Commercial baking soda and baking powder are two key ingredients that are essential to baking, but unless you’re a frequent baker, a container will last a long time. While they have long shelf lives, they do eventually expire and won’t give your baked goods the lift that they deserve.
Even though the expiration date may have passed, there’s a simple test that you can do to test whether your baking soda or baking powder is still good to use!
Baking soda and baking powder are essentially chemical leaveners that react to temperature and other ingredients, so you are testing to see if the chemicals are still active. All you have to do is drop a little bit of the baking soda or baking powder into hot water (and vinegar if testing baking soda) and look for a bubbling reaction — if there’s fizzing, it’s still good to use!
This test will help you know if your baking soda or baking powder will help your cakes and muffins rise, or if you should go out and invest in a new package. It’s so easy to do and only takes a minute, so get testing!
How To Test If Baking Soda or Baking Powder Is Expired
Baking powder or baking soda
Measuring cup
Hot tap water
1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon
White or apple cider vinegar (if testing baking soda)
- Measure out the water: Measure out 1/2 cup of hot tap water.
- Add vinegar: Baking soda needs an acid to get a reaction, so add 1/4 teaspoon of a simple vinegar like white or apple cider vinegar to the water if you’re testing baking soda. If you are testing baking powder, you do not need to add any vinegar.
- Add baking soda or baking powder: Add 1/4 teaspoon of the baking soda or baking powder.
- Look for fizzing! After you add the baking soda or baking powder, look for an immediate bubbling or fizzing reaction. If it happens, your baking soda or baking powder is still good! If you see no bubbling, it’s time get replacements.
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Q: Might be a silly question, but when a box of baking powder used for freshening the fridge has expired, can it still be used as a scouring powder? Or has it expired altogether?
Editor: Try adding a scoop to hot water along with a little vinegar. If it bubbles, then the baking soda is still active. I wouldn’t use it for baking since it’s been absorbing all those refrigerator odors, but it should be good for cleaning and scouring!
• Baking Tricks: How to Tell if Baking Soda Has Expired
Uses For Expired Baking Soda
Readers, have you had luck using expired baking soda for cleaning?
Related:Fighting Odors: Do You Keep Baking Soda in Your Fridge?