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Anyone ever used Baker's Ammonia?

post #1 of 8
4/1/01 at 5:54pm
Thread Starter 
for what? And how?
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post #2 of 8
4/1/01 at 7:32pm
Baker's amonia (ammonium carbonate) is an old fashionned leavener. It gives up a noxius smell while baking, but the odor dissipated by the time baking is complete, leaving extra crisp cookies or crackers.

From The King Arthur Flour Catalog
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post #3 of 8
4/2/01 at 6:42am
According to an article at the King Arthur website, staghorn antler, that is a kind of deer antler, has a high amount of that compound, ammonium carbonate. It's an old fashioned leavening, offered at KA, that makes cookies crispier, too.
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post #4 of 8
4/5/01 at 9:38pm
Thread Starter 
Every time I have asked someone about it, they look at me like I am looney. Sure glad that you guys have heard of it. I bought it once, but was scared to use it. Weird huh? Well, it is also found in some mennonite recipes I have.
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post #5 of 8
5/19/01 at 11:36am
Interesting, I've heard of it but never seen it called for in a recipe or used it myself.


Svadhisthana
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post #6 of 8
5/19/01 at 12:11pm
Baker's ammonia is still used as a leavener of choice for certain recipes because of it's ability to make cookies crisper. The chemistry is very interesting. It creates gas when mixed with liquid ingredients but the baker's ammonia removes one extra water (or was it oxygen) molecule than soda so it leaves a dryer crisper product. Some old-fashioned recipes for biscotti and ameretti call for it because of the desired affect.
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post #7 of 8
5/20/01 at 9:55pm
I've never seen leaveners added to meringues. They crisp up quite well on their own if the whites are whipped up properly (I have trouble judging that when the white are in the hobart). I am also not sure about meringue in napoleons. How do you make them?
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post #8 of 8
6/7/01 at 7:48am
If it makes things crispier, has anyone here tried it to resolve the dilemma of the uncrispable low-fat cookie? If it would work for that, it would be worth me searching it out...
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ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Food and Cooking Forums › Pastries and Baking General › Anyone ever used Baker's Ammonia?