5 Benefits Of Using Baking Soda For Cooking

There are multiple uses for baking soda. Baking soda is used both as a condiment for the preparation of different dishes as well as a cleaning agent that has become popular in different parts of the world. When the concept of baking soda was introduced to the Americans, it changed the way that they made their desserts. 

Also Read: Baking Powder Vs Baking Soda: Are They Really Different?

Baking soda is used to make pizzas, cookies, cakes, and whatnot. It helps in cooking and baking all these food items properly. However, the use of baking soda is not just limited to cleaning and baking. There are so many other ways through which one can use baking soda to cook food in the kitchen. Here are some top uses of baking soda to cook food that can be implemented to make cooking easier regularly.

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* Browning Onions

Preparing crunchy onions is the first step towards making any dish. Onions are generally slow-cooked in some oil or butter to give them a crunchy taste and a golden brown colour. But sometimes one doesn't have the time to slow cook onions until they turn golden brown by spending so much time. In this case, one can simply just add a teaspoon of baking soda to the onions, and within a few minutes, the onions will turn golden brown. This will be cooked properly and will have a very crunchy texture. Sometimes using too much baking soda in the onions may impact the flavour negatively. So one must always watch out for the quantity of baking soda that they're using in cooking the onions.

* Softening Beans

To cook lentils or pulses properly, they have to be soaked in some water before being boiled. This ensures that the beans are cooked properly and are soft. But sometimes one forgets to soak lentils overnight and upon boiling the beans, without soaking them in water, they just don't taste right. Adding some baking soda will instantly make the beans soft by raising the pH level of the water. One has to simply add a spoonful of baking soda to the water and then add the lentils. Not only will the beans become softer, but it will also take less time for the beans to get cooked properly. For 6 cups of water, one has to add one teaspoon  of baking soda.

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* Balancing Acidity 

Using baking soda for balancing acidity in a particular ingredient is also a great way to effectively use baking soda. Generally, canned vegetables, especially tomatoes, are extremely high in acidity. This can spoil the taste of a particular dish and it is important to neutralise an acidic ingredient before making it a part of the dish. Baking soda is not acidic and can help neutralise the effect of any ingredient that has high acidity. Baking soda is an effective ingredient in decreasing the acidity of a particular food without changing its taste or texture. Baking soda will make the flavour of the dish extremely smooth and the taste will come out well. Baking soda can be effectively used in neutralising the flavour of any ingredient that is aggressively acidic.

* Shrimp Cooking

Using baking soda to cook shrimp is also a great way of using baking soda and giving appetising flavours to shrimp. The combination of baking soda and shrimp works well. Using some salt along with baking soda is going to give the juiciest and scrumptious shrimp in the world. This has been a restaurant secret for many years but now the cat is out of the bag and one must use this trick at home. If one is directly cooking shrimps on a grill or a pan without marinating it, then just put baking soda over the top. Baking soda helps in raising the pH levels and breaks down the complex flavours of food. Just give a quick toss to the shrimp with some salt and baking soda. That is all that one needs to cook some delicious creams within 15 minutes.

* Turning Spaghetti Into Ramen

It is not very often to come across tricks that change one food into another. Well as unbelievable as it may sound, using some baking soda can instantly turn noodles into ramen. This is a simple hack for making ramen at home. Just add some baking soda to boiling spaghetti and let it boil. One will see some bubbles on the top so make sure that the pot is not full up to the brim. After letting the spaghetti cook properly, it will have a pretty similar texture and taste to ramen. It is important to remember that one must not add too much baking soda to the noodles as the taste might become too bitter for preference. Just stick with two teaspoons of baking soda for every quarter of water that is used.

These are some lesser-known uses of baking soda that can make so many difficult kitchen tasks easy.