Search your kitchen cupboards: you must have a sachet of yeast left somewhere. This ingredient, essential in many pastry recipes, can also work wonders in your home. This alternative to many household products is both economical, ecological, and terribly effective.

This small white powder is a mixture of baking soda, pyrophosphate (or tartaric acid) and starch. Thus, it reacts to humidity and heat, a chemical reaction that makes it very useful in many household tasks. Check out seven tricks with baking powder in our slideshow below.

According to Le Journal des Femmes, the multiple brands of baking powder you can find on supermarket shelves have a similar composition. “Good to know, those guaranteed without phosphate have the advantage of not bringing any unpleasant taste to the preparations”, specifies the magazine.

Please note: baking powder can be stored for 12 to 18 months at room temperature, provided it is kept away from humidity and heat. Once the expiration date has passed, the leavening action of the baking powder is likely to be weakened.

To replace the baking powder, you can use baking soda, sourdough, guar gum, chickpea juice or whipped egg whites.