Is baking powder the same as baking soda?
To the average home baker, ingredients can get confusing. Baking is a science, which allows for less improvising with a recipe compared to cooking.
Baking powder and baking soda look so similar – even their names are easy to mix up. So how do you know which one you need for your cake, cookies or brownies? It's not as simple as being able to use them interchangeably.
"Swapping one for the other doesn’t usually work one to one – they function differently depending on the recipe," says Washington, D.C.-based dietitian Caroline Thomason, R.D.
Here's how to tell the difference between the two before your baked goods turn into baked bads.
What is baking soda?
Baking soda is most commonly used in cookies and other baked goods that only need to rise a little bit, according to the Institute of Culinary Education.
"Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate," Thomason says. "It needs an acid like lemon juice, yogurt or buttermilk to activate it and make baked goods rise."
What is baking powder?
Baking powder is best for the types of baked goods that you want to rise a lot – think cakes, muffins and biscuits. (Though some of these recipes may call for both baking powder and baking soda.)
"Baking powder contains both sodium bicarbonate and a powdered acid, so it only needs moisture and heat to activate," Thomason says.
But if it's 10 p.m. the night before a bake sale and you find yourself halfway through a cupcake recipe with no baking powder in the cupboard, fear not. In a pinch, Thomason says "you can substitute 1 teaspoon of baking powder with a quarter teaspoon of baking soda and a half teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice."
Keep in mind, though, that "the results may vary and the baked goods may still not rise based on the recipe," Thomason notes.