Plus, some helpful substitutions.

Life feel flat?: If your cookies and muffins don’t seem to rise as much as they used to, check your baking powder. It tends to last for about 6 months or so, then it loses its strength pretty quickly.

Whether you're one of those people who only bakes for special occasions like birthdays and holidays or the sort who bakes just about daily, you probably have a stash of baking powder somewhere in your ...

Dear Heloise: I've got a problem! Sometimes my cookies, muffins, cakes and biscuits don't rise enough. I was told that there is a test for checking the freshness of baking powder. I tried this and was ...

To test for baking powder freshness: Place 1 tablespoon water in a bowl and add 1/4 teaspoon baking powder. If it bubbles and fizzes, it's still fresh. To test for baking soda freshness: Place 1/4 ...

Years ago, I was at a friend’s house and I wanted to make some chocolate chip cookies. When I went digging in her pantry, I found baking powder that had expired many, many years earlier. I tossed it, ...