Have you ever found yourself mid-recipe only to realize you’re out of baking soda? You might be tempted to grab the cornstarch, but it’s important to understand that these two ingredients serve different roles in cooking. Baking soda acts as a leavening agent, helping your baked goods rise, while cornstarch is mainly used for thickening.
Unfortunately, substituting cornstarch directly for baking soda won’t yield the results you want. Using cornstarch instead of baking soda can lead to dense and flat outcomes. However, if you’re aiming for a crispy texture—perhaps for frying or thickening sauces—cornstarch can be a fantastic addition when paired with other leaveners like baking powder.
If you need a substitute, baking powder is a better option since it contains both an acid and a base, similar to baking soda. A good rule of thumb is to use about three times more baking powder than baking soda. Have you ever had to adjust a recipe on the fly? What substitutes have worked for you in the past?