As you begin to think about the baking season this year (yes, it is almost here!), you may want to start taking inventory of the ingredients you have in your cupboard. Many of these items could have gone past their useful use-by date, and in order to ensure your recipes turn out the way you intended always start with fresh ingredients!
Not sure about your baking powder?
Visit our FAQ pageto find the answers to your most frequently asked questions, like:
- How do I store my baking powder, baking soda or corn starch?
- How can I tell if my baking powder is still good?
- Baking powder vs. baking soda – What’s the difference?
Remember, preparation is key when you cook and bake from scratch!
Hi!
I have a small glass bottle that has Davis Baking Powder on it.On the buttom it has 662, and a small symble. Can you tell me what year it is from…….Thanks
When baking season starts, we get a lot of questions about the usefulness of baking powder.
Question: My baking powder is hard in the can and is difficult to scrape out. Will it still work in my recipes?
Answer: If baking powder has hardened in the can, it means that moisture has gotten inside the can and caused it to react. Since the reaction has taken place, it won’t work in your recipes.
Proper use and storage of baking powder is essential to its longevity. You need to make sure you only use dry utensils when measuring, and always replace the lid tightly after use. Store in a dry place at room temperature – NEVER in the refrigerator.
Is there a single acting, aluminum free baking powder available? I wholesale frozen scone dough and have a problem with the rising of the product after the dough has been frozen. I switched from double acting to single acting and saw an improvement but not enough. I was told that the sodium aluminum phosphate inhibits a full rise is frozen dough. Is this true? I want the frozen dough to rise as much as the fresh dough upon baking. Am I asking too much? (I have already increased the baking powder to a maximum amount without destroying the flavor)
Many of the baking powders used in Foodservice and Industrial applications vary in their delivery of leavening. While some, such as the SAPP formula, react about 5% with moisture and 95% with heat there are other single acting formulations that only react with heat. For more information on our current foodservice offerings, see the leaveners listed at http://www.clabbergirl.com/commercial/foodservice/baking_powder_blends.php.
For Industrial applications, we have our new line of encapsulates – InnovaPhase. for information on this visit: http://www.clabbergirl.com/commercial/ingredients/innova.php
My Clabber Girl Baking Powder has a date of April 07 on the bottom of the can. It is still powdery and bubbles when testing with vinegar. It is still good to use? My new baking soda is dated 11/11. The only problem is I need a longer shelf life; don’t use it that often. The smallest amount is a 10 oz. can. Wish you made a smaller can.
Baking powder reacts with moisture, namely water; vinegar is used for testing with baking SODA and is not a good test for baking powder.
We have had requests for smaller size cans of baking powder since most consumers don’t bake a often as they used to. Because of this, the can expires before the product is used up. You’ll be happy to know that the 10 oz. can has changed to an 8.1 oz. size, which is more in line with consumer use. This change in size also enabled us to refrain from raising prices on our product. As an FYI, the 4 oz. can of Clabber Girl Baking Powder should be available at Walgreen’s stores this holiday season.
I have a few container of your cookie mix. I wouldlike to know if oil may be substituted for the butter in the receipe?
Linda, oil is not a good substitute in the cookie mixes. You can, however, sub 1/2 cup egg beaters for the eggs and 12 Tablespoons Smart Balance for the butter in the recipe.
What is the difference in the end result with aluminum free vs sodium aluminum sulfate baking powder? I’m making cookies and have never used Rumford. Will it be the same as others?
The results will be the same. When using Rumford for recipes that require a lot of kneading, you may lose some of the leavening in Rumford since it reacts mostly in the bowl.
What is the shelf life of Clabber Girl Baking Powder? Thank you.
P.S. I can’t find the answer quickly on this website. Sorry.
The shelf life of an unopened can of baking powder is two years.
The usual shelf life of an opened, properly stored can of baking powder baking powder could be 6 months to a year after it has been opened. Once the can is opened, moisture in the air will cause the baking powder to react slowly, releasing some of its leavening ability over a period of time. The obvious clue to whether or not your baking powder has picked up moisture would be the presence of clumps in the can. Many people prefer to change their baking powder every 3 months to ensure freshness.
Baking powder should never be stored in the refrigerator because the condensation that accumulates will cause the powder to react in the can, releasing its leavening ability.
When using baking powder, make sure that you only use dry utensils when measuring from the can and replace the container lid promptly after each use.
If you want to check for freshness, make sure the powder stirs up nice and fluffy in the can, with no sign of lumps. Place a teaspoon of the baking powder in a cup of tepid water to see a vigorous fizzing action.
I want to use a 12 serving cornbread recipe for feeding 150+ people and have heard the baking powder proportion needs to be adjusted when converting to large servings. Anything you know about that??? Thanks!
The rule of thumb for baking powder per cup of flour is 1 1/2 teaspoons. As long as you stay within these guidelines you should be fine.
I would like to know if by using the Double Acting BP when it calls for 1 tsp do I need to reduce the 1 tsp to half since its double acting or do I just use same amount called for in recipe. Thanks
Baking powders are all double acting, so you would use the exact amount called for in the recipe.
Just curious – if I want my biscotti’s higher, can I increase the amount of baking powder by 1/4, 1/2 or double?
Just curious – my biscotti’s aren’t high enough – can I increase baking powder to 1/2 or double?
Is inclement weather likely to adversely affect the results when baking a cake? It’s currently raining and sleeting, and we’ve had occasional thunder. According to the weatherman, the barometric pressure is falling.
Is inclement weather likely to adversely affect the results when baking a cake? It
My corn starch use by date is May 2010. Can I still use it?
I would like baking recipes that call for corn starch
Can I add salt and baking powder to make self-rising flour. I want to make dumplings and I always use self-rising flour. I only have all purpose flour.
To make self rising flour, use this recipe: for each cup of flour, add 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. make sure you mix well before adding to recipe! Good luck.