Cream of tartar and soda can be used instead of baking powder in any recipe, or vice versa, but as all baking powder contains some starch or flour to keep it dry (see our recipe for making it) it is not quite as strong as the pure cream of tartar and soda, so that about -^ moi'c baking powder is required than of the cream of tartar and soda combined. The usual i^roportion for 1 quart of flour for bread or biscuit is 1 teaspoon soda and 2 teaspoons cream of tartar; or 3 350 CAKE rounded teaspoons baking powder; and a convenient rule is 1 level teaspoon of baking powder to 1 cup flour, but cake, when lightened with eggs, requires less than -| of this. In making rich fruit cakes eggs alone are used, without any bait- ing powder, or cream of tartar and soda, to make them light. The 2 alkalies used in cooking are soda and potash or their derivatives. Pot- ash is found in all fertile soils, and is essential to jjlants, and all land plants when burned yield potash. When calcined and purified it yields pearlash. Salerahis is a kind of pearlash derived by subjecting it to the action of carbonic acid gas. The potash compounds are now little used. Soda is obtained from sea*salt or marine plants. It is called sal'noda when unpurified. It is combined with 1 part of carbonic acid to form the carbonate, and 2 parts of carbonic acid to form the bicarbonate of soda, or the baking soda ordinarily used. Soda should ahvays be thoroughly pulverized before it is meas- ured so that there are no lumps in it. Strong alkalies are powerful poisons and must be counteracted or rendered inert before entering the system. This is done by the acids used. The too free use of soda or saleratus in cooking is injurious to the health and is recognized and commented on by good medical authorities. The alkali particularly affects the coatings of the stomach and bowels and causes indigestion and bowel complaint, sometimes ending in acute inflammation. Children are often injured by it. Bicarbonate of soda contains twice as much carbonic acid as common washing soda, but if it is dissolved in hot water, or heated in any way, this extra gas is driven off, and it is at once reduced to the level of common washing soda. For this reason soda should never be dissolved in hot water; tejjid water may be used, but cold water or milk is best. It will dis- solve as thoroughly in cold as in hot water, although not as quickly; or it can be thoroughly mixed and sifted into part of tlie Hour, and will then be incorporated so as to leave no yellow spots. If used in n^olasses, dissolve it in as little water as possible, beat it into the molasses till it foams, and then add to the other materials at once.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Cream of tartar and soda can be used instead of baking powder in any recipe, or vice versa, but as all baking powder contains some starch or flour to keep it dry (see our recipe for making it) it is not quite as strong as the pure cream of tartar and soda, so that about -^ more baking powder is required than of the cream of tartar and soda combined. The usual i^roportion for 1 quart of flour for bread or biscuit is 1 teaspoon soda and 2 teaspoons cream of tartar; or 3 rounded teaspoons baking powder; and a convenient rule is 1 level teaspoon of baking powder to 1 cup flour, but cake, when lightened with eggs, requires less than -| of this. In making rich fruit cakes eggs alone are used, without any baiting powder, or cream of tartar and soda, to make them light. The 2 alkalies used in cooking are soda and potash or their derivatives. Potash is found in all fertile soils, and is essential to plants, and all land plants when burned yield potash. When calcined and purified it yields pearlash. Salerahis is a kind of pearlash derived by subjecting it to the action of carbonic acid gas. The potash compounds are now little used. Soda is obtained from sea salt or marine plants. It is called sal soda when unpurified. It is combined with 1 part of carbonic acid to form the carbonate, and 2 parts of carbonic acid to form the bicarbonate of soda, or the baking soda ordinarily used. Soda should ahvays be thoroughly pulverized before it is measured so that there are no lumps in it. Strong alkalies are powerful poisons and must be counteracted or rendered inert before entering the system. This is done by the acids used. The too free use of soda or saleratus in cooking is injurious to the health and is recognized and commented on by good medical authorities. The alkali particularly affects the coatings of the stomach and bowels and causes indigestion and bowel complaint, sometimes ending in acute inflammation. Children are often injured by it. Bicarbonate of soda contains twice as much carbonic acid as common washing soda, but if it is dissolved in hot water, or heated in any way, this extra gas is driven off, and it is at once reduced to the level of common washing soda. For this reason soda should never be dissolved in hot water; tepid water may be used, but cold water or milk is best. It will dissolve as thoroughly in cold as in hot water, although not as quickly; or it can be thoroughly mixed and sifted into part of the flour, and will then be incorporated so as to leave no yellow spots. If used in molasses, dissolve it in as little water as possible, beat it into the molasses till it foams, and then add to the other materials at once.

The household cook book