Cooking Amonia?

THE OLD ONE said:

Any One know where I can buy some? It is used in old
fashioned lemon cookies

You're probably looking for "hartshorn" or ammonium
carbonate. One of the traditional leaveners before baking
soda and baking powder were available.

<http://tinyurl.com/2uqo3> for lots of information and
places to buy it.

Pastorio

"THE OLD ONE" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Any One know where I can buy some? It is used in old
fashioned lemon cookies

King Arthur Flour sells it in their catalog: ww2-ww2-Open ↗
.kingarthurflour.com/cgibin/htmlos.cgi/1927.2.238163054-
8215756145

THE OLD ONE said:

Any One know where I can buy some? It is used in old
fashioned lemon cookies

Any German or French deli would have it.

Arri London <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

THE OLD ONE said:

Any One know where I can buy some? It is used in old
fashioned lemon cookies

Any German or French deli would have it.

why not use baking soda?

Regards, NT

In article <[email hidden]>, Arri London <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

THE OLD ONE said:

Any One know where I can buy some? It is used in old
fashioned lemon cookies

Any German or French deli would have it.

But it's not ammonia gas, or "ammonia cleanser" which is
ammonia gas dissolved in water with soap added. It's (AFAIR)
ammonium bicarbonate; an early form of baking soda, not much
used any more, I think.

Isaac

Arri London <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

THE OLD ONE said:

Any One know where I can buy some? It is used in old
fashioned lemon cookies

Any German or French deli would have it.

Also Greek groceries (and maybe middle eastern ones). In my
neighborhood in Chicago Krinos' ammonia powder is available.
You can order it online here:

<3e.comcgiOpen ↗
bin/uncgi/marketclub?page=/food/home.html&cart_id=%%cart_id-
%%>

-bwg

N. Thornton said:

Arri London <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

THE OLD ONE said:

Any One know where I can buy some? It is used in old
fashioned lemon cookies

Any German or French deli would have it.

why not use baking soda?

Ammonium bicarbonate or ammonium carbonate have a fast rate
of gas release. This is necessary when a quick spring is
needed before the product spreads in the oven. Things like
eclairs and cream puffs require this.

Additonally, baking soda or sodium bicarbonate requires an
acid to balance it out. You cannot just substitute it for
ammonium bicarbonate.

--
Send e-mail to: darrell at cs dot toronto dot edu Don't send
e-mail to [email hidden]

King Arthur Flour sells it

kingarthurflour.comkingarthurflour.comOpen ↗

You'll find it listed as baker's ammonia. About $3.95 an
ounce, I think.

Lindy to reply by email take out the dog

N. Thornton said:

Arri London <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

THE OLD ONE said:

Any One know where I can buy some? It is used in old
fashioned lemon cookies

Any German or French deli would have it.

why not use baking soda?

Regards, NT

Not the same and the results won't be optimal.

Isaac Wingfield said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Arri London

Quoted message said:

THE OLD ONE said:

Any One know where I can buy some? It is used in old
fashioned lemon cookies

Any German or French deli would have it.

But it's not ammonia gas, or "ammonia cleanser" which is
ammonia gas dissolved in water with soap added. It's
(AFAIR) ammonium bicarbonate; an early form of baking
soda, not much used any more, I think.

Isaac

It's still used commonly in many parts of Europe. If a
recipe requires it, there are no good substitutes.

Darrell Grainger said:

Ammonium bicarbonate or ammonium carbonate have a fast
rate of gas release. This is necessary when a quick spring
is needed before the product spreads in the oven. Things
like eclairs and cream puffs require this.

Eclairs, cream puffs and many other pastries are made from
choux paste. There's no additional chemical leavener in it.
Flour, butter, water or milk, sugar, eggs, salt. The quick
spring is steam-flash when it's put into a hot oven.

Baker's ammonia (or hartshorn) isn't used for cakes and
other thick baked goods because the ammonia doesn't
dissipate very well from things like that. Typically, it's
used for cookies with the intent for them to be light and
crisp. And thin, like springerli and gingerbread.

Quoted message said:

Additionally, baking soda or sodium bicarbonate requires
an acid to balance it out. You cannot just substitute it
for ammonium bicarbonate.

Actually, it will release CO2 when combined with an acid,
and that's part of its effect. Ammonia is released when it's
combined with an alkali.

And it tastes different. There's no metallic background
taste with baker's ammonia, although there can be an
occasional ammonia smell.

Here's something from
<http://www.houseonthehill.net/recipes2.html> which is a
rather authoritative site.
--------------------
These two recipes use both Hartshorn and a small cookie
scoop to quickly create wonderful edibles!

Dream Cookies Marianne Baeckstrom, a member of the American
Swedish Historical Museum, Philadelphia, submitted the
recipe for Dream Cookies, sometimes called "Ammonium
Carbonate Cookies" for that is their special ingredient. 1
cup butter 1 cup sugar 1 tsp. vanilla sugar 2 1/2 cups
flour, sifted
1/2 tsp. ammonium carbonate (Hartshorn) Recipe
Directions Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream the
butter, sugar and vanilla sugar until light and
fluffy. Mix the flour and the ammonium carbonate
and add to the butter-sugar mixture. Blend well.
Shape the dough into small balls and place on
baking sheet. (Cookie Scoop) Bake for 20-25
minutes, until the cookies are pale and have a
cracked surface. Makes 5 dozen.

Princess Gems 1 cup sugar
2/2 cup (1 stick) butter 3 egg yolks
3/2 tsp. each: pure vanilla extract, salt 1 tsp.
ammonium carbonate dissolved in 1 teaspoon hot
water 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
4/2 cup flaked coconut Recipe Directions
5. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Have lightly greased baking
sheet(s) ready.
6. Cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer until
smooth. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well
after each addition. Add vanilla, salt and ammonium
carbonate mixture. Add flour and coconut, mixing just
until combined.
7. Shape into 1-inch balls and place about 1 inch apart on
baking sheet, flattening slightly with your fingers. Bake
until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a
wire rack. Yield: About 4 dozen cookies
----------------------------

I've used baker's ammonia a few times over the years. Had a
German baker working in one of my restaurants who did
traditional cookies and crackers with it. Interesting, but
not enough so to incorporate into daily use, IMO.

Pastorio

[email hidden] (Darrell Grainger) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

N. Thornton said:

Arri London <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

THE OLD ONE wrote:
>
> Any One know where I can buy some? It is used in old
> fashioned lemon cookies

Any German or French deli would have it.

why not use baking soda?

Ammonium bicarbonate or ammonium carbonate have a fast
rate of gas release. This is necessary when a quick spring
is needed before the product spreads in the oven. Things
like eclairs and cream puffs require this.

"Things" like eclairs and cream puffs require no chemical
leavening agent at all. Choux paste, which is used for both
eclairs and cream puffs, is leavened with egg alone. See the
following recipe...

Description: "PÂTE À CHOUX or Choux paste for cream puffs
and eclairs." Yield: "10 Eclairs" Recipe By :James T. Ehler

----- Step One ----- 2 Cups Water
1/2 pound Butter

----- Step Two ----- 2 Cups Flour

----- Step Three ----- 8 Whole Eggs

[2) In a round braiser, melt Butter in Water, and bring
to a boil.

[3) Add Flour and stir with either a wooden spoon or rubber
spatula. Stir until batter leaves sides of braiser.

[4) Take off heat and put in Mixer with paddle.

[5) Mix on low speed and add eggs one by one, allowing each
egg to mix into the batter.

[6) Pipe out of a pastry tube into 1" by 5 1/4" eclairs,
onto a lightly oiled full sheet pan. Pipe 2" rounds for
cream puffs.

[7) Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Inside should be dry.

Open oven door, turn off oven and let pan sit on open door
to cool slowly so they do not collapse.

Wayne

Quoted message said:

Additonally, baking soda or sodium bicarbonate requires an
acid to balance it out. You cannot just substitute it for
ammonium bicarbonate.

Arri London <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

It's still used commonly in many parts of Europe. If a
recipe requires it, there are no good substitutes.

So in what way is it different to sodium bicarb?

Regards, NT

N. Thornton said:

Arri London <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

It's still used commonly in many parts of Europe. If a
recipe requires it, there are no good substitutes.

So in what way is it different to sodium bicarb?

Regards, NT

Other than containing ammonia rather than sodium 🙂 It is
heat-activated rather than moisture-activated the way baking
powder is. So doughs/batters can be made ahead and allowed
to rest. Can't do that with baking powder, as the leavening
power would disappear. It can sometimes affect the flavour a
tiny bit, although usually it doesn't. The texture of the
baked goods is different; generally crisper with a more open
structure. It isn't used as much in the US coz the default
'cookie' tends to be soft and chewy.

Arri London said:

N. Thornton said:

So in what way is it different to sodium bicarb?

Regards, NT

Other than containing ammonia rather than sodium 🙂 It is
heat-activated rather than moisture-activated the way
baking powder
is.

Baking powder is both heat activated and moisture activated.
Why it's called "double-acting." Baking soda is moisture
activated and it needs to be an acid.

Quoted message said:

So doughs/batters can be made ahead and allowed to rest.
Can't do that with baking powder, as the leavening power
would disappear.

Not really. Some will, but batters for leavened crepes,
pancakes and the like are often held to fully rehydrate
the flour.

Quoted message said:

It can sometimes affect the flavour a tiny bit, although
usually it doesn't.

It's usually a "cleaner" taste than with baking powder
assuming the ammonia goes away in baking and cooling.

Quoted message said:

The texture of the baked goods is different; generally
crisper with a more open structure. It isn't used as
much in the US coz the default 'cookie' tends to be soft
and chewy.

Soft cookies are popular in the US, but there are as many
crisp ones that are perennials like ginger snaps, sugar
cookies, vanilla wafers...

Pastorio