The Best Way To Prevent Baking Soda From Clumping
Baking soda is a profound compound that really deserves a place of honor in your pantry. Per Healthline, baking soda can be used for baking, tenderizing meat, cleaning, deodorizing, and even keeping your teeth white and mouth feeling fresh. And don't forget that those volcanos students used as science projects in school would be less incredible without this powdery ingredient. Baking soda's more scientific name is sodium bicarbonate, and it is a critical component in achieving a "fluffy" texture in your baked goods and your scrambled eggs. This pantry staple definitely has it going on.
But if you are like us, you may have reached into your cabinets to pull out a box of baking soda only to find it lumpy and clumpy. Why did this happen? We don't want to point fingers, but it probably depends on how you stored it. But no worries. Here are some details on how you can prevent baking soda clumping and what you can do to salvage hardened baking soda.
Don't store it in the fridge
According to Taste of Home, baking soda needs to be stored in a container that locks out moisture. Otherwise, you will end up with clumping or worse — mold. A blogger at I Forgot Its Wednesday further explains that while sodium bicarbonate is not prone to spoil, it can be compromised, so don't store it in the fridge. But that doesn't mean that your baking soda is no longer useful. It may not create the same results when you make your cakes and cookies, but it won't harm you.
So, what's a person to do if they have to make five dozen cupcakes ASAP for a school carnival and find their baking soda is clumpy? We have some good news for you. If you find that your baking soda has clumped and is rock hard, and as long as there is no mold, there is an easy way for you to salvage and somewhat restore it to its fine, powdery existence. Per the food forum Hometalk, you can dump your chunky baking soda into another container and use a mallet or meat tenderizer to break the clumps apart or break-out your blender and pulversize the clumps until they are once again a fine powder. Problem solved.