Baking some last-minute holiday cookies? Be sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh and active so they can leaven the dough. Most containers are marked with "use by" dates. To test baking ...

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

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, ...

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 ...

DEAR HELOISE: I understand that baking powder has a shelf life, and that it can go bad. Can you tell me how long it remains good? — Joe and Kay, via e-mail It does have a shelf life, and here’s how to ...

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

While staying at my grandparents’ house last weekend, I was craving pancakes—until I opened the baking cupboard and found a jar of baking soda with a label from the early 2000s. Could it still work?

Some brands of baking powder use aluminum-based acids, while others are formulated to be aluminum-free. Learn the real ...