http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/lib2/60soda.htm

To make your own baking powder, stir and sift together 2 parts of Cream of Tartar to 1 part baking soda and 1 part cornstarch.

in case of grease or electrical fire. Scatter the powder by the handful to safely put it out.

Clean vegetables and fruit with baking soda. Sprinkle in water, soak and rise the produce.

For a badly-burned pan with a thick layer of burned-on food: pour a thick layer of soda directly onto the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle on just enough water so as to moisten the soda. Leave the pot overnight, then scrub it clean next day.

When scalding a chicken, add 1 tsp. of soda to the boiling water. The feathers will come off easier and flesh will be clean and white.

Add to water to soak dried beans to make them more digestible. Add to water to remove the "gamey" taste from wild game.

baking soda will leaven baked goods but it needs an acid to act as a catalyst to cause that chemical reaction. ingredients found in baked goods such as molasses, yogurt, sour cream, yogurt, lemon, buttermilk, cream of tartar all have acidic elements that react to baking soda, causing those carbon dioxide bubbles to rise into your baked goods, leavening it.

baking powder is basically baking soda and an acid, activated when you add water.

Baking Soda causes a chemical reaction that produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that expand under oven temperatures, causing baked items to rise.

Baking soda is used for leavening a baked good. It takes bubbles that are already present in the batter and makes them bigger. It is also used to neutralize acids present in the batter.