14 Baking Soda Cooking Hacks You're Going To Love

These impressive hacks will make you realize you don't actually know every baking soda hack out there. Because believe it or not, the product is not exclusively for baking and cleaning. Yes, there are ways baking soda can make your sink squeaky clean. And, of course, it often belongs in gooey chocolate chip cookie recipes. But it would be an understatement to say that baking soda is a fundamental ingredient for bakers. Because there are numerous other ways to use it in the kitchen.

You can take advantage of baking soda when you're cooking beans, eggs, vegetables, and meat. It can help you with cooking because of where it falls on the potential hydrogen (pH) scale. Using it correctly can make the right ingredients crispy, like comfort foods such as fried chicken and roasted potatoes. Alternatively, it can make certain foods more tender (because who wants to eat tough shrimp or beans)? When you give baking soda a chance to be more than a cleaner or leavening agent, your time in the kitchen will change for the better.

Improving the texture of meat with baking soda is an excellent tip that many chefs use because of its effectiveness. This trick is perfect for when you work with meat that tends to be chewy. First, create a mixture with baking soda and water by using a 1:2 ratio. For instance, if you need to use 16 ounces of water, add 8 ounces of baking soda. Rough chop the meat and immerse it in the liquid; ensure to cover it entirely. Let it soak for up to half an hour before you rinse it and use it.

There is another baking soda hack that not only tenderizes the meat but is also excellent for thickening chili. To try this method, apply a paste to the meat. Use a spoon to mix ¾ teaspoon of baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons water until the components are fully incorporated. This amount works best if you use 2 pounds of meat, so you might need to alter it to fit your recipe slightly. Next, slather the mixture onto the meat and allow it to break down the collagen; wait at least 20 minutes and rinse off the baking soda before you add it to the chili. This is a tried-and-true way to make hearty chili with juicy meat.

Brining beans in baking soda enhances them in multiple ways. And yes, there is a slight difference between brining and soaking; brining involves salt, and soaking does not. Both practices soften the beans, which prevents them from being overly chewy. Mix water with baking soda and salt to make the ultimate brining solution for your beans. Additionally, when you do so, it gives the beans a nudge so they can cook faster, which is arguably the best part.

If you forget to brine your beans or find that they take a relatively long time to cook, you can even add baking soda directly to the pot while they cook. This works as a last-minute solution, which is why we recommend you take the brining route. Whichever way you introduce baking soda to the beans makes them more manageable for the body to digest. So, for folks who suffer uncomfortable indigestion symptoms when they eat beans, baking soda is their saving grace.

Certain types of yeast bread benefit from the use of baking soda. Although many quick breads contain baking soda for leavening, that isn't what we're going for here. Breads that have yeast need no help in the leavening department. Yet, they can use some service in regard to color. Fortunately, baking soda will definitely make your cinnamon rolls brown. This is because its alkaline properties modify the dough just enough to prevent the bread from being pale when it bakes. Mix a bit of it into the dry ingredients of the cinnamon roll dough.

Similarly, baking soda can be the ingredient to making your bagel golden brown too. And again, we can thank baking soda's non-acidic nature for this. However, don't put baking soda in the dough with this type of bread. Instead, use 1 teaspoon of it in the water when you boil the bread. Bagels are nothing without their much-loved crust and soft center, so don't skip out on the baking soda when you make them. While you use the substance differently for cinnamon rolls and bagels, the result is the same: beautifully baked crusts.

It's undoubtedly a bummer when you cook fresh vegetables and their color ends up extremely dull and dreary. Fortunately, cooked vegetables can stay colorful with this hack, and it's a breeze to follow. When you boil the veggies in water, make sure to throw in some baking soda too. There is no need to measure; just sprinkle a small amount into the pot.

Chlorophyll, which gives vegetables gorgeous green hues, suffers defeat when met with lower pH environments. So, when you add the alkaline substance to the mix, it balances everything out. This hack works with your favorite green vegetables, ranging from broccoli to sugar snap peas. Additionally, even if you follow these steps, it's critical to shock the veggies in an ice bath afterward. Otherwise, there is carry-over cooking, and they lose their vivid color and become an unpleasant texture, which you don't want.

You've seen how veggies and eggs benefit from being boiled in baking soda water, but how about hazelnuts? Believe it or not, you can use baking soda to remove hazelnut skins. Fill a pot with water, dissolve some baking soda, and bring it to a boil. Cook the hazelnuts in the solution for a few minutes, and then transfer them to an ice bath. Drain the nuts and then use your hands to slide the skins off the hazelnuts easily.

Chickpeas are another food you can easily peel when you use baking soda. For dried garbanzo beans, keep them submerged in baking soda water until the skins become soft from the non-acidic environment. From here, cook them in your favorite way, and the skins become virtually unnoticeable because of their pleasant texture; many of them fall away during the cooking process anyway. 

Likewise, for canned chickpeas, use the stovetop or microwave to mix them in warm baking soda water. Use 1 ½ teaspoons of the substance in water when dealing with a standard 14-ounce can of beans. Don't forget to rinse the beans after. Easily and manually separate the skins from the chickpeas because of how detached they become in the mixture.

You might be familiar with leavening agents and their ability to make foods fluffy. It's super easy to add baking powder to mashed potatoes, and it makes them oh so good! However, the good news is that baking soda works just as well, so there is no need to sweat if you are out of baking powder. It's crucial to remember that although these substances are similar, baking soda is much more forceful.

When you add it to your mashed potatoes, don't add large amounts at a time. Start with minuscule amounts and work your way up to avoid giving the dish a bitter undertone. Additionally, for baking soda to work its magic, include some acidic components (buttermilk mashed potatoes, anyone?). If you don't have buttermilk, make lemon herb mashed potatoes, or throw in some plain Greek yogurt that provides creaminess. Since you use such a small amount of the powder, it might be tricky to distribute it evenly throughout the potatoes. You can always mix the dash of baking soda into another ingredient first, like the milk.

One thing you should always do is rinse your fruit. But sometimes, water isn't enough to eliminate pest-repelling substances companies use on the produce. Unfortunately, unless you buy organic, the apples from the grocery store are commonly tainted with chemicals. Luckily, you'll love to know that baking soda helps remove pesticides on apples. Although it doesn't entirely rid the apples of chemicals altogether, it certainly makes a difference and should be practiced.

Once you have your apples handy, set up a large bowl or container that easily fits them. Dissolve 2 teaspoons of baking soda in a quart of water. Otherwise, use this same ratio and adjust it if you plan to wash many apples at once. Plop the apples into the container and give them about 15 minutes or so to saturate in the liquid. Then, rinse them with running water and allow them to air dry before you refrigerate or use them.