Both baking soda and baking powder are a common part of our kitchen. The most common use of as we all know is in baking like biscuits, cakes etc.
Let's understand more about them in details:
The chemical name for baking soda is Sodium Bicarbonate. It requires acid and liquid for activation. Apart from cooking and baking, it is also used in cleaning stains, as a disinfectant and an extinguisher. It has also medicinal properties. Baking soda can also be used for fighting bad breath. We can also use it for cleaning fruits and vegetables as it removes chemical and pesticides. It is also used to treat heartburn.
It only needs liquid to get activated. It lightens the texture of baked food and increases the volume of dough. Used mainly in baking.
So let's highlight some key differences.
Baking Soda |
Baking Powder |
IT is an agent which does not have acid and needs acid like buttermilk or citrus juice for activation. |
It is a chemical agent which has acid and base and is used to increase the volume of the product |
We can use baking powder instead of baking soda without |
If we use baking soda in place of baking powder, additional ingredients needed to be added. |
Used for other purposes also like cleaning, as pesticides etc |
Used mainly for baking |