bicarb or baking powder?

Dill

..also, I don't know if it's just me, but I find bicarb seems to have a distinctive flavour, and sometimes leaves a bit of a taste, whereas baking powder doesn't. I prefer to use baking powder for this reason.

fedupnow

In my fridge I have two plastic pots (without wrapping) containing white powder. I know one is baking powder and the other is bicarb.

The only visual difference is one has a blue lid and the other has a white one.

Please tell me which is which?

I don't want to have to rub it on my gums or anything;)


ta

Farway

put a pinch of each into vinegar, the bicarb will fizz

thriftlady_2

I buy Supercook baking powder and bicarb. The bicarb comes with a blue lid, but the baking powder comes with a red lid. I don't know how helpful that is?

I've just had a really close look at both substances and they do look different.

Baking powder -very like flour-slightly creamy in colour and a soft talcum-like texture.

Bicarb -Much whiter and a more cystalline texture, not like flour.

They both fizz when you add an acid so that won't help id them.

HTH

thriftlady_2

Farway wrote: »

put a pinch of each into vinegar, the bicarb will fizz

I was going to suggest that too, but I tried it with the baking powder and it fizzed. It contains bicarb I think.

freyasmum

I'd agree with thriftlady, the blue lid is bicarb - at least with supercook.

Both will fizz because baking powder is a mix of bicarb and cream of tartar

squeaky

Water.

Honest

Put a small amount of each of them on a teaspoon and add a few drops of water.

Bicarb is a single alkali and will just sit there when wet, looking stupid.

Baking Powder, on the other hand is a mix of bicarb (alkali) and cream of tartar which is acidic. So when you add some water it'll start frothing up within a few seconds. *

It works, honest - I've just done it in my [strike]lab [/strike]kitchen

If neither of them froth then it's likely that neither of them is baking powder, and although one (in blue) is most likely bicarb as has been said - the other could be anything. Arrowroot maybe?


* This is why you should always bake cakes with baking powder in them as soon as you've mixed them - don't leave th mixture standing around for a while because the reaction will have finished and most of the gas in the bubbles will have escaped, so your cake will be flat.

belfastgirl23

I think bicarb usually has a blue lid too though, having mistakenly added bicarb to pancakes once :rolleyes: disgusting by the way

fedupnow

Thanks all

The blue lidded one has supercook sort of embedded in the lid and does indeed look pretty stupid in a spoonful of water.

The white lid is smooth and clueless to it's origins but the contents of the pot do indeed go all frothy man.

Thanks again.

thriftlady_2

Thanks Squeaky for that excellent and entertaining explanation :T