Why does nobody talk about how baking soda loses its punch over time?

I kept wondering why my cookies came out flat even though I followed the recipe exactly. Then my sister, who bakes professionally in Denver, pointed out that my baking soda box had been in the cupboard for maybe 2 years. She told me to test it by dropping a spoonful into vinegar, and it barely fizzed. I tossed it and got a fresh box, and the very next batch puffed up perfectly. Has anyone else dealt with stale leavening sneaking up on them?

1 comments

1 Comment

shanes665d ago

Hold on, I gotta push back a little. Baking soda does lose strength over time, sure, but 2 years in a sealed box in a dry cupboard usually still works fine for most recipes. I've used older boxes and my cookies still puffed, they just weren't as tall or airy. Maybe the real issue is that your recipe or butter temp was off too, since stale soda is only part of the puzzle. Did you change anything else when you swapped the box, or was it literally the only difference?