetate.
Although mixing vinegar and baking soda is not considered dangerous, you should still avoid mixing these in a container. Vinegar is acidic and basic soda is basic, so the by-products are sodium acetate, carbon dioxide, and water that are not toxic.
Cornstarch is a component of baking powder, but the difference between the two is significant. Cornstarch itself is simply a thickening agent that absorbs moisture, not a leavening agent. The presence of cornstarch in baking powder is solely to keep the baking powder inactive until it interacts with liquid.
You can substitute baking soda for baking powder. Just use: 1/3 teaspoon baking soda for every 1 teaspoon baking powder. 2/3 teaspoon baking soda for 2 teaspoons baking powder.
To make baking powder using baking soda, combine two parts cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate) with one part baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). If you don't plan to use it right away, you will want to add some cornstarch to keep it from clumping.
You can use straight or a diluted vinegar cleaning solution for the bathroom to clean bacteria, especially around the toilet. Cleaning with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar in the bathroom can work really well. To clean your toilet with vinegar, pour a cup of vinegar in the toilet bowl and let sit overnight.
For extra-stubborn clogs, you can let the fizz mixture sit overnight or combine this method with plunging. If your toilet remains clogged or continues to get clogged, this may be an indication of plumbing problems such as mineral buildup or pressure issues.
Use Baking Soda
Baking soda is 3 times stronger than baking powder, so if a recipe calls for 1 tbsp of baking powder, you'll want to use 1 tsp of baking soda.
Adding a quarter cup of baking soda to a lukewarm bath and soaking for up to 30 minutes may relieve itching, irritation, or infections or just provide a detox. Adding baking soda — also known as sodium bicarbonate — to a bath may help with a range of conditions, such as: eczema. psoriasis.
Baking soda added to water raises the temperature slightly. Chemical reactions are either endothermic or exothermic. Endothermic means you have to put energy (heat) in to make the reaction go while exothermic means there's energy (heat) left over. Left over heat will raise the temperature.
That being said, naturally occurring baking soda is also still available and is mined in the form of nahcolite. Nahcolite is the form of sodium bicarbonate that is most natural and has no chemical additives.