Three Dozen Reasons Your Pantry Should Never Be Without Baking Soda
The MVP of your pantry can clean the house AND crisp up your chicken wings
BySarah Jampel
Published On
See that little flexing bicep on the baking soda below? It's not just there because baking soda is strong stuff: It's also a symbol of how you feel—resourceful and capable—when you use it.
Because beyond baking soda's muffin-leavening powers and fridge-odor-absorbing abilities (a claim that's as frequently disputed as it's made, though Ted Allen says it really does work), it can also make your counters shine, your pets less smelly, your hummus creamier, your hazelnuts skinless. And all that, from one box!
While we couldn't possibly list the "hundreds of uses," here are some of our frequently used—food-wise and cleaning-wise. We hope you add your own baking soda brilliance to the comments below!
Food!
- For creamier hummus, you need fall-apart tender, easily pulverized chickpeas: Soak the dried beans with baking soda, then boil them with even more.
- Skin hazelnuts by blanching them in a boiling pot of water and baking soda.
- Mix it with vinegar for a vegan egg replacement. (Caveat: Works better with some recipes than others.)
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- Add to tomato soup to prevent the milk from curdling.
- Make caramelized onions brown faster: Baking soda is a mild base, and adding it will raise the pH of the onions and will therefore speed up the Maillard reaction. Kenji López-Alt adds 1/4 teaspoon baking soda for super-fast caramelized onions.
- By the same property, you can rub chicken wings or porchetta with a mixture of salt and baking soda or powder (which will also raise the pH) to achieve the all-too-often elusive crispy skin.
- Similarly, add a dash to your latke (or fritter) mixture to promote browning and more crispy bits.
- For the same reason, you can use baking soda as a substitute for lye when making pretzels and bagels, though you won't get as distinctive a flavor or crust. (Harold McGee figured out that if you can bake the baking soda at 250 to 300° F for an hour, it makes for a better substitute.)
- Soak fruits and vegetables in a bowl of cold water mixed with a couple tablespoons of baking soda for 5 minutes before scrubbing clean and, according to Good Housekeeping, you can say goodbye to dirt and the waxy coatings.
- Baking soda's the magic ingredient that gives honeycomb candy its crunchy, porous texture.
- And that makes soda bread rise high without the uncertainty of yeast.
Cleaning!
- For a gentle, all-purpose alkaline cleaner good for cleaning shower tiles, the bathroom sink, quartz countertops, and laminate surfaces, mix baking soda with borax, liquid soap, and hot water.
- Spiffy up those supposedly hard-to-clean appliances: the food processor, blender, spice grinder, and French press.
- Leave bowls of baking soda on your counter overnight to absorb the lingering smell of frying.
- To clean grout, make a thick paste of baking soda and water, apply it to the grout, let sit, then spray with vinegar. Wait a couple more minutes, then use a toothbrush to scrub it clean.
- Boost your dish soap with baking soda to give it more power against particularly greasy dishes.
- Soak sponges in baking soda and water to extend their lives.
- Sprinkle it inside rubber gloves to keep them dry and good-smelling.
- Dip a damp sponge in baking soda paste, then wipe it over a coffee- or tea-stained mug, says the Old Farmer's Almanac.
- Remove turmeric stains from linens and countertops...
- ...and other stubborn stain, like beets, from enamel pots.
- When that enamel pot is more burnt than stained (and all feels helpless), it needs a baking soda soak. Sprinkle it with a generous amount of baking soda, add hot water, and let it sit overnight; the next morning, scrub it with a dish brush and repeat as needed. If you're impatient, simmer white vinegar in the pot with a bit of baking soda added to it, scrubbing as needed and repeating the process until you've achieved homeostasis.
- Same deal with stainless steel.
- Clean up your copper pots, too: Mix equal parts baking soda and lemon juice, then rub away the tarnished spots with a soft cloth.
- Make silverware sparkle again: All you need is our guy baking soda, aluminum foil, and hot water.
- Make cleaning the grill easier by sprinkling baking soda on your brush before you start scrubbing.
- Stop your trash can from being so darn stinky: Sprinkle baking soda all over the inside of the can—or even throw some directly into the bag. It's also a powerful cleaning tool: Mix it with lemon juice and vinegar to scrub down your can between trash take-outs.
- Clean your oven: Use a sponge or spray bottle to wet down the inside surfaces, then sprinkle baking soda all over (or make a thick paste of the two and cover the surfaces). Let it sit for a few hours (or overnight), then wipe clean.
- Return your painted wall to its pristine, un-crayoned state with baking soda sprinkled on a damp sponge.
- Let it help you to remove an oily stain on a linen: Tap some baking powder onto the stain and let it sit to aborb; then brush off the excess, apply dishwashing liquid directly onto the trouble spot, and dab—don't rub—it in. Launder in the warmest possible water that your linen can handle. Repeat the process if any of the stain is left after the first try.
- Get rid of grub in your fine mesh strainer. Set the dirty strainer immediately into a pot of warm water with a bit of baking soda mixed in and let soak while you do the rest of the dishes (or eat your meal).
- Clean your sink. When you have a lemon leftover from cooking or juicing, don't toss it: Sprinkle some baking soda in the sink, then use the lemon-half as a scrubber. It'll save your sponge from the sink scum for a bit longer.
- Wash the washer. To clean a front-loading washing machine, PopSugar recommends adding a mixture of baking soda and water to the detergent caddy, then pouring vinegar directly into the drum. Run your washer on its hottest cycle, then wipe with a clean sponge.
- Use it to spot-clean a wooden cutting board: For any stained areas, like residue from blackberries, beets, or steak, make a coarse paste of salt, water, and baking soda, and then scrub it on the area with a tea towel or brush.
- No more stinky, stainy plastic containers: Make a thick-ish paste of warm water and baking soda and rub it into the inside the container. Let it sit for at least one day, then rinse it out thoroughly. Continue until no stains remain and the container smells fresh. (It'll work on an old-smelling reusable water bottle, too.)
- Mix together toilet bowl cleaner. Pour 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar into the toilet. Let it sizzle, then scrub and flush.
How does baking soda help you out on the regular? Tell us in the comments!