[Sca-cooks] chemical leavening
Kingstaste
kingstaste at comcast.net
Thu Feb 26 06:03:46 PST 2009
> Jeez, it's a couple of authenticity cops we are, aren't we? But for those
> who become exasperated when others natter on on listservs about primary
> sources, well, this is why ;-).
>
> Adamantius
Authenticity cops, nah. Accuracy cops, maybe.
Bear
That's ok, gentlemen, natter on. I have wondered about this for years, I
could never figure out how an antler gave anything like a chemical rise.
I found this on OChef's Q&A page. They suggest heating (not 'burning', just
'heating') releases the gas that produces the leaven.
http://www.ochef.com/539.htm
"Hartshorn is a leavening agent, and a precursor to the baking soda and
baking powder that everyone uses these days. Hartshorn's virtue is that it
readily breaks down into a gas when heated (causing the leavening), but
unless it escapes completely, it leaves a hint or more of the smell of
ammonia. For that reason, it is generally used only in cookie recipes where
it doesn't have to fight its way out of a deep batter."
Christianna
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