To Fizz or Not to Fizz

Today we decided to look at what a “leavening” agent was?  Guess what?  It is another a spy!

What You Need

Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Vinegar
Water

One Cup
One Teaspoon

What We Did

First we put some water in a cup and added a teaspoon of Baking Soda.  Nothing happened.

Then we put some vinegar in a cup and added a teaspoon of Baking Soda.  It fizzed up.

Then we put some water in a cup and added a teaspoon of Baking Powder.  It fizzed up.

Then we put some vinegar in a cup and added a teaspoon of Baking Powder.  It really fizzed up.

What We Learnt

Some chemicals react to moisture, some to heat and some to other chemicals.

Baking Soda is Alkalia. It needs heat or an acid to react.  So if you put it in water it won’t do anything. But if you put it in vinegar it will fizz up because vinegar is acidic. The same thing will happen if you put it in Buttermilk as it is acidic too.

Baking Powder is made up of Baking Soda and some Acid Salts. It also has some corn flour or something like that to stop moisture from the air making the Soda and Salts react with each other before you want them to.  It can react to moisture and/or heat depending on the acids.   So if you add Baking Powder to water it will fizz up because it already has Acid Salts in it and the water triggers the reaction between the Soda and the Acid  If you add it to Vinegar it will also fizz up because vinegar is wet. 

See the full photo gallery.

We use either or both of these things in cakes to make them rise.

Posted by Annushka in Sideline Issues