St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-09
FOOD ADULTEHATIoN.
Why Persons Cannot Make Their
Own Baking Powders.


Own Baking Powders.
The latest bulletin issued by the agri-
cultural bureau, at Washington, has It's
hundred Or more pages entirely taken
up with an analysis and account OF
adulterants in baking powder. AT the
conclusion it says: 1t may be asked,
can not the consumer make up his own
baking powders? The difficulties in
the way of doing this may be ennmer-
ated as follows:
First-The chemicals in the market,
as purchased by the consumer, may not
be pure or of full strength, so that when
combined in proper proportions they do
not give good results.
Second-The proper proportions to
use. and the necessity of thorough mix
ing to secure good results, would not be
well understood by any one who was
not chemist.
Third-In order to prevent the action
OF the ingredients upon one another,
and to preserve the strength of the pow
der unimpaired as long as possible, the
manufacturer dries all his chemicals
before mixing them, so as to drive off
most of the adhering moisture. Baking
soda can not be dried much. as it loses
ITO Nui DoHiC uClu, dliu consequently no
efficiency, at very low temperatures.
The starch, however, containing as it
does from 10 to IS per cent. of moiS-
ture, can be thoroughly dried at from
100 to los degrees c., and its efficiency
as filling material greatly increased.
The cream of tartar can also be thor
Oughly dried. This operation of drying
chemicals at temperature below that
at which decomposition would occur
seems rather too elaborate an operation
for the kitchen.
These difficulties are more apparent
than real, however. In answer to the
first, it may be said that the bitartrate
is the only chemical which is likely to
be adulterated, and as there is no diff
Guilty nowadays in obtaining a pure az
ticle in the wholesale market, 1t only re-
| quires the proper enforcement of adul-
teration laws to Oblige the retailer to
furnish good article. The second OBJ
| lection may be met by furnishing the
public simple formula for compromising
such powders. and the third, which is
doubtless the most serious, l believe
can be overcome by using larger pro
| portion of filling, without drying the
chemicals.
In the present days of cooking schools,
| when so much interest is taken in the
preparation of food, and in all branches
of the culinary art, it may not be amiss
to devote little space to the discussion
of this subject, although it is not, per-
haps, strictly within the scope of the
present investigation. The purchaser
of baking powder receives a white
powder which may contain various sub
stances more or less valuable for the de-
sired purpose, or of no value whatever,
or perhaps even injurious to the health.
The housewife surely deserves pro-
lection against swindling as much as
the farmer, and she has no better means
for ascertaining the strength and quail
ity of the baking powder she buys than
the latter has for learning the strength
of his fertilizer. The verify and accur-
acy of the analysis stated on the label
should be insured, as in the case of the
fertilizer, by its being performed by
sworn analysts. If such regulation
were enforced, people would soon in
form themselves of the respective merits
of different varieties, and the further
requirement of a certain standard of
strength, as suggested by Prof. Corn
wall, would probably be unnecessary,
as they would learn to interpret the an
alysis, and powder made up with 80
per cent of starch, for instance, would
have to be sold cheaper than one made
with 10 per cent, OF not sold at all.