Saturday, June 19, 2021
daily actions toward becoming better prepared for societal collapse
Last month, I posted some recipe substitutes for baking powder, mostly
because baking powder is a baking essential and because “everyone” says”baking powder has a short shelf life. Three hours of intense
research clearly indicated that “everyone” is only
half-right.
Baking powder. The DIY substitutes posted last month make a
single-acting baking powder replacement–the to-be-baked goods must be
baked immediately.
Almost all commercially produced baking powder sold in stores today is
double-acting, meaning some gases are created when the ingredients are
first mixed, and the rest are activated by heat in the oven, giving you
more time to get your goods in the oven. Unfortunately, this baking
powder has a short shelf-life. Once it’s opened. Upon opening,
you have about six months to use it before it starts losing efficacy.
And you can’t tell whether it’s good by looking at it, so you have to
test it if you don’t want to risk a failure.
Test whether your baking powder is still good by putting a teaspoon of
baking powder into small cup of hot water. If it bubbles vigorously,
the baking powder is still good and usable, no matter what the date on
the can says. Baking powder does not go bad in the sense of becoming
toxic or dangerous to eat; it just loses its potency to make baked goods
rise.
Hopefully, you noticed the words in italics above, because that is key
here. Most manufacturers claim a shelf life of two years from the date
of manufacture unopened, or six months after opening. Lots of good
folks on the internet asserted otherwise. After much searching, I
finally came across the results of a Brigham Young University
study showing that biscuits made using baking powder from a 29-year old
can were virtually indistinguishable from biscuits made using baking
powder that had just recently been purchased from the store. For the
longest shelf-life possible, keep your baking powder cool, dry, and
dark. Do not store it in the refrigerator. Feel free to stock up;
store it in a plastic bucket and keep it cool.
Baking soda. The shelf-life is basically the same as for baking
powder; the manufacturer says two years after manufacture, or six months
after opening. The test for baking soda efficacy is to add 1/2
teaspoon of baking soda to 2 tablespoons white vinegar. If the mixture
immediately starts vigorously fizzing, the baking soda is still good.
If kept cool, dry, and dark, like in plastic buckets, it has an
indefinite shelf life. Like baking powder, it does not go bad or become
unsafe to eat; it just slowly loses potency. However, it will still be
perfectly good for cleaning purposes and absorbing odors.
Cream of tartar. Just like baking soda and baking powder, cream of tartar
does not spoil or go bad, as long as it is kept cool, dark, and dry. If
you feel the need to test it, put 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar in
water with a
pinch of baking soda (that you know is good). If it foams, it’s good.
Manufacturers suggest shelf life of 4 years from manufacture date.
Yeast. I know I can make everlasting yeast; I just
haven’t gotten around to it yet. Life is busy, you know. This post has
already taken me 1.5 hours more than I normally allot each morning for
writing. I’ve got other things to do. Anyway, despite what the
packages may say, those one-pound bricks of yeast in the mylar bags
store perfectly well in the happy cool, dry, dark place for an awesome
7-8 years on the shelf, or 10 years in the freezer. I’m thrilled.
The test for whether your yeast is good is just as easy as the others,
though it takes a few more minutes. Add 1 teaspoon sugar to 1/4 cup
warm water (100 degrees) in a 1/2 cup or larger measuring cup. Stir in 2
1/4 teaspoons yeast and let stand 10 minutes. If the mixture foams to
the 1/2 cup mark, the yeast is good.
Links to related posts:
DIY Baking Powder
Alternative Medicine–Cream of Tartar
For more information:
https://extension.usu.edu/foodstorage/howdoi/essentials
https://www.thoughtco.com/baking-powder-shelf-life-607360
https://www.thespruceeats.com/the-shelf-life-of-pantry-foods-1389305
https://www.clabbergirl.com/retailers/rumford/
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865574479/Tips-for-storing-leavening-and-salt.html
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1032&context=facpub
Thank you! I have a pre-1999 baking soda in it’s original plastic container from Gordon’s Foods that I have been debating whether or not to keep. I figured I could always use it for cleaning, but I never seem to actually use it.
When I have a huge load of garden veggies to wash, I always use baking soda to clean my sink before the veggies go in.
I have never heard of doing this! I will have to try it too.
I also like a bit of Baking Soda on my dish sponge, to make the bubbles more plentiful too. Also, it never hurts to scrub things with Baking Soda as it cleans well too.
Thanks for the great suggestion. I am going to try it out, then next time I am washing veggies!!
You can use it to make your own Tooth paste. I make mine with Coconut Oil, mixed with some Baking Soda, keeps my teeth very clean and my breath fresh too.
My dentist keeps telling me that I must watch and not use too much baking soda in it, as it is supposedly very harsh to clean your teeth with but from all I have read, it is less abrasive than any toothpaste on the market. I like that fact that my sensitive teeth aren’t sensitive when I use my own toothpaste and it is so much cheaper than buying it in the store.
I also use baking soda to clean my stainless steel pots, it removes any residue on them. They look cleaner and shinier when I clean them with Baking soda.
You can also put it down the drain, to make the gnats go away if you have a garbage disposal.
Enjoy, and don’t just put it in the garbage, use it for something that it needs to be in.
My daughter has sensitive teeth. I’ll have to suggest that she give this a try. I was using some DIY toothpaste before the move. I just got out of the habit. I guess it’s time to get back in. Thanks for the reminder.
I really do like it. I find that any brand of Sensitive toothpaste is never as good to me as this. I have tried them all. lol
Saturday, June 19, 2021
Research & References of Saturday, June 19, 2021|A&C Accounting And Tax Services
Source
0 Comments