Why You Should Use Aluminum-Free Baking Powder
One of the least expensive, and most effective, things you can do to improve the taste of your cakes, quick breads, cookies, and muffins is to switch to aluminum-free baking powder.
Baking powder is a leavening agent, and itโs usually called for in recipes where there are alkaline (as opposed to acidic) ingredients. In actuality, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is one of the ingredients in baking powder, which, when moistened, releases carbon dioxide, which causes baked goods to rise.
Even though no definitive correlation has been found regarding health problems arising from using regular baking powder and cooking with non-anondized aluminum pots and pans, I use it for the taste.
If youโve ever experienced a bitter, โtinnyโ flavor when biting into a muffin, thatโs because of the baking powder usedโand often the overuse of it.
When I lived in San Francisco, I simply went up to the manager one day at my local Safeway and said, โWhy donโt you carry baking powder without aluminum in it? Itโs readily available, and you should carry it.โ So he did!
The most popular brand is Rumford, named after Count Rumford, although there are others. (Whole Foods and Trader Joeโs both carry their own brands.) Oddly, itโs made by the same company that makes Clabber Girl baking powder. Baking powders without aluminum cost just a couple of cents more than standard baking powder, and the flavor of your baked goods will improve substantially.
You can also make your own single-acting baking powder: for 1 teaspoon of baking powder, mix 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar with 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch. This can be scaled up or down, proportionally. Or you can make a little jar of it, not too much, and use it as needed. If you do make your own baking powder, be sure to pop whatever youโre making right in the oven after itโs mixed as itโll start to react once youโve added the liquid to your muffin or quick bread recipe.
Baking powder can lose its oomph and doesnโt last forever. To prevent that, buy the smallest container you can find and store it with the cap firmly in place in a cool, dry placeโฆbut not the refrigerator, whose air is too moist. Although Iโm always looking for ways to cut down on excess packaging, I find it best not to buy baking powder thatโs sold in bulk, as it sometimes is at health food stores, since it loses its vigor quickly when exposed to humidity in the air.
When in doubt if your baking powder is still good, add a teaspoonful to a half cup of boiling water. If it boils vigorously, the baking powder is still good. If nothing happens, chuck it.
More information about baking powder:
Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda (About.com)
Rumford (Aluminum-free baking powder)
Leavens (Cookโs Thesaurus)
Baking soda and Baking powder (Fine Cooking)
All About Baking Powder (Culinate)
Rumford Baking Powder (Amazon)
Baking Powder (Eggbeater)
Trader Joeโs (Most stores carry aluminum-free baking powder)
Baking soda & Baking powder: Why use both? (The Kitchn)