02472: I Love Baking Soda


Arm and Hammer Products

Metro Manila Community Quarantine - Day 102

I love baking soda. It's one of those products that have a surprising number of domestic applications beyond just baking. In fact, I've actually never used baking soda for cooking. All my uses for baking soda have largely involved cleaning to some degree or another.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Greasy Drains - Whenever our kitchen drain starts to slow down because of grease build-up, I make a mixture of half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of rock salt and I stuff the drain opening with the mixture. Don't use the sink and leave it to settle overnight. In the morning, boil a small pot of water and pour it down the drain. You'll notice things will be flowing a lot smoother after.

Super Charging Your Dish Sponge - You can either apply baking soda directly to your soapy sponge or to the greasy pan or plate that you want to clean. Gently use your sponge on the persistent area and notice things eventually loosen and clean. Great for persistent bits of food that stick to your pan or plates.

Dislodging Charred Bits on Nonstick Pans - For particularly persistent charred resident (e.g. tocino bits, caramelized sugar), take equal parts baking soda and salt and dust over the charred bits. Add a shallow amount of water to the pan sufficient to cover the whole surface and then bring it to a boil. After 2-3 minutes of boiling you'll see the charred bits start to float off the pan surface - drain and let it cool before finishing washing. You may need to do this more than once for particularly bad charred materials.

Cleaning Your Coffeemaker - Fill your coffee pot to maximum and add either a cup of baking soda for larger machines or half a cup for smaller ones. Mix well and add the mixture into the main chamber of your coffeemaker. Let it run fully without a filter and throw out the hot baking soda water that comes out. You'll need to rinse out and refill the coffeemaker and run it without a filter 2-3 more times until it comes out clear but the result is a cleaner coffeemaker.

Cleaning Your Stovetop - Take equal parts baking soda and salt and add a few drops of water in order to create a bit of a paste. Smear this paste around your burners and other places where you have a lot of charred residues. Leave it to sit for a good 10-15 minutes then use some white vinegar in a spray bottle and apply to the baking soda paste and enjoy the sizzle. Then use a sponge to wipe off the fizzy residue - that should have got the worst of the gunk cleared. Repeat a few times to your level of satisfaction.

Fellow baking soda enthusiasts, what are your favorite non-cooking applications for baking soda?



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