baking powder

[cosmic grammie]

If anyone is wanting to avoid aluminum in their diet, for health reasons, did you know you can make baking powder yourself?

For 2 teaspoons, mix half a teaspoon of baking soda and a half teaspoon of cornstarch with one teaspoon of cream of tartar.

This is not in weights. But one teaspoon is 5g and so half a teaspoon would be 2.5g

Well anyway, the ratios might be more useful!

Also, if you're making cupcakes or what-have-you to sell, "CONTAINS NO ALUMINUM" might be a good selling point!

[AnnieAnna]

All my life I've had pots of baking powder and cream of tartar kicking around. Now I only need one pot. Hooray!

US=cornstarch. UK=cornflour? Yes?.

Now I ought to question the aluminium. Is that an American thing? My baking powder has wheat flour, disodium diphosphate and sodium bicarbonate. I can see sodium, phosporus and carbon in there. Does yours have aluminium?

[indri]

Now I ought to question the aluminium. Is that an American thing? My baking powder has wheat flour, disodium diphosphate and sodium bicarbonate. I can see sodium, phosporus and carbon in there. Does yours have aluminium?

You missed out the carbon and oxygen in the sodium bicarbonate (Na2CO3). Sorry, being a picky scientist!

[AnnieAnna]

I got the carbon - picky you back but confess to missing the oxygen

[indri]

Ok, so I can't read!!

But then there is the whole make up of the wheat flour, which would be starch (C6H10O5), gluten (C29H37N5O9), non starch polysaccharides (Cx(H2O)y), and lipids (CH 3 -(CH 2 ) n -COOH), among other things (so basically lots of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen - lots of organic chemistry. I love organic chemistry ), which means you also missed the hydrogen out!!

[AnnieAnna]

I did think of the flour but being a sci fi fan I went - carbon based life form.
The hydrogen! We both missed that out. Come on over. Join me in the naughty corner.

[beadsbydesign]

oooohhhh it's a geeks thread

[AnnieAnna]

Not geeky enough it appears! Poor innocents. We thought that what it says on the box was what actually was in the box.
Apparently the aluminium comes from the machinery making the baking powder. I'm assuming it's particles being ground off and finding themself in the pots. So googling brought up the scarey chatter but I can't find the start of this story.

[AnnieAnna]

Oh hang on.
Crunchy Betty thinks it's a hoax but in America someone thought the cheap brands had aluminium added but in Australia it occurs naturally in the soda bit that's dug out of the ground.
Betty is quite a fun read http://www.crunchybetty.com/the-grea...soda-anti-hoax

[AnnieAnna]

Ah ha....but one brand is made with an aluminium compound. Read all about it here http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/BakingPowder.htm