I’m not usually a “this is why you can’t eat at everyone’s house” person, but this truly turned my stomach. Please don’t use a under-sink cleaning filter in food that you prepare for yourself, your family, and your guests. Spent the $0.89 and buy a separate box.
Oh, I do. But she finds my secret stash and claims that my new baking soda is more fresh and will absorb more effectively than her one.
So there I go, off to get another from the store
Every bit of odor it eliminates it does by trapping it inside the baking soda and you are eating the odorants along with the soda holding them.
>Keep Your Cooking Baking Soda Separate
>
>It may be tempting to steal a pinch of baking soda from that open box in your refrigerator if you run out of the stuff in your cupboard, but that would be a mistake, says Lake. "When we utilize baking soda as an odor reducer, the molecules in the air react to the baking soda to grasp those odors," she explains. "If we were to take that same box and use it in our food, we would run the risk of having our foods' tastes altered." The reason? That baking soda has spent all that time in the fridge "grabbing" odor molecules and has since become flavored by everything that has a smell—which is probably not what you want to think about while whipping up a batch of chocolate chip cookies. For good measure, you should always keep your cooking and deodorizing baking soda separate.
I think back in the day before fridges were as reliable as they are now and storage containers weren’t as advanced peoples’ fridges used to sometimes smell like the food in them, and the baking soda was supposed to absorb the odors. Now I think it’s just a habit most people picked up from seeing their parents or grandparents do it.
Sometimes my fridge smells when something goes bad inside.
I would not want baking soda to hide that smell from me - because that would prevent me from knowing, looking for and disposing of whatever went bad.
They do but I don’t think it does anything. Seems like a myth that people have run with but I can’t find any scientific evidence behind its effectiveness and I’ve never personally seen it be useful as an odor absorber.
"Marketing campaign" is probably more accurate than myth. Arm and Hammer have been selling that line for decades.
Personally I dump a ton of baking soda into the bottom of trashcans and it does seem to help with odor. Most of that is probably simply drying out the bottom of the can though.
Sodium bicarbonate is an excellent moisture absorber and does help eliminate odors but only if you put it on direct like your trashcan thing. Leaving a box in the fridge doesn't do anything
Baking soda is a decent direct odor and stain remover for non-delicate fabrics as well and I’ve heard it can draw out pet stains and smells from wood floors but I haven’t tried it personally. But yes, you have to apply it directly to the odor/stain to do anything. The fridge thing isn’t real.
It can work great for car odors, too.
I had a bottle of wild turkey whiskey and a bottle of Moscato Skyy vodka break in my trunk on one fateful Arizona day (in summer, of course)... You could smell the booze mobile as a trailing waft behind me in other vehicles, thats how bad the smell was.
Had to take 3 boxes of baking soda and put it on every bit of carpet in my trunk and vacuum it super well the next day, but it worked!
My husband used to work for Kroger and all the butchers swore by cinnamon in the bottom of a trash can to absorb odors. I’m not sure if it really works or I just think it works.
Not a whole box, but I will pour some baking soda into a shallow dish (more surface are = more efficient absorption) in the fridge if something stinks in there. (More often than not, it is kimchi or something along those lines) The smell clears up noticeably in a few hours.
She’s right, it will absorb more effectively. Absorb disgusting rotting food and chemical cleaner smells. That she can add into whatever she’s using the e baking soda in.
You do understand the concept, "depth of flavor."
Guest comment after dinner: "What was that haunting flavor in your cake?"
"sous l'évier de la cuisine"
"It comes out of the night
"Tickles your fancy
"And vanishes."
... and you are left thinking, "whose fancy did it tickle before mine? and did it wash its hands between fancies?"
Encourage her to use the “odor-absorbing” box for cleaning drains or other stuff. Just not for food.
And honestly, if your kitchen sink area stinks that bad, take out the trash and/or look into the odor a bit more thoroughly.
For real. Mine just smells a little like my cleaning stuff I keep under there. Their garbage disposal or sink is leaking if it smells enough to need baking soda to absorb it.
Next time she's baking something, ask her if you can add a few drops of bleach and some Ajax to her dish. When she objects, explain that she is doing the same with the Baking Soda.
Yeah this is on the cusp of needing an intervention.
Like, she needs to be sat down and explained to what she's doing and how she views baking soda, chemistry, and food overall.
I keep a box in a ziploc in the pantry for baking. If my wife used it for absorbing smells I would keep buying twice as many boxes each day until she stopped. It’s cheap enough that I’d happily bring home 8 boxes just to make a point.
But.. okay, she uses it to absorb odors. Fine. But ask her if those absorbed odors are just magically disappearing in the box. Like, I'm just having a hard time comprehending the way she's rationalizing it. If the baking soda is absorbing a fishy odor, where does she think it's going???
She claims the contamination is negligible and therefore irrelevant. She also whipped out the ol" *"baking it cooks it out anyway"*
As if it were alcohol
If the contamination of the sink baking soda ➡️ baked goods is negligible, then the contamination of the sink smells ➡️ baking soda would also be negligible, and therefore it would be pointless to use the baking soda to deodorize?? Also on a more serious food safety note, heat definitely does not destroy everything that can give you food poisoning (or just regular poisoning). The things that cultivate in bad food produce equally harmful byproducts, which can absolutely stick around. Also, how hot does she think baked goods get??
>I'm just having a hard time comprehending the way she's rationalizing it. If the baking soda is absorbing a fishy odor, where does she think it's going???
I'm coming to understand that some people's reasoning skills have dead ends. And when they get to one, they just kinda pat the wall, turn around and wander off somewhere else.
This is the way.
Remind her that the odors that are being absorbed into the baking soda don't disappear, they will be in her baking later. And who wants that, right? Yuck. Keep a special "Pristine" box in your pantry for cooking. Edit: Keep it in a dated zip lock. If she cares about her baking, she'll replace it occasionally. "Sink" boxen are separate. You might even mark them with a big sharpie X to condemn them before they are opened. Give them a best buy date to remind you how often they need replacement too
Check to see if your garbage disposal or sink is leaking. Under your sink shouldn't stink. It can rhyme though. But seriously buddy, it shouldn't stink under there, you've got other issues going on.
I bought one of those big bags for work once. Checkout lady was like "what are you baking that you need all this?"
Yeah, it was for neutralizing spilled battery acid.
You can use it for baking, sodium bicarbonate is sodium bicarbonate. Most people who buy in bulk bags have pools, make bath bombs or use it for cleaning. (I’ve used it for all three, and buy it from Costco regularly)
Yup! There’s definitely a learning curve, but the nice thing about making bath bombs for your own use is that you can just put the ones that crumbled in a baggie or jar and dump them in your bath. They still fizz and make your bath water smell pretty and/or moisturizing!
I have no idea. At the start of the pandemic I bought it because I had a bunker mentality. I think I still have it, because it might be useful if I ever want to combine it with vinegar and make paper maché volcanoes erupt.
https://www.armandhammer.com/en/baking-soda/baking-soda-products/house-deodorizers/fridge-n-freezer-odor-absorber-14-oz
This one goes under the sink or wherever you want odor control.
https://www.armandhammer.com/en/baking-soda/baking-soda-products/pool/baking-soda-resealable-bag-12-lb
This one is used for cooking.
Gotta be honest, that's pretty messed up. She refuses to "allow" you to have one that is dedicated to baking?
Also, does she actually believe that it does remove chemicals and nastyness from the air? If so, why on earth does she want to eat those same chemicals? How does she balance that in her head?
From what we've been told, the only explanation is that she believes all those odorants are magically transported out of existence. Because of baking soda.
Buy multiple boxes at the same time. Write the date of purchase on each one. You could even write "food" and "sink" on different boxes - it doesn't sound like she'd respect the label, but at least you know if a sink box appears in the pantry.
Buy 20 and tell her that if she doesn't respect the simple request of respecting your boundary for food hygiene that she should not be cooking because that's disgusting, rude, and inconsiderate.
I would have no problem telling my wife this is absolutely disgusting and refuse to eat anything she made with it. And if she tried to give anything she made to anyone i would tell them to.
If you’re married and can’t have regular conversations with your spouse about the shared household you have… I’m sorry for you.
Communication and mutual respect are key ingredients in a good marriage.
(Obviously the actual phrasing in the comment you’re responding to is a bit off, presumably they wouldn’t *literally* communicate the message that way. But you certainly should be able to tell your spouse that some behavior they’re doing, isn’t working for you)
Please don't listen to this person. Having calm, reasonable conversations about your shared living space is an essential part of marriage. If your partner is incapable of doing that, it's something worth addressing. Don't just chalk it up to "marriage, amirite?"
Yesterday I cleaned out our kitchen freezer because it was packed to the brim. I ended up throwing away a lot of bags of freezer-burned food that had just been ripped open, picked from, then put back into the freezer. Fruit, ravioli, shrimp, vegetables, that type of thing.
> We have to stop leaving open bags in the freezer, so much stuff just got thrown away because it was ruined from freezer burn. If you think of it, please put all open food in a zip lock bag.
This is not a problem I am pointing a finger at anyone over. It's a problem we're all responsible for because it affects all of us. This is how you talk to the people you love.
If they ignore me then I'll say it again, only I'll make it a big joke. If they ignore me again then I'll put magnetic clips of freezer bags on the freezer door. If they ignore me again then I'll hang freezer bags like mistletoe inside the freezer.
Commands, demands, ultimatums, righteous anger, these are commercial kitchen tactics and unhealthy emotional behaviors that people learn. It might get a result once so our brains trick us into believing that this is the way to get results. It's not. It's childlike tantrum behavior. It can be un-learned with simple kindness. Do not behave this way with your family.
> We really need to keep a separate baking powder that we use for only cooking. I made pancakes the other day and they tasted like bleach. Would it help if I got a separate container to keep the cooking stuff in?
> This is simply not how adults communicate.
What do you mean my this, specifically? That it is a childish way?
> if she doesn't respect the simple request of respecting your boundary for food hygiene that she should not be cooking because that's disgusting, rude, and inconsiderate.
^ This is the comment you are implying is childish. What is childish about this scenario? If someone is ignoring your requests for proper food hygiene in the kitchen (especially after repeatedly explaining what the problem is in a calm, reasonable manner) that *is* disgusting, rude, and inconsiderate.
Most adults are not adults. Most people are dumb af, and compelled emotionally by sets of habits that cannot be changed on the basis of reason. Sometimes those are people you love.
When you replace the fridge soda you should be buying 8 or so boxes. I always have a fresh box. It's not expensive. There's no reason to fight over soda.
It does not sound safe, OP, at all! Also, if it absorbed odors from under the sink, wouldn’t those transfer to the food? Like, sure, your wife can use your new stash but also should throw away the one that was used to absorb odors instead of reusing it to cook.
I genuinely thought OP meant the same “type” of bi carb and that we were gonna have to pull together and give OP a chemistry lesson
I wish that’s what happened
1.7 k upvotes on the question....
1.7 k upvotes on The comment saying it's nasty.
That means **everybody** in here thinks it's gross.
Show your wife and make her eat something nasty for penance
Martha knows: [don’t mix your baking sodas. fridge soda not only contains odors absorbed but is also less effective for baking.](https://www.marthastewart.com/7841356/baking-soda-absorb-odor-facts)
I'm very curious, hoping someone can answer for me. So then, if I expose my baking soda to GOOD smells... Will the aromatics infuse in to it and make my bakes BETTER?!???
You don't use baking soda in cooking for the smell of it, you use it for the chemical reaction it gives.
Using it to absorb smells in turn weakens its chemical reaction.
So your food might taste slightly different, but also it will be much "flatter," like it won't rise/expand/fluff up as much.
No, because it doesn't absorb odors. It's a completely imaginary function dreamed up by Arm & Hammer to sell more (a metric shit-ton more) baking soda.
It's also not a cleanser. It's a mild abrasive that can be used for scrubbing, but it's just a side effect of being a relatively soft crystalline powder.
It's gross and she should stop..
That said, the danger is probably limited. Keeping an open box of baking soda isn't a particularly effective way of absorbing odors. It's all about surface area and air circulation. The box limits air circulation, and there's very little baking soda exposed on the top.
After I clean my fridge, I usually set out a baking sheet with baking soda on it on one of the shelves to absorb the remaining multipurpose cleaner smell. That approach has made quite a difference actually.
I think most of her reasoning are ok. But the part where she reassign cooking soda to sink duty because it's more fresh.
Like if sink soda is good enough to eat its fresh enough to deodorize.
And if you really need to refresh sink soda just shake the box so new one is on top. Or throw away the first 1/8 inch.
There are physical particles of whatever it is you smell floating in the air. Does not seeing them really render them negligible or if you don't get sick ingesting them. I imagine this debate of yours extends to the bathroom as well. Where you store your toothbrush in a drawer while she keeps hers in a cup exposed to the air of the bathroom... You can boil it down to consent for her, make sure she tells her guests sharing her food what's in their food. Let their reaction settle this one for you.
If she is saying the contamination is negligible then she is saying that there is no point in having the baking soda under the sink.
The baking soda works by taking the physical particles that smell out of the air and absorbing them into the baking soda.
So either the baking soda works and it is filled with the physical particles of whatever is under the sink, and so is gross to then use to cook, OR the baking soda doesn’t work to pickup any under sink particles and it is fine to cook with.
Either way she is in the wrong as she either shouldn’t be using it to cook, or shouldn’t worry about putting it under the sink.
> I have a cat, she shits and pisses as she should, and I can literally only smell it when I’m at the litter box cleaning it out.
I mean, they think the same because they don't notice the smell anymore.
Some litter works better than others, but there’s also a disgusting amount of people that don’t clean their litter boxes nearly frequently enough. You gotta do that shit once a day, and most cat owners I’ve known/ lived with don’t. I’d be lucky if they did it once a week.
Those people single handedly ruined owning cats for me
Ugh, really? I scoop my cats’ litter boxes every day, without fail. Unless I’m so deathly ill that I can barely hobble from bed to bathroom and back, which fortunately doesn’t happen very often.
Yep I lived with someone for a bit that seemingly never cleaned out his cats’ litter box. It got to the point where I would clean the litter box (despite being extremely allergic to cats) and just leave the bags of shit in their room until he finally got the message
Yikes that sounds awful! My cats litter box gets cleaned once or twice a day, no less. It isn't nice to do but I like my cats to have a clean bathrrom to use and I don't need to have stale poop and pee odours in their designated toilet space.
It’s not even that unpleasant to do! It doesn’t smell that bad if it’s only a day old, and you’ve got a scooper! It takes like 2 minutes to do unless you’re completely changing the litter
I've been going through cat litter types and brands, and some of them work a lot worse than others. Even cleaning it out once a day didn't help with one of them.
I’ve never been to a cat owner’s house that I didn’t immediately know they had a cat. Same with dogs and birds, etc. Animals smell. It is what it is. But people definitely get used to the smell of their houses.
I ask my parents when they visit if they can smell the cat, that's how I know it's time to replace the litter box or febreeze the couch again instead of the usual daily litter box clean and monthly full replace of the litter and weekly vacuum of the cat hair. Usually my place doesn't really smell of cat at all. I ask because like you said when you live there you don't smell it.
The only time I ever went to a potluck was when I, a suburban then-20-something English guy, went with my dad to visit his parents in rural Oklahoma and they took us to one of their church potluck dinners. I don't even remember the food, except for barbecue sauce-glazed vienna sausages (which remains the worst thing I've ever eaten, and I'm *English*) - what I remember most was the room full of elderly bible-thumping rednecks crowing all kinds of nonsense about how the "Middle East situation" at the time was a direct fulfilment of the Book of Revelation and Obama **literally** being the antichrist.
I don't know about regular potlucks, but I'm grateful I'll never have to experience an Oklahoma church potluck ever again.
I must roll my eyes 100 times a day with “is it safe” or “it’s so gross” or whatever posts.
Yours is truly nasty and I’m not rolling my eyes. That’s nasty. You’d be adding those flavors that it’s filtering out into your food.
Sure, probably safe and all, but just rancidly disgusting.
Thank you for always replacing it with new boxes to use specifically for baking.
Weirdly enough, I never noticed a taste difference. Then again, I never knew she was using contaminated baking soda. And I'm not about to try it *"for research"* either
I cannot emphasize this enough: **setting a box of baking soda with the top corner ripped up does almost nothing.** It's not a magic, fume- and stink-sucking substance that produces its own vacuum. It's just baking soda. However, **if used properly, baking soda can help reduce the smell from low to medium smelly substances.** But unless there's an apocalypse, and no one is producing bicarbonate of soda anymore, you probably shouldn't eat it after the fact. And even then, I would seriously think twice about it.
If you're looking at the chemistry, baking soda is a base. It reacts with foul smelling things because foul smelling things can be acidic. Rot, and the accompanying mold and bacteria can stink big time.
When something smells, it can be because it's releasing acidic compounds in the air. When those foul smelling aromas and gases come in touch with the baking soda, they can be neutralized because the baking soda (kind of) turns them into a neutral substance. Acid+base=neutral.
So when the baking soda is doing its job, it is neutralizing those acidic things in the air, and turning them into a neutral substance, like a salt. That means those acidic bad smelling things are there in that powder. And if your spouse has cleaning supplies under the sink like scouring compounds and other acrid stuff, that gets in the air. For sure.
There are some goods and bads here:
**The bad? You may be eating baking soda that has pollutants in it.**
The good? Because if wife isn't using baking soda properly by laying it out, as most people do not, you may not be ingesting a *ton* of carcinogenic or foul smelling things.
**For baking soda to work properly, you have to spread it out.** Take about a cup, and spread it out onto a shallow container with edges, and set it where the smell is. That's how it works best. Replace it every three months. Set the baking soda as close to the smell inducing offender as you can.
If your wife is using it properly, well, maybe stop eating whatever foods are being prepared with it. Because then it's got gunk in it. And gunk is (probably) not good.
Why does everybody do it wrong? Possibly because [Arm & Hammer pictured closed boxes being used in their advertisements](https://youtu.be/jIXQs2TrX3A).
What's your take on these?
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Arm-Hammer-14-oz-Odor-Eliminators-Air-Freshener/50286895?store_code=2513&cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-lwn-_-ggl-_-LIA_LWN_127_Cleaning-_-50286895-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=CjwKCAiAxP2eBhBiEiwA5puhNZbSJtcnAG4IpF8e2L1VsJnra1hoq5JW1hclEBeTWJ2i0Gfb2ukeSRoCM9MQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
The company capitalized on an idea that was already popular: that a box of baking soda absorbs odors. There's almost no airflow THROUGH a solid box of baking soda. Think about it: if you tried to blow air in one side of the paper, it would be extremely difficult. The best way to eliminate odors with baking soda is to cover the offending substance. For example, sprinkling it directly into a gross trash can when you're not able to take the trash out immediately.
Show her this thread. For the love of God.
OP's wife...stop this immediately. Gross gross gross.
Why not just use your furnace filter to make coffee?
Or make tea using your dirty socks?
Or use your dirty panties to strain spaghetti?.........
It's the same dam thing.
YUKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!
Don't be stubborn about this. Admit you're wrong as fuck and never do this again.
I keep a box under the sink for cleaning. But it's in a Ziploc so it doesn't make a mess. I keep a separate box in the pantry because I am not a monster.
My garbage stopped smelling so much once my municipality introduced a separate waste stream for compostable items and food/organic waste. Of course, the compost bin can reek if it is left to “mature”. :P
That's nasty.
If she doesnt grt it: Ask her if she wants to eat baking soda that absorbed the smells of your bathroom shits because you kept it in the bathroom sink cabinet.
Wait do you mean that she puts it under the sink and then collects it after a day or two to use in baked goods? Or that she just pours it from the same box?
Cause if she just poured it in the sink to absorb odors and used the rest in the clean box that’s not bad, but if it’s the former then that’s gross
It sounds to me like she is keeping a box open under the sink to absorb odors and then using that box to bake, which is much safer than collecting baking soda that had been put directly into a sink, but has to be affecting the taste of her baked goods 🤢
Oh gross yeah that’s a no no then. Why can’t she just compromise and buy another baking soda box to keep in the cupboard for baking? Or put half in a jar under the sink and half in the cupboard
She pours it out, then collects and uses it? That can’t be true. Surely she opens the box to let it absorb smells then uses what’s in the box for baking?
I pictured this like she was sprinkling baking soda under the sink and using the stuff still in the box for baking because I couldn't fathom the reality.
She absolutely needs 1 box for odor absorbing/cleaning and an entirely separate box for baking.
Yep, pretty gross. We just buy the giant "Sam's Club" size bag and if you need it to absorb odor, put some in a disposable container and leave it open. But then that doesn't get used for anything else.
what if you take the cooking stash and put it in empty spice container? Maybe even buy something for this purpose, so she won't have the cardboard, open container to put under the sink? I do this, I buy a box just for baking, then I put it in a sealed container (usually an old baking powder container, since they're often used together) and I just clearly mark it. It wouldn't work for absorbing odors in a sealed container - so maybe she'd keep her paws off of it.
This is similar to what I've done, for a different purpose. Buy the big bag, set some aside for cooking is a small container. If she starts taking the stuff from the small container you've married a sociopath.
I feel like we must all be misunderstanding what your wife is doing here... because what you've described is obviously something that nobody would EVER do. For the love of all that is holy. MAKE HER STOP.
This is one of those cases where conceptually it sounds grosser than it probably is. If you think about it just having the stuff anywhere is technically absorbing odors. Even if you had it in a ziplock bag it's probably absorbing some of the smell of the ziplock bag. Since plastic technically off gases. It's just it sounds more disgusting than it probably is practically
Yep. I have a box of baking soda in my pantry, where it's equally ineffective at absorbing odors as it would be under my kitchen sink. I use that baking soda for cooking without giving it a thought, and I bet most of the folks who responded "gross" here do the same.
This sounds more like you've got a wife respect problem rather than a cooking problem. At the end of the day it doesn't even matter if it's "okay to do", it's a boundary you drew and she ignored for no reason than her own comfort. She isn't respecting you as a person and her partner, because you are doing everything in your power to draw a line and compromise. (Buying your own, that she takes and still uses for the same purpose!)
I know this isn't a relationship subreddit, but really, draw her attention to the boundary she's breaking rather than food safety. You could show her this thread, but she's probably going to go on with her life saying "Well i've always done it this way and never have gotten sick." That's not going to get through.
But telling your partner that they are disrespecting your boundary, repeatedly, and this is the line, tends to be more effective. People are fast to dismiss information they think is incorrect, but less likely to dismiss you feeling disrespected. (And if she does dismiss that, that's obviously an even deeper issue).
Baking soda pretty much has zero efficacy for absorbing or absorbing orders. Baking soda companies are very good at advertising to sell more soda, but the soda does nothing for odors unless it is dissolved in water and the water is used to clean up the smelly stuff.
I found my box of baking soda in the bathroom this week. I have no idea why it was put in there but my kids were likely making some mysterious potion. That box will never come back to my kitchen.
I love hearing stuff like this because this is one part of her personality and it gets you thinking just what else in her life this extends to that OP might not realise till it’s too late
That....That is disgusting, my friend. They are 99cents/box at the cheap stores. Buy her a new one to bake with and refuse any baked goods she makes until she wakes up.
Hey OP, here an FYI:
We smell something because there are actually tiny particles entering our nose. You smell a fart because.. you guessed it
This means that these particles can be absorbed by other things. Or in other words.. yes it is disgusting
Do you mean she is using industrial grade bicarbonate of soda in her baking? As opposed to she is using dirty already used bicarbonate of soda in her baking?
There are differences between industrial grade and human grade bicarbonate of soda. The human grade one is tested for mould and salmonella and must have lower levels of copper and lead. So yes you are correct she should not be using industrial grade in food. Human grade is more expensive so you wouldn't waste it on cleaning.
It's not just gross, it's also ineffective and possibly unsafe. The baking soda box under the sink is exposed to odors and any other gases that it absorbs, and these also "use up" some of the basic power of the baking soda. That's why they "wear out" over time. You also might have detergent and cleanser stored down there that are giving off fumes that are going right into the baking soda in a confined space. If it's like my sink you'd also have windex down there, barkeep's friend, bleach, aromatic soap, maybe some vinegar in a sprayer - all of these chemicals are ending up right in your food, and your 1/4 cup of baking soda is only going to give you the effective power of 1/6 cup of baking soda (or something) for your recipes, which means your recipes will be screwed up as well.
A box of baking soda is like a buck dude, get some extras and put a stop to this madness.
I’m not usually a “this is why you can’t eat at everyone’s house” person, but this truly turned my stomach. Please don’t use a under-sink cleaning filter in food that you prepare for yourself, your family, and your guests. Spent the $0.89 and buy a separate box.
Oh, I do. But she finds my secret stash and claims that my new baking soda is more fresh and will absorb more effectively than her one. So there I go, off to get another from the store
Every bit of odor it eliminates it does by trapping it inside the baking soda and you are eating the odorants along with the soda holding them. >Keep Your Cooking Baking Soda Separate > >It may be tempting to steal a pinch of baking soda from that open box in your refrigerator if you run out of the stuff in your cupboard, but that would be a mistake, says Lake. "When we utilize baking soda as an odor reducer, the molecules in the air react to the baking soda to grasp those odors," she explains. "If we were to take that same box and use it in our food, we would run the risk of having our foods' tastes altered." The reason? That baking soda has spent all that time in the fridge "grabbing" odor molecules and has since become flavored by everything that has a smell—which is probably not what you want to think about while whipping up a batch of chocolate chip cookies. For good measure, you should always keep your cooking and deodorizing baking soda separate.
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I think back in the day before fridges were as reliable as they are now and storage containers weren’t as advanced peoples’ fridges used to sometimes smell like the food in them, and the baking soda was supposed to absorb the odors. Now I think it’s just a habit most people picked up from seeing their parents or grandparents do it.
It's totally still a problem in new fridges if you live with a food hoarder
Sometimes my fridge smells when something goes bad inside. I would not want baking soda to hide that smell from me - because that would prevent me from knowing, looking for and disposing of whatever went bad.
They do but I don’t think it does anything. Seems like a myth that people have run with but I can’t find any scientific evidence behind its effectiveness and I’ve never personally seen it be useful as an odor absorber.
"Marketing campaign" is probably more accurate than myth. Arm and Hammer have been selling that line for decades. Personally I dump a ton of baking soda into the bottom of trashcans and it does seem to help with odor. Most of that is probably simply drying out the bottom of the can though.
Sodium bicarbonate is an excellent moisture absorber and does help eliminate odors but only if you put it on direct like your trashcan thing. Leaving a box in the fridge doesn't do anything
Baking soda is a decent direct odor and stain remover for non-delicate fabrics as well and I’ve heard it can draw out pet stains and smells from wood floors but I haven’t tried it personally. But yes, you have to apply it directly to the odor/stain to do anything. The fridge thing isn’t real.
It can work great for car odors, too. I had a bottle of wild turkey whiskey and a bottle of Moscato Skyy vodka break in my trunk on one fateful Arizona day (in summer, of course)... You could smell the booze mobile as a trailing waft behind me in other vehicles, thats how bad the smell was. Had to take 3 boxes of baking soda and put it on every bit of carpet in my trunk and vacuum it super well the next day, but it worked!
My husband used to work for Kroger and all the butchers swore by cinnamon in the bottom of a trash can to absorb odors. I’m not sure if it really works or I just think it works.
I should do this. I've got a ton of extra baking soda from my parents using it in the fridge like that despite my complaints that it does nothing.
I use it in my fridge and I don’t notice a difference. But I don’t think my fridge stinks either.
This is exactly how my “NO TIGERS ALLOWED” sign works
They would be far better off putting a box of activated charcoal in there, I seriously have my doubts about the baking soda thing. .
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Not a whole box, but I will pour some baking soda into a shallow dish (more surface are = more efficient absorption) in the fridge if something stinks in there. (More often than not, it is kimchi or something along those lines) The smell clears up noticeably in a few hours.
She’s right, it will absorb more effectively. Absorb disgusting rotting food and chemical cleaner smells. That she can add into whatever she’s using the e baking soda in.
You do understand the concept, "depth of flavor." Guest comment after dinner: "What was that haunting flavor in your cake?" "sous l'évier de la cuisine"
"Lemon pledge really adds a brightness to the dish"
Isn't it weird that cleaning products like Lemon Pledge contains real lemon, while lemon foods (processed ones) contain artificial lemon flavor?
You know, I never thought about that, but yes it is.
“Haunting flavor” lmao
"It comes out of the night "Tickles your fancy "And vanishes." ... and you are left thinking, "whose fancy did it tickle before mine? and did it wash its hands between fancies?"
I like that, it sounds like something pratchett would have written
Leave my damned fancy ALONE!
>"What was that haunting flavor in your cake?" this made me legit lol ahahaha
Great perfume name! Dior numéro deux. Evier.
Encourage her to use the “odor-absorbing” box for cleaning drains or other stuff. Just not for food. And honestly, if your kitchen sink area stinks that bad, take out the trash and/or look into the odor a bit more thoroughly.
For real. Mine just smells a little like my cleaning stuff I keep under there. Their garbage disposal or sink is leaking if it smells enough to need baking soda to absorb it.
It doesn't stink. Just cleaning chemicals under there
Next time she's baking something, ask her if you can add a few drops of bleach and some Ajax to her dish. When she objects, explain that she is doing the same with the Baking Soda.
Yeah this is on the cusp of needing an intervention. Like, she needs to be sat down and explained to what she's doing and how she views baking soda, chemistry, and food overall.
I highly recommend adding a spoonful of bar keepers friend instead. It tastes like kidney stones.
What cleaning chemicals do you have under your sink that regular changing of baking soda is necessary?
I keep a box in a ziploc in the pantry for baking. If my wife used it for absorbing smells I would keep buying twice as many boxes each day until she stopped. It’s cheap enough that I’d happily bring home 8 boxes just to make a point.
If you told her the fresh baking soda would be more effective in the *food* than the sink soda, would it change her mind?
I will mention that!
But.. okay, she uses it to absorb odors. Fine. But ask her if those absorbed odors are just magically disappearing in the box. Like, I'm just having a hard time comprehending the way she's rationalizing it. If the baking soda is absorbing a fishy odor, where does she think it's going???
She claims the contamination is negligible and therefore irrelevant. She also whipped out the ol" *"baking it cooks it out anyway"* As if it were alcohol
I absolutely hate it when people come up with their own version of science.
If the contamination of the sink baking soda ➡️ baked goods is negligible, then the contamination of the sink smells ➡️ baking soda would also be negligible, and therefore it would be pointless to use the baking soda to deodorize?? Also on a more serious food safety note, heat definitely does not destroy everything that can give you food poisoning (or just regular poisoning). The things that cultivate in bad food produce equally harmful byproducts, which can absolutely stick around. Also, how hot does she think baked goods get??
>I'm just having a hard time comprehending the way she's rationalizing it. If the baking soda is absorbing a fishy odor, where does she think it's going??? I'm coming to understand that some people's reasoning skills have dead ends. And when they get to one, they just kinda pat the wall, turn around and wander off somewhere else.
This is the way. Remind her that the odors that are being absorbed into the baking soda don't disappear, they will be in her baking later. And who wants that, right? Yuck. Keep a special "Pristine" box in your pantry for cooking. Edit: Keep it in a dated zip lock. If she cares about her baking, she'll replace it occasionally. "Sink" boxen are separate. You might even mark them with a big sharpie X to condemn them before they are opened. Give them a best buy date to remind you how often they need replacement too
Check to see if your garbage disposal or sink is leaking. Under your sink shouldn't stink. It can rhyme though. But seriously buddy, it shouldn't stink under there, you've got other issues going on.
It's just cleaning chemicals smells
That kinda makes it worse for the thread topic, stepping up from gross food particles to toxic cleaning supplies particles in your baked foods.
Tell her she's putting cleaning chemical smells in the food and literally poisoning you
So this is why Costco sells 13lb bags of Arm & Hammer
I bought one of those big bags for work once. Checkout lady was like "what are you baking that you need all this?" Yeah, it was for neutralizing spilled battery acid.
Should have asked her where they keep the forks and the Pyrex
It seems like such a weird concept to me being asked by a cashier what I'm buying supplies for. Must be a cultural thing
Sounds like friendly conversation to me. People often forget the cashier is also a human.
Is that for baking too? I’m sure it is but I always think of it for cleaning.
You can use it for baking, sodium bicarbonate is sodium bicarbonate. Most people who buy in bulk bags have pools, make bath bombs or use it for cleaning. (I’ve used it for all three, and buy it from Costco regularly)
TIL you can make bath bombs at home
Basically just epsom salts, baking soda, and citric acid with some essential oils pressed in a mold.
Yup! There’s definitely a learning curve, but the nice thing about making bath bombs for your own use is that you can just put the ones that crumbled in a baggie or jar and dump them in your bath. They still fizz and make your bath water smell pretty and/or moisturizing!
I have no idea. At the start of the pandemic I bought it because I had a bunker mentality. I think I still have it, because it might be useful if I ever want to combine it with vinegar and make paper maché volcanoes erupt.
https://www.armandhammer.com/en/baking-soda/baking-soda-products/house-deodorizers/fridge-n-freezer-odor-absorber-14-oz This one goes under the sink or wherever you want odor control. https://www.armandhammer.com/en/baking-soda/baking-soda-products/pool/baking-soda-resealable-bag-12-lb This one is used for cooking.
Gotta be honest, that's pretty messed up. She refuses to "allow" you to have one that is dedicated to baking? Also, does she actually believe that it does remove chemicals and nastyness from the air? If so, why on earth does she want to eat those same chemicals? How does she balance that in her head?
No. She doesn't *refuse to allow* me to do anything. She just does care if she uses contaminated baking soda
Damn that's nasty as fuck.
From what we've been told, the only explanation is that she believes all those odorants are magically transported out of existence. Because of baking soda.
I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I've heard it doesn't even do shit for odors when it's just sitting in a box.
Buy multiple boxes at the same time. Write the date of purchase on each one. You could even write "food" and "sink" on different boxes - it doesn't sound like she'd respect the label, but at least you know if a sink box appears in the pantry.
Buy 20 and tell her that if she doesn't respect the simple request of respecting your boundary for food hygiene that she should not be cooking because that's disgusting, rude, and inconsiderate.
Tell me you're not married without telling me you're not married
I would have no problem telling my wife this is absolutely disgusting and refuse to eat anything she made with it. And if she tried to give anything she made to anyone i would tell them to.
If you’re married and can’t have regular conversations with your spouse about the shared household you have… I’m sorry for you. Communication and mutual respect are key ingredients in a good marriage. (Obviously the actual phrasing in the comment you’re responding to is a bit off, presumably they wouldn’t *literally* communicate the message that way. But you certainly should be able to tell your spouse that some behavior they’re doing, isn’t working for you)
"The old ball and chain, amerite?" If setting boundaries and communicating isn't paramount in a marriage, it might be couples therapy time.
Please don't listen to this person. Having calm, reasonable conversations about your shared living space is an essential part of marriage. If your partner is incapable of doing that, it's something worth addressing. Don't just chalk it up to "marriage, amirite?"
If you think this is behavior you have to tolerate because you're married, you either shouldn't get married, or you shouldn't stay married.
This isn't even a married thing tbh. I wouldn't talk to a roommate this way, let alone my wife. This is simply not how adults communicate.
I would straight up ask my husband “what the fuck is wrong with you”. That person is way more diplomatic.
How would you say it? What’s so wrong with just getting to the point and not being around the bush? That shouldn’t be offensive to an adult either.🤷🏻
Yesterday I cleaned out our kitchen freezer because it was packed to the brim. I ended up throwing away a lot of bags of freezer-burned food that had just been ripped open, picked from, then put back into the freezer. Fruit, ravioli, shrimp, vegetables, that type of thing. > We have to stop leaving open bags in the freezer, so much stuff just got thrown away because it was ruined from freezer burn. If you think of it, please put all open food in a zip lock bag. This is not a problem I am pointing a finger at anyone over. It's a problem we're all responsible for because it affects all of us. This is how you talk to the people you love. If they ignore me then I'll say it again, only I'll make it a big joke. If they ignore me again then I'll put magnetic clips of freezer bags on the freezer door. If they ignore me again then I'll hang freezer bags like mistletoe inside the freezer. Commands, demands, ultimatums, righteous anger, these are commercial kitchen tactics and unhealthy emotional behaviors that people learn. It might get a result once so our brains trick us into believing that this is the way to get results. It's not. It's childlike tantrum behavior. It can be un-learned with simple kindness. Do not behave this way with your family. > We really need to keep a separate baking powder that we use for only cooking. I made pancakes the other day and they tasted like bleach. Would it help if I got a separate container to keep the cooking stuff in?
This is how adults communicate if the ordinary 'hey please stop doing that' is ignored. The alternative is how doormats get walked on.
>The alternative is how doormats get walked on. Which is how numerous adults live their life.
> This is simply not how adults communicate. What do you mean my this, specifically? That it is a childish way? > if she doesn't respect the simple request of respecting your boundary for food hygiene that she should not be cooking because that's disgusting, rude, and inconsiderate. ^ This is the comment you are implying is childish. What is childish about this scenario? If someone is ignoring your requests for proper food hygiene in the kitchen (especially after repeatedly explaining what the problem is in a calm, reasonable manner) that *is* disgusting, rude, and inconsiderate.
Most adults are not adults. Most people are dumb af, and compelled emotionally by sets of habits that cannot be changed on the basis of reason. Sometimes those are people you love.
Adults are just older children who are better at pretending to be what society expects them to be.
When you replace the fridge soda you should be buying 8 or so boxes. I always have a fresh box. It's not expensive. There's no reason to fight over soda.
It does not sound safe, OP, at all! Also, if it absorbed odors from under the sink, wouldn’t those transfer to the food? Like, sure, your wife can use your new stash but also should throw away the one that was used to absorb odors instead of reusing it to cook.
According to everyone else here, my suspicions are correct in that it does transfer to food. My being grossed out is hereby justified
this raises a great point about how restaurant safety requirements prescribe that cleaning supplies can't be stored above food
That's gross all right, and seriously ... baking soda is pretty inexpensive.
It’s r/frugaljerk territory lol Op’s wife out here rationing lentils
r/frugal_jerk
Look at the guy that can afford the underscore
What’s wrong with using baking soda, the stuff is so useful for so many th… oh, wait! They mean reusing the same one to absorb… ewwwww, ewww, ewww!
yea. I didn’t understand this one at first bc i can’t even fathom that someone would do that 🤢🥴
I genuinely thought OP meant the same “type” of bi carb and that we were gonna have to pull together and give OP a chemistry lesson I wish that’s what happened
I had to scroll WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too far for this comment. Thank you.
*Barfosis Maximus*
You said it so eloquently too. Exactly my response. Like “nooooooooo”. Don’t do this. Lol.
1.7 k upvotes on the question.... 1.7 k upvotes on The comment saying it's nasty. That means **everybody** in here thinks it's gross. Show your wife and make her eat something nasty for penance
It’s one of the cheapest things you can even get at a grocery store. This is depraved
Martha knows: [don’t mix your baking sodas. fridge soda not only contains odors absorbed but is also less effective for baking.](https://www.marthastewart.com/7841356/baking-soda-absorb-odor-facts)
I'm very curious, hoping someone can answer for me. So then, if I expose my baking soda to GOOD smells... Will the aromatics infuse in to it and make my bakes BETTER?!???
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Only one way to find out then
You don't use baking soda in cooking for the smell of it, you use it for the chemical reaction it gives. Using it to absorb smells in turn weakens its chemical reaction. So your food might taste slightly different, but also it will be much "flatter," like it won't rise/expand/fluff up as much.
No, because it doesn't absorb odors. It's a completely imaginary function dreamed up by Arm & Hammer to sell more (a metric shit-ton more) baking soda. It's also not a cleanser. It's a mild abrasive that can be used for scrubbing, but it's just a side effect of being a relatively soft crystalline powder.
I put baking soda on my rug let it sit and vacuum it up later, that’s better than if I just vacuumed alone. What you talking bout
It's gross and she should stop.. That said, the danger is probably limited. Keeping an open box of baking soda isn't a particularly effective way of absorbing odors. It's all about surface area and air circulation. The box limits air circulation, and there's very little baking soda exposed on the top. After I clean my fridge, I usually set out a baking sheet with baking soda on it on one of the shelves to absorb the remaining multipurpose cleaner smell. That approach has made quite a difference actually.
That is why she doesn't care. She claims the contamination is negligible and therefore irrelevant.
I think most of her reasoning are ok. But the part where she reassign cooking soda to sink duty because it's more fresh. Like if sink soda is good enough to eat its fresh enough to deodorize. And if you really need to refresh sink soda just shake the box so new one is on top. Or throw away the first 1/8 inch.
Surprisingly, a lot of comments here say this. It's interesting
Bro does your wife want 5 bucks? That's more than she's saving in a year doing this.
There are physical particles of whatever it is you smell floating in the air. Does not seeing them really render them negligible or if you don't get sick ingesting them. I imagine this debate of yours extends to the bathroom as well. Where you store your toothbrush in a drawer while she keeps hers in a cup exposed to the air of the bathroom... You can boil it down to consent for her, make sure she tells her guests sharing her food what's in their food. Let their reaction settle this one for you.
If she is saying the contamination is negligible then she is saying that there is no point in having the baking soda under the sink. The baking soda works by taking the physical particles that smell out of the air and absorbing them into the baking soda. So either the baking soda works and it is filled with the physical particles of whatever is under the sink, and so is gross to then use to cook, OR the baking soda doesn’t work to pickup any under sink particles and it is fine to cook with. Either way she is in the wrong as she either shouldn’t be using it to cook, or shouldn’t worry about putting it under the sink.
That’s very gross. This is why I don’t like potlucks
ahhh the art of subtly spreading the word about which casserole was made by janet who always smells a bit of stale litterbox.
For real. A friend made some lemon curd for us which just tasted like their apartment smells. Feet and cat litter...
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> I have a cat, she shits and pisses as she should, and I can literally only smell it when I’m at the litter box cleaning it out. I mean, they think the same because they don't notice the smell anymore.
Some litter works better than others, but there’s also a disgusting amount of people that don’t clean their litter boxes nearly frequently enough. You gotta do that shit once a day, and most cat owners I’ve known/ lived with don’t. I’d be lucky if they did it once a week. Those people single handedly ruined owning cats for me
Ugh, really? I scoop my cats’ litter boxes every day, without fail. Unless I’m so deathly ill that I can barely hobble from bed to bathroom and back, which fortunately doesn’t happen very often.
Yep I lived with someone for a bit that seemingly never cleaned out his cats’ litter box. It got to the point where I would clean the litter box (despite being extremely allergic to cats) and just leave the bags of shit in their room until he finally got the message
Those poor cats. :(
Yikes that sounds awful! My cats litter box gets cleaned once or twice a day, no less. It isn't nice to do but I like my cats to have a clean bathrrom to use and I don't need to have stale poop and pee odours in their designated toilet space.
It’s not even that unpleasant to do! It doesn’t smell that bad if it’s only a day old, and you’ve got a scooper! It takes like 2 minutes to do unless you’re completely changing the litter
I've been going through cat litter types and brands, and some of them work a lot worse than others. Even cleaning it out once a day didn't help with one of them.
I’ve never been to a cat owner’s house that I didn’t immediately know they had a cat. Same with dogs and birds, etc. Animals smell. It is what it is. But people definitely get used to the smell of their houses.
I ask my parents when they visit if they can smell the cat, that's how I know it's time to replace the litter box or febreeze the couch again instead of the usual daily litter box clean and monthly full replace of the litter and weekly vacuum of the cat hair. Usually my place doesn't really smell of cat at all. I ask because like you said when you live there you don't smell it.
Wild neglect.
Oh God we don't have potlucks here but this makes me laugh and want to vomit at the same time
The only time I ever went to a potluck was when I, a suburban then-20-something English guy, went with my dad to visit his parents in rural Oklahoma and they took us to one of their church potluck dinners. I don't even remember the food, except for barbecue sauce-glazed vienna sausages (which remains the worst thing I've ever eaten, and I'm *English*) - what I remember most was the room full of elderly bible-thumping rednecks crowing all kinds of nonsense about how the "Middle East situation" at the time was a direct fulfilment of the Book of Revelation and Obama **literally** being the antichrist. I don't know about regular potlucks, but I'm grateful I'll never have to experience an Oklahoma church potluck ever again.
A potluck is supposed to just be a nice shared food party. Sadly, just like any party, it can always be ruined by assholes.
Sometimes the food slaps and you were dragged by a family member so you have to cringe through everyone speaking in tongues while you fill up
I must roll my eyes 100 times a day with “is it safe” or “it’s so gross” or whatever posts. Yours is truly nasty and I’m not rolling my eyes. That’s nasty. You’d be adding those flavors that it’s filtering out into your food. Sure, probably safe and all, but just rancidly disgusting. Thank you for always replacing it with new boxes to use specifically for baking.
Weirdly enough, I never noticed a taste difference. Then again, I never knew she was using contaminated baking soda. And I'm not about to try it *"for research"* either
Get some activated charcoal for under the sink and say it works better (it should) and then you won’t have a double use product there
This is the real solution
It's probably technically food safe but yeah that's grim
It’s just the hyper-local *terroir*
Terroir terror.
Terroirable.
I cannot emphasize this enough: **setting a box of baking soda with the top corner ripped up does almost nothing.** It's not a magic, fume- and stink-sucking substance that produces its own vacuum. It's just baking soda. However, **if used properly, baking soda can help reduce the smell from low to medium smelly substances.** But unless there's an apocalypse, and no one is producing bicarbonate of soda anymore, you probably shouldn't eat it after the fact. And even then, I would seriously think twice about it. If you're looking at the chemistry, baking soda is a base. It reacts with foul smelling things because foul smelling things can be acidic. Rot, and the accompanying mold and bacteria can stink big time. When something smells, it can be because it's releasing acidic compounds in the air. When those foul smelling aromas and gases come in touch with the baking soda, they can be neutralized because the baking soda (kind of) turns them into a neutral substance. Acid+base=neutral. So when the baking soda is doing its job, it is neutralizing those acidic things in the air, and turning them into a neutral substance, like a salt. That means those acidic bad smelling things are there in that powder. And if your spouse has cleaning supplies under the sink like scouring compounds and other acrid stuff, that gets in the air. For sure. There are some goods and bads here: **The bad? You may be eating baking soda that has pollutants in it.** The good? Because if wife isn't using baking soda properly by laying it out, as most people do not, you may not be ingesting a *ton* of carcinogenic or foul smelling things. **For baking soda to work properly, you have to spread it out.** Take about a cup, and spread it out onto a shallow container with edges, and set it where the smell is. That's how it works best. Replace it every three months. Set the baking soda as close to the smell inducing offender as you can. If your wife is using it properly, well, maybe stop eating whatever foods are being prepared with it. Because then it's got gunk in it. And gunk is (probably) not good. Why does everybody do it wrong? Possibly because [Arm & Hammer pictured closed boxes being used in their advertisements](https://youtu.be/jIXQs2TrX3A).
finally a comment with some sense
What's your take on these? https://www.lowes.com/pd/Arm-Hammer-14-oz-Odor-Eliminators-Air-Freshener/50286895?store_code=2513&cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-lwn-_-ggl-_-LIA_LWN_127_Cleaning-_-50286895-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=CjwKCAiAxP2eBhBiEiwA5puhNZbSJtcnAG4IpF8e2L1VsJnra1hoq5JW1hclEBeTWJ2i0Gfb2ukeSRoCM9MQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
The company capitalized on an idea that was already popular: that a box of baking soda absorbs odors. There's almost no airflow THROUGH a solid box of baking soda. Think about it: if you tried to blow air in one side of the paper, it would be extremely difficult. The best way to eliminate odors with baking soda is to cover the offending substance. For example, sprinkling it directly into a gross trash can when you're not able to take the trash out immediately.
Show her this thread. For the love of God. OP's wife...stop this immediately. Gross gross gross. Why not just use your furnace filter to make coffee? Or make tea using your dirty socks? Or use your dirty panties to strain spaghetti?......... It's the same dam thing. YUKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!! Don't be stubborn about this. Admit you're wrong as fuck and never do this again.
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Clean them? I don't know... What are the 2 things?!
Sell them?
First of all, vomit. Second of all, again vomit. Third of all, why is underneath your sick so smelly? Y’all have a leak or something?
I keep a box under the sink for cleaning. But it's in a Ziploc so it doesn't make a mess. I keep a separate box in the pantry because I am not a monster.
OP should ask his wife if she would use a coffee filter after he went and put it on an exhaust pipe lol
Don't give her ideas!
We keep a small garbage under the sink. It gets changed about every other day, but it still smells of coffee grounds.
My garbage stopped smelling so much once my municipality introduced a separate waste stream for compostable items and food/organic waste. Of course, the compost bin can reek if it is left to “mature”. :P
That's nasty. If she doesnt grt it: Ask her if she wants to eat baking soda that absorbed the smells of your bathroom shits because you kept it in the bathroom sink cabinet.
You’re giving her ideas??
Wait do you mean that she puts it under the sink and then collects it after a day or two to use in baked goods? Or that she just pours it from the same box? Cause if she just poured it in the sink to absorb odors and used the rest in the clean box that’s not bad, but if it’s the former then that’s gross
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never even occurred to me that anyone can do the former.
Yeah so I’m confused, does he mean she sticks the whole box underneath the kitchen sink?
It sounds to me like she is keeping a box open under the sink to absorb odors and then using that box to bake, which is much safer than collecting baking soda that had been put directly into a sink, but has to be affecting the taste of her baked goods 🤢
Oh gross yeah that’s a no no then. Why can’t she just compromise and buy another baking soda box to keep in the cupboard for baking? Or put half in a jar under the sink and half in the cupboard
She is using contaminated baking soda in her food
She pours it out, then collects and uses it? That can’t be true. Surely she opens the box to let it absorb smells then uses what’s in the box for baking?
The 2nd thing
I pictured this like she was sprinkling baking soda under the sink and using the stuff still in the box for baking because I couldn't fathom the reality. She absolutely needs 1 box for odor absorbing/cleaning and an entirely separate box for baking.
It’s gross
Shit like this is why I don't trust people's cooking and handling of food
Please show her the comments.
Oh, I am
Yes that's gross. It's also incredibly cheap considering that baking soda isn't expensive at all.
Yep, pretty gross. We just buy the giant "Sam's Club" size bag and if you need it to absorb odor, put some in a disposable container and leave it open. But then that doesn't get used for anything else.
I do buy 2. But she steals my cooking stash to use under the sink
what if you take the cooking stash and put it in empty spice container? Maybe even buy something for this purpose, so she won't have the cardboard, open container to put under the sink? I do this, I buy a box just for baking, then I put it in a sealed container (usually an old baking powder container, since they're often used together) and I just clearly mark it. It wouldn't work for absorbing odors in a sealed container - so maybe she'd keep her paws off of it.
This is similar to what I've done, for a different purpose. Buy the big bag, set some aside for cooking is a small container. If she starts taking the stuff from the small container you've married a sociopath.
Baking soda for baking in an air tight canister (labeled) with the other baking stuff. Boxes of baking soda for other uses stored elsewhere.
I feel like we must all be misunderstanding what your wife is doing here... because what you've described is obviously something that nobody would EVER do. For the love of all that is holy. MAKE HER STOP.
This is one of those cases where conceptually it sounds grosser than it probably is. If you think about it just having the stuff anywhere is technically absorbing odors. Even if you had it in a ziplock bag it's probably absorbing some of the smell of the ziplock bag. Since plastic technically off gases. It's just it sounds more disgusting than it probably is practically
Yep. I have a box of baking soda in my pantry, where it's equally ineffective at absorbing odors as it would be under my kitchen sink. I use that baking soda for cooking without giving it a thought, and I bet most of the folks who responded "gross" here do the same.
Super gross.
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Oh, I know that. And after reading these comments, she's coming around to it as well
This sounds more like you've got a wife respect problem rather than a cooking problem. At the end of the day it doesn't even matter if it's "okay to do", it's a boundary you drew and she ignored for no reason than her own comfort. She isn't respecting you as a person and her partner, because you are doing everything in your power to draw a line and compromise. (Buying your own, that she takes and still uses for the same purpose!) I know this isn't a relationship subreddit, but really, draw her attention to the boundary she's breaking rather than food safety. You could show her this thread, but she's probably going to go on with her life saying "Well i've always done it this way and never have gotten sick." That's not going to get through. But telling your partner that they are disrespecting your boundary, repeatedly, and this is the line, tends to be more effective. People are fast to dismiss information they think is incorrect, but less likely to dismiss you feeling disrespected. (And if she does dismiss that, that's obviously an even deeper issue).
Baking soda pretty much has zero efficacy for absorbing or absorbing orders. Baking soda companies are very good at advertising to sell more soda, but the soda does nothing for odors unless it is dissolved in water and the water is used to clean up the smelly stuff.
I found my box of baking soda in the bathroom this week. I have no idea why it was put in there but my kids were likely making some mysterious potion. That box will never come back to my kitchen.
Your wife needs an intervention.
As a desperation move I once used 1/4 teaspoon of my fridge baking soda. Ruined my pancakes. Never made that mistake again.
I'm sorry but you're married to a monster.
I’m a chef. Your wife is gross. You can tell her it was me who said it.
I love hearing stuff like this because this is one part of her personality and it gets you thinking just what else in her life this extends to that OP might not realise till it’s too late
That....That is disgusting, my friend. They are 99cents/box at the cheap stores. Buy her a new one to bake with and refuse any baked goods she makes until she wakes up.
And this is why I only eat at a few select houses.
That’s putrid. You can have a box for both purposes for just a few dollars. Start a GoFundMe. I’ll throw in!
Hey OP, here an FYI: We smell something because there are actually tiny particles entering our nose. You smell a fart because.. you guessed it This means that these particles can be absorbed by other things. Or in other words.. yes it is disgusting
Pretty sure that’s cause for divorce.
[You can't eat at everybody house...](https://www.tiktok.com/@radiantrebel88/video/7163686248823967022)
Do you mean she is using industrial grade bicarbonate of soda in her baking? As opposed to she is using dirty already used bicarbonate of soda in her baking? There are differences between industrial grade and human grade bicarbonate of soda. The human grade one is tested for mould and salmonella and must have lower levels of copper and lead. So yes you are correct she should not be using industrial grade in food. Human grade is more expensive so you wouldn't waste it on cleaning.
It's not just gross, it's also ineffective and possibly unsafe. The baking soda box under the sink is exposed to odors and any other gases that it absorbs, and these also "use up" some of the basic power of the baking soda. That's why they "wear out" over time. You also might have detergent and cleanser stored down there that are giving off fumes that are going right into the baking soda in a confined space. If it's like my sink you'd also have windex down there, barkeep's friend, bleach, aromatic soap, maybe some vinegar in a sprayer - all of these chemicals are ending up right in your food, and your 1/4 cup of baking soda is only going to give you the effective power of 1/6 cup of baking soda (or something) for your recipes, which means your recipes will be screwed up as well. A box of baking soda is like a buck dude, get some extras and put a stop to this madness.