5 Sport-Altering Methods to Use Baking Soda for Higher Meals

For many of my life, I assumed that baking soda was good for 2 issues: baking (duh) and absorbing odors. Bakers have good motive to like the stuff; when the chemical leavening agent gained reputation within the mid-Nineteenth century, it mainly revolutionized the American dessert scene. However I am not a lot of a baker—in my family, the oven is used for braises, roasts, and pizzas, not cookies and desserts. Which is why, till lately, my main relationship with baking soda was restricted to shoving an orange field of Arm & Hammer into the again of my fridge when issues began to scent just a little funky.

However in the previous few years, I’ve realized a factor or two. For one, there are higher methods to neutralize fridge odors. And, a lot to my delight, there are some fairly shocking culinary makes use of for baking soda that don’t have anything to do with baking. Let’s have a look.

Snappier Shrimp

After we make shrimp cocktail, shrimp skewers, shrimp scampi, or shrimp wontons, we have discovered {that a} fast brine of salt and baking soda works wonders. The salt helps hold the shrimp moist and juicy as they cook dinner, whereas baking soda provides them a crisper, snappier texture. You will discover this enchancment in nearly any recipe, whether or not you are poaching or searing, however you may get a bonus enhance if you happen to’re making use of direct warmth to the shrimp. As a result of baking soda is alkaline (that means it raises pH ranges), it additionally speeds alongside the Maillard response—the chemical course of accountable for the advanced flavors of cooked, browned meals. Throughout the board, you are in search of about one teaspoon of kosher salt and 1 / 4 teaspoon of baking soda for each pound of shrimp; give all of it a fast toss, and relaxation the shrimp within the fridge for anyplace from quarter-hour to about an hour.

Quicker-Browning Onions

When you’re impressed by baking soda’s capability to assist shrimp brown quicker and extra effectively, you may love what it does to onions. Only a quarter teaspoon for each pound of sliced onions will yield in a matter of minutes the sort of browning you’d anticipate from onions which have caramelized for hours. Sadly, it might probably additionally negatively impression the onions’ taste and texture, so we do not advocate utilizing this methodology for a batch of French onion soup or for onions to high your subsequent burger. But when that you must brown onions shortly and plan to mix them with a spread of different elements (as on this French onion dip), baking soda can drastically lower down in your cooking time.

Balancing the Acidity of Canned Tomatoes

Canned tomatoes are an awesome many wondrous issues, however “constant” is, sadly, not certainly one of them—notably in relation to acidity, which may differ markedly from model to model. Fortunately, only a quarter teaspoon of baking soda can functionally neutralize extra acidity with out impacting their texture or general taste. This tip is vital to smoothing out the flavors of our thick and hearty Nordstrom-style tomato soup, however the identical precept applies to any sauce or purée created from an unusually aggressive batch of canned tomatoes.

Turning Spaghetti Into Ramen Noodles

Certain, turning water into wine is a fairly neat trick. However what if I informed you I might flip angel hair pasta into ramen noodles? You possibly can learn all in regards to the science proper right here, however suffice it to say that ramen dough contains an alkaline mineral element known as kansui, which supplies the noodles their yellow hue and springy texture. What’s exceptional is that you could get fairly comparable outcomes by including some baking soda to a boiling pot of spaghetti. Is it going to be equivalent to recent ramen noodles? No, not fairly. However it’ll actually spherical out a bowl of ramen if you end up in an Asian-grocery desert.

There are only a couple of issues to bear in mind. First, do not be alarmed once you add the baking soda—it’s going to trigger fantastic, foamy bubbles to kind, so you may need to be sure the pot is not stuffed to the very high. Second, the extra baking soda you add, the extra ramen-like the pasta’s texture will change into, however go too far and it might probably develop a bitter, mineral taste. Our rule of thumb? When you’re including the noodles to a gentle or delicate broth, stick to simply two teaspoons of baking soda for each quart of water. However if you happen to’re serving them in a daring, full-flavored broth, like tonkotsu, you may go all-in and add a full tablespoon of baking soda for every quart.

Softer Beans for Smoother Hummus

“Tender beans” sounds extra just like the world’s saddest boy band than the important thing to smoother-than-store-bought hummus, however, effectively, that is precisely what they’re. And the quickest, most effective path to mushy beans is baking soda, which raises the pH of the cooking liquid, serving to the chickpeas break down and tenderize extra simply. To cook dinner one cup of dried beans, we dissolve one teaspoon of baking soda in six cups of chilly water, refreshing each water and baking soda after an in a single day soak. After that, just some easy steps lie between you and an extra-flavorful, extra-silky bowl of hummus.

October 2016