How To Tell If Baking Powder Is Still Good BEFORE You Ruin Your Recipe

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

Don’t risk your recipe turning out poorly by using baking powder that’s not fresh and active.

If you find baking powder in the back of your spice cabinet and wonder if it’s still got any ooomph, this is a quick & easy way to find out using just water.

So don’t chance inactive baking powder ruining your recipe. Do this simple test first.

Do you wonder if that container of baking powder is still good? Here's a quick & easy test to show you whether it's safe to use or you should throw it out. #TexasHomesteader

Finding An Old Container Of Baking Powder In The Pantry

I was baking some Beer Bread recently. As I pulled out the ingredients for my bread I noticed I was dangerously low on baking powder. I wasn’t sure there was enough left for my recipe.

But wait, didn’t I see a large container of baking powder stashed way in the back of the pantry just the other day?

I dug around until I found it. Wow, it’s apparently been in the pantry for quite some time. But it’s a very large container. It seems such a waste to just throw it away.

I wonder if it’s still good…

So I decided to run a quick test.

How Do You Test Baking Powder To See If It’s Still Active?

There’s an easy test for baking powder to make sure it’s still active before using it in your recipe.

Heat ½ cup of water until it is very hot.

Measure ¼ teaspoon from the older container of baking powder.

Stir into hot water.

Watch reaction.

Do you wonder if that container of baking powder is still good? Here's a quick & easy test to show you whether it's safe to use or you should throw it out. This baking powder is no longer good. #TexasHomesteader

Hummm… Not much reaction at all with this old container of baking powder.

What Should Baking Powder Look Like When Fresh?

I wonder how that lack of reaction compares to the reaction I’d get with my current (albeit nearly empty) container of fresh baking powder.

So I repeated the experiment, this time with ¼ teaspoon of fresh baking powder and very hot water.

Do you wonder if that container of baking powder is still good? Here's a quick & easy test to show you whether it's safe to use or you should throw it out. This baking powder is still good. #TexasHomesteader

Wowser! The reaction was much more dramatic, immediately bubbling like crazy!

Sometimes It’s Best To Just Throw It Away

So although I hate to waste this huge mammoth container of baking powder I’d found in the pantry – out the door it goes!

Yes I hate food waste, but I’ve just saved myself the time, expense & heartache of a flopped recipe in the future.

I’ve also heard you can do this same experiment with baking soda if you add a splash of vinegar to the hot water.

Baking soda baking powder wood spoon red white napkin. #TexasHomesteader

But heck, baking soda is used so often around our homestead whether Cleaning our Coffee Mugs or just general Non-Toxic Scrubbing Power when cleaning our home, it never has a chance to get old here. LOL.

~TxH~ 

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2 thoughts on “How To Tell If Baking Powder Is Still Good BEFORE You Ruin Your Recipe

  1. Patty

    Thanks for this timely reminder! I am planning to do some baking this weekend – my can is dated use by 7/5/2016 (yes, I don’t bake much, lol). I tested it, and it is still good, so that’s one thing off the list.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Yea Patty – one unnecessary purchase eliminated and a couple of bucks saved. I daresay my baking powder was even older than yours(eh hemmmmm…) LOL I’d forgotten it was in the pantry and DANG it was such a large container to waste. Pfffft! ~TxH~

      Reply

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