sprinklefingers

while a bit clunky, this piece does a pretty good job of explaining how corn syrup is made. it also takes things a step further and details the making of corn syrup solids. then it even describes the process used in making high fructose corn syrup.

with all this controversy surrounding high fructose corn syrup, it’s hard for me to wrap my brain around the differences in plain ol’ corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and actual sugar. thankfully science has stepped in and done a bit (ahem) of research in this area. but, to be honest, the research doesn’t make sense to me. at least not a lot of sense.

but i do know a few basics: corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and sugar convert into glucose, fructose and sucrose (or some combination of these) upon ingestion. and, apparently (or so THEY say,) the body has the roughest time with fructose (or high fructose corn syrup.) that said, (and this is where it gets confusing,) there are plenty of people who argue that the body breaks down fructose, sucrose and glucose in exactly the same ways. (note that these people are usually financially linked to HFCS in some way.) still, the more i try to explain it, the more confused i get. i realize regular old sugar isn’t exactly ‘good’ for you, but at the same time it can’t be compared apples-to-apples to HFCS. HFCS is a chemistry experiment. and while sugar does undergo chemical alteration in its creation, it’s forced through a lot less processing than HFCS.

i guess my bottom line is this: by deciding to eat fewer processed foods, we can skip the HFCS controversy altogether. making the choice to not support (buy) products laden with HFCS is one small way for us to make a statement. and it’s worthwhile…even if research isn’t 100% conclusive, why would you want to risk it?

yesterday i made you a promise. that i’d come back here and explain how you can go about testing your baking soda and baking powder for freshness.

and here i am to do just that.

baking soda
pour a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice over 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. if it bubbles like crazy, it’s fresh. very little to no bubbling means you should treat yourself to a fresh box. [yes, you did just create your own mini-volcano, just like in primary school. or junior high, depending.]

baking powder
mix one teaspoon of baking powder into a 1/3 cup hot water. if it bubbles like crazy, it’s fresh. very little to no bubbling means you should get yourself to the market and buy new baking powder.

the bottom line:
if your soda or powder is not fresh enough to cause bubbling in these simple tests, then there is no way either will be able to provide the appropriate bubbling action that causes your baked goods to rise. adding additional soda or powder won’t magically make it more bubbly, so don’t even try it.

chemical reactions are neat.

both are leaveners. meaning, they cause your baked goods to rise.

both are white-ish powders.

and that’s where their similarities end.

these two white powders cannot be substituted for one another in a recipe. both work in completely different ways and rely on something else in the recipe in order to cause the reaction that releases gas (which forms bubbles, which causes baked goods to rise.)

let’s break it down, shall we?

baking soda

baking soda is baking soda. it should be used when your recipe also calls for something acidic (lemon juice, buttermilk, vinegar.) why? because in order to do rising at all, baking soda needs to be mixed with an acid. mixed with, say, vinegar, baking soda releases carbon dioxide gas which creates bubbles which - wait for it - causes your baked goods to rise. magic!

baking powder

baking powder is baking powder. it is entirely different than baking soda. it needs no acid. it only needs liquid. which is also quite magical. the thing about baking powder is that if you add it to your recipe and you’re using a fast-acting version, you need to get your batter (or whatever) into the oven or onto the griddle immediately. thankfully, science has helped out with baking powder and slow-acting baking powder has also been developed…this makes it so that the baking powder doesn’t start its reaction with the liquid until it’s reached a certain temperature in the oven.

and, of course, we can’t leave out double acting baking powder - it basically works in two phases: one immediate reaction at room temperature, and another reaction after the baked good has reached a certain temperature in the oven.

together at last: baking soda + baking powder

now, what about recipes using both baking soda and baking powder?

let’s take, for example, buttermilk biscuits. part of the allure of buttermilk biscuits is the tang left behind by the buttermilk, right? if you relied only on baking soda for the rise, you’d have to add so much of it that all of the tangy buttermilk goodness would turn into gas and float right out of your biscuits (please, please use your imagination. thank you.) with the addition of baking powder, you get enough lift - AND you get the tangy taste you’re after. in this situation, baking soda and baking powder work as a team delivering fluffy biscuits that actually taste like buttermilk. now, that IS magic.

now, prepare yourselves because i’m about to blow your minds:

you can actually make your own baking powder. no, really, you can.

here’s how you do it:

mix 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar with 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. mix and mix and mix. store in a cool, dry place.

why would you make your own? freshness, of course! and, it’s fun! and you can tell all your friends that you make your own baking powder. in these times of people being all foodie-this and foodie-that, you’ll certainly impress!

tomorrow i plan to explain how you can test the freshness of the baking soda and baking powder that has been sitting in your cupboard for three years. it’s going to be magic. AND fun. magical, impressive fun.

the brain trust at princeton has revealed some not-too-surprising facts about good ol’ high fructose corn syrup.

way to go, nerds!

ps: stop it, princeton. i am not making fun of you. i’m not! i appreciate this information and adore how your brain works.