For example, you can use salt as a scourer to clean a greasy pan or you can mix it with bicarbonate of soda or vinegar to boost the cleaning effect. If you have a clogged drain, pour some salt down the drain and follow up with hot water to deodorize and break down the built-up gunk.
White vinegar isn't a powder but is a natural cleaning product thanks to its high acidity. People can use vinegar to kill mould, remove clothing stains, and deodorises much like baking soda. Unlike powder cleaning agents, people can also add vinegar to a spray bottle with some water for ease of use.
Baking powder is, without a doubt, the best baking soda substitute you can find. They're not the same thing (baking soda is about three times stronger), but they are both leavening agents that work in similar ways.
Salt is generally used for flavor in cooking, but when it comes to baking it plays more of an important role. In baking, salt is used to activate the leavening agent in the product-like baking powder or baking soda. This means that if you omit salt all together your product won't rise as much or at all.
Sodium bicarbonate is also called baking soda and is actually a type of salt. Some popular uses for baking soda are to help baked goods rise, as an antacid to treat indigestion, and as a general household cleaner.
Salt is 38.7% sodium by weight, and sodium bicarbonate, a.k.a. baking soda, is 27.3% sodium.
According to a manufacturer, each teaspoon of baking soda contains 4.8 g, corresponding to 59 mEq of sodium and 59 mEq of bicarbonate [1]. By comparison, oral sodium bicarbonate tablets (650 mg) contain only 7.7 mEq of sodium and 7.7 mEq of bicarbonate [2].
Types of Salt used in baking:
Table salt, sea salt and kosher salt can all be used for baking. But the volume varies between types and brands of salt. For example, 1 teaspoon of table salt is equal by weight to 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, depending on the brand.
Table salt consists of sodium and chloride, so its chemical name is sodium chloride. Sodium bicarbonate is better known as baking soda. Its sodium is attached to bicarbonate, which is made from molecules of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen.
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).
Baking powder, in particular, is one of those ingredients you can easily run out of without noticing, but when it comes to baking, it does a very particular job, and can be difficult to replace. Most baked goods need a leavening agent to make them rise, and if you leave it out, your cake or your cookies will fall flat.
First, stir 1 cup of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into a pan. Start heating over the stove until thickened; allow this solution to cool down to room temperature before applying. Apply the mixture thoroughly inside the and let sit for approximately 20 minutes.
Opt for a liquid castile soap instead and mix it with some water and use it as a multipurpose cleaner. You can add some into your laundry to make clothes softer, clean your dishes, shine old pans, or even pre-treat stains before putting clothing into the washing machine.
Baking soda acts as a cleaning agent because it is a mild alkali and can cause dirt and grease to dissolve easily in water for effective removal. Because baking soda is a pure, natural product that is also a food, it is non-toxic, unlike many other household cleaners.
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.
When it comes to cleaning, baking powder is less effective than baking soda. You'll have to use 4x more baking powder for every 1 part of baking soda required. Even then, baking powder won't be able to deodorise and remove stains as thoroughly as baking soda can.
If you use baking powder instead of baking soda, add a total of three times the amount of baking powder than the recipe recommends for baking soda to “fix” the mistake. However, keep in mind that adding too much baking powder can cause the baked goods to taste bitter. The batter can also rise too quickly and then fall.
While both table salt and sodium bicarbonate contain sodium, one of their differences is the substances bound together with the sodium. They also perform different jobs in the body. A component of table salt helps form stomach acid, while sodium bicarbonate neutralizes that same acid.
You can use iodized salt as a seasoning or baking ingredient as you would regular table salt.
Instead, we recommend non-iodized salt for a clean, pure taste that won't distract from the other flavors in your recipe. That said, feel free to use iodized salt if that's all you have — the effect won't be very noticeable, especially if you're baking a recipe with strong flavors.
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.
Potassium bicarbonate is widely considered to be one of the best substitutes for baking soda in a recipe. This is because potassium bicarbonate has the same leavening capabilities as baking soda, but there is one distinct difference: it does not contain any of the sodium that baking soda possesses.
Baking soda and baking powder are not the same. Sodium bicarbonate and bicarbonate of soda are other names for baking soda. Baking powder is made of baking soda plus cream of tartar and cornstarch. Baking powder can be substituted for baking soda by tripling the amount of baking powder.