By Caroline Roy, Cuisine l'Angélique
Some brands of baking powder have replaced sodium aluminum phosphate with monocalcium phosphate over the years and with warnings. The aluminum is removed (other brands still use it) but it is replaced with phosphate, the most acidifying of all phosphate additives. Phosphates should be avoided in food; they are harmful, so all baking powders, even those that do not contain aluminum, should be avoided if the word phosphate is found in the ingredients. And for my part, I also avoid corn starch because I know it is genetically modified.
Baking powder (chemical yeast) and sodium bicarbonate are commonly used in baking. In fact, even our grandmothers used these ingredients! So, they're nothing new. But what exactly are they? What about their safety and how to use them? Should we prioritize one type of baking powder and/or baking soda over another? I'll try to demystify everything for you and help you make informed choices the next time you buy these ingredients.
Their use:
Unlike baker's yeast, which is used to make bread rise in bakeries, baking powder (chemical yeast) and sodium bicarbonate (soda) are used to make pastry recipes rise: pancakes, waffles, biscuits, cakes, muffins, etc. These raising agents should therefore not be confused with the yeast used for bread.
Baking powder:
It is mainly composed of basic and acidic ingredients that allow it to accomplish its action. The basic ingredient used is sodium bicarbonate. Regarding the acidic ingredient, cream of tartar is usually added, which is actually a by-product of winemaking. Then, an ingredient is added that will stabilize the food chemistry created by the basic-acid mixture. This ingredient will be a starch (corn starch, tapioca starch). So, basically, you can even make your own baking powder and thus have a product without any food additives. Here's how to do it:
Homemade baking powder
- 65 ml (1/4 cup) organic tapioca starch or corn starch, therefore non-GMO
- 65 ml (1/4 cup) cream of tartar
- 45 ml (3 tbsp) sodium bicarbonate (soda)
The safety of baking powder:
One of the first problems encountered when purchasing commercial baking powder is the use of corn starch, which will, of course, be genetically modified corn starch if the product is not organic. And if we want to exclude corn from our diet, many baking powders will not be suitable. But the most serious problem is that the food industry is increasingly using phosphate additives. It cannot be stressed enough: we must eliminate phosphates from our diet; they are harmful to our health. Indeed, phosphate additives are particularly dangerous because, unlike the phosphates found in staple foods such as chocolate, whole grains, milk, etc., phosphate additives are assimilated very quickly by the body. It is therefore necessary to CAREFULLY monitor the ingredients contained in baking powder and avoid at all costs those containing monocalcium phosphate (the most acidic of all calcium phosphates), sodium-aluminium phosphate (which then contains, in addition to phosphate, aluminium, heavy metals to be avoided) as well as all other ingredients containing the word phosphate.
The use of baking powder in the organic food industry
Baking powder is one of the permitted ingredients in organic food processing, but it is governed by strict controls to ensure its safety. It is therefore obvious that the use of non-organic corn starch is prohibited. In organic food processing, tapioca starch is often used as a stabilizing ingredient. Phosphates are then prescribed. The sodium bicarbonate used in the composition of baking powder must have the same approved characteristics as what you will read below in the section on this ingredient (no synthetic form accepted). As for the acidifying agent, calcium sulfate is mainly used, but very strict standards surround this ingredient and it must absolutely:
*" ...be produced using processes that ensure high purity, naturally free of dihydrated sulfate (gypsum). Processing is limited to fine grinding, pneumatic separation and/or exposure to high temperatures. It is not derived from or formulated with products from the beef industry.
This product is made from natural minerals and is not derived from sulfuric acid.
Sodium bicarbonate:
Sodium bicarbonate (commonly called soda) is also used in baking recipes. Since it interacts with acidic ingredients to properly perform its leavening action, if the recipe being prepared does not contain enough acidic ingredients, baking powder will be added to the recipe. Sodium bicarbonate has a stronger taste than baking powder, so I always use it more sparingly and often in combination with baking powder.
The safety of sodium bicarbonate:
Here again, you must be vigilant. The food industry is a master at artificially formulating ingredients that are otherwise found in their natural state. In organic production, you must therefore ensure that the sodium bicarbonate is not synthetic. It must meet these criteria:
*"Contains no ingredients other than minerals and their natural "impurities." The mines where natural soda is extracted are covered with a natural deposit of sodium bicarbonate at a depth of about 2,000 feet. In the extraction process, the bicarbonate is dissolved and pumped into a processing plant that re-crystallizes, dries, filters, and packages. Sodium is produced without chemical processing."
Conclusion :
So I hope that these few explanations will help you shed some light on these two ingredients and allow you to make an informed purchase. Happy cooking, everyone!
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