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Clever Uses for Baking Soda You Never Knew

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Gourmandize
Leavens Fried Foods 3/12

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Leavens Fried Foods

Fried food is no longer simply relegated to the category of pure junk food, thanks to its rise in the world of gourmet comfort foods. But  everyone knows that anything fried has to have a good crunch, and the use of baking soda is an essential way to achieve this. It's an effective leavener in flour-based batters, which gives fried foods a subtle but necessary lightness between all of that crunch. Incorporate a small amount of buttermilk, which brings the acidity and heighten the effect. While many recipes call for baking powder instead, you might just be better off using both of them for the ultimate crispy finish.


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Ingredients

  • 2 large water or soda bottles (empty)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 sticks butter
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 4 tbsp cocoa powder

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Ready 2 large plastic bottles, cleaned and dried.
  3. Add 1 cup of flour to each bottle.
  4. Add 1/2 cup of sugar to each.
  5. Melt butter, then add equal halves to each bottle.
  6. Add 6 eggs, 3 in each.
  7. Add 1/2 tbsp of baking powder to each.
  8. Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream to each.
  9. Shake the bottles thoroughly until the contents are well mixed.
  10. In one of the bottles only, add the cocoa powder.
  11. Beginning with the cocoa powder mixture, add a dolop of batter to the center of a circular
  12. baking tin. Do the same with the other mixture, placing the dolop directly in the center of the previous one.
  13. Continue with alternating additions of each mixture until all batter is used and the tin is full.
  14. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
  15. Serve and enjoy!