Why You Should Avoid Buying Baking Soda At The Dollar Store

If you're looking to save a buck while spending one, the dollar store offers a decent array of household items you can check off your list. But if baking soda is one of those items, don't cross it off just yet.

There's no doubt baking soda is an American household staple, and there's a good chance no home is without at least one box or bag. According to Serious Eats, the leavening agent gives baked goods their loft, produces a light and crisp tempura batter, speeds up browning of onions, cuts the acidity of canned tomatoes, softens chickpeas for hummus, and turns spaghetti into ramen in one swift move. Baking soda also plays a critical role in velveting, a technique used in Chinese cooking to tenderize meat (via Bon Appetit).

Outside of the kitchen, the mild abrasive has deodorizing capabilities and is used countless ways throughout the home, from cleaning sinks, showers, ovens, jewelry, and your teeth, to removing pesticides from produce, stains from carpets, ridges in your nails, and odors from your refrigerator, clothes, and shoes (via HuffPost).