Baking Ingredient Purposes

[LilyLily]

I enjoy baking but, unlike cooking, I don't know enough to be creative.  I stick to the recipe exactly.  A start would be understanding the use of certain ingredients.  So, what is the purpose of the following ingredients:

Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Cream of Tartar

And what are general rules of thumb for ratios?

[merigayle]

Baking powder helps things rise and cream of tartar is a good stabalizer for things like meringues

[Ice Cream]

I enjoy baking but, unlike cooking, I don't know enough to be creative.  I stick to the recipe exactly.  A start would be understanding the use of certain ingredients.  So, what is the purpose of the following ingredients:

Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Cream of Tartar
And what are general rules of thumb for ratios?

I stick to recipes for baking.  Period.  But, aren't you sick with the flu?

[diablita]

I stick to recipes for baking.  Period.  But, aren't you sick with the flu?

No worries, her posts aren't contagious. 

[diablita]

Baking Powder and baking soda are both rising agents (leaveners).  But baking soda needs another ingredient in order to rise (e.g., yogurt, buttermilk, milk & honey) that acidifies and has liquid.
Baking powder has the baking soda in it so it doesn't need anything else but the ingredient that has liquid.

[CheryG]

Double acting baking powder is both heat and liquid activated for the rise.

Baking soda and single acting baking powder is liquid activated.

So if you're using a recipe that you might want to refrigerate overnight (pancake or muffin batter), you need to choose a recipe that has baking powder.  If you're baking a recipe that uses baking soda, don't delay getting it into the oven as you need to bake it before it's done rising and it starts rising the moment the liquid hits it.

1/4t b. soda
1/2t cream of tartar

equals 3/4t baking powder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baking_powder

[Honey Badger]

I just put a banana bread in the oven.  I couldn't find my old recipe so I used the one off the King Arthur bag.  It called for both baking soda and powder.
And the mix was really wet.  I am a bit  about how it will come out

[triciaflower]

How did it turn out? I bet it was GOOOOD!!!