Baking soda or baking powder are classified as what?

• A. Chemical leaveners
• B. Deep fry
• C. Chiffonade
• D. Concasse

Answer: (A)

Chemical leavening is how some baking ingredients make batters rise by releasing gas through a chemical reaction. Baking soda and baking powder are examples of chemical leaveners because they create carbon dioxide that expands the batter and forms light, airy textures in baked goods. Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate and needs an acid in the mixture to activate; when acid meets the alkali, CO2 kicks off the rise, but if there isn’t enough acid it can taste soapy or cause poor rise. Baking powder already contains both an acid and a base plus a drying agent, so it releases carbon dioxide in stages—once when it’s moistened and again when heated in the oven. These leavening agents work differently from physical leaveners that rely on trapped air or steam, and from biological leaveners like yeast that produce gas through fermentation. They’re not techniques like deep frying or knife cuts such as chiffonade or concasse.