My kitchen tip this week is about baking powder! Did you know that a lot of commercial baking powders sold in grocery stores contain aluminum?

Since there are possible health issues associated with ingesting aluminum, I use aluminum-free baking powder in my kitchen. Aluminum-free baking powder can be purchased at a health food store, in the "health" section of a larger grocery store, or -- my favorite -- at a bulk foods store. I get mine at a bulk food store and don't pay any more for it than I did for off-brand baking powder with aluminum.

I also have a recipe for making aluminum-free baking powder, which works just fine and is acceptable if you have a good, cheap source for cream of tartar. (I've found that buying my aluminum-free baking powder at a bulk food store is cheaper than mixing up this recipe after figuring in the cost of cream of tartar -- but you can do the math for yourself.) :)

Aluminum-Free Baking Powder

1 tablespoon baking soda
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:
Mix ingredients together and store in a tightly-sealed container. (Moisture reduces the effectiveness of baking powder!)

This page has some fascinating info about baking powder and some substitutes. Have any of you used baking powder substitutes, or tried making your own? I'd love to hear about it in the comments! :)

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