PLUS, Rumford’s packaged it in the convenient red can, so all you had to do was spoon it out. Over six years of fighting, millions of dollars in bribes were paid, dozens were sent to jail for simply selling baking powder, and the muckraking press forced the resignation of the state's lieutenant governor. "9 Later in 1847, the Rumford chair was transferred to the Lawrence Scientific School, created on a gift from Abbott Lawrence, and Horsford's salary doubled to $3,000 a year. In 1873, another company, the Royal Baking Powder Company, was set up in Manhattan. Portrait of Benjamin Thompson, also known as Count Rumford. http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/bakingpowder.html (accessed Month Day, Year). This was packaged in bottles, but Horsford was interested in using metal cans for packing; this meant the mixture had to be more moisture resistant. Rumford Recipes. Horsford entered the Rensselaer School (now Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) in 1837, graduating a year later with a B.S. In 168 BCE a Bakers' Guild was formed in Rome which established rules and regulations for bread-making. The quality of this Baking Powder is what gives the baked goods consistency in quality and uniformity. For a riveting account of the rise, and fall, of civilizations, see Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel, (New York: W.W. Norton, 1997). Learn More. In the 1880s, Horsford’s company switched to mining the monocalcium phosphate as opposed to extracting it from boiled down bones, because it was cheaper. Advertising Notice In Thompson's day physical science would have been called natural philosophy. So Horsford and Wilson needed to develop a manufacturing process based on then available raw materials, either bones or spent bone black from sugar refining. Network with colleagues and access the latest research in your field. By the mid-1860's "Horsford's Yeast Powder" was on the market as an already mixed leavening agent, distinct from separate packages of calcium acid phosphate and sodium bicarbonate. Rumford wasn't alone for long in the baking powder industry. Count Rumford was, in fact, a real person, but the Rumford Cookbook was written by Lily Hayworth Wallace (a food specialist and consultant) for Rumford Chemical Works, which developed and sold Rumford baking powder. No doubt, Rumford's interest in public facilities for scientific research stemmed from his own scientific inquiries. ACS-Hach Programs “Baking powder is a crystalline powder that combines baking soda with dry acidic ingredients that react when water is added, plus cornstarch to prevent clumping and to control the amount of gas produced per unit of baking powder” (Joachim & Schloss, 2008). Thompson entered the British Colonial Office, becoming an advisor to the Secretary of State for North America, Lord George Germain, at whose estate in 1778 he performed a series of experiments in the interior ballistics of small arms. I had no idea there was aluminum in baking powder! October is National Cookie Month as well as American Archives Month, therefore baking powder is the perfect topic for a post. But his major scientific focus was on heat and his most important discoveries centered on the contention that heat is a form of motion. On the colorful and controversial life of Benjamin Thompson, see the following: Sanborn C, Brown, Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, (Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 1981); C. Raymond Adams, "Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford," The Scientific Monthly 71, No. But by the beginning of the Civil War, Horsford and Wilson had solved the supply problem and were producing sufficient amounts of calcium acid phosphate to satisfy production needs for baking powder. Eben Norton Horsford then developed Rumford baking powder in 1865; he added cornstarch to make baking powder more moisture resistant. And we aren’t talking about dry or refrigerated yeast; this was way before fridges and commercial packaging. In fact, you can still find artifacts of our industrial roots around the campus! Rumford Baking Powder is available for purchase at most major supermarkets and many health food stores nationwide. The only significant change came in the source of the calcium acid phosphate; in the late 1880s, the introduction of calcium phosphate mining eliminated the need for beef bones. In 1779 he was made a fellow of the Royal Society. Stop Ruining Your Christmas Cookies! Rumford has been part of three towns and two states: Rehoboth, Massachusetts, Seekonk, Massachusetts, and East Providence, Rhode Island. Baking powder works by releasing carbon dioxide gas into a batter or dough through an acid-base reaction, causing bubbles in the wet mixture to expand and thus leavening the mixture. Wow. Diversity in Chemistry Awards Thompson was allowed to choose his own title; he selected Count Rumford, after the name by which Concord, New Hampshire, had been known before 1765. Their most successful product was Rumford baking powder. And there was an additional problem as cream of tartar was imported from France and Italy. In that same collection are remnants of the ugly wars fought within the growing baking powder industry around the turn of the 20th century. Collaborate with scientists in your field of chemistry and stay current in your area of specialization. Cream of tartar greatly improved and regularized the baking process since the uniformity of both sodium bicarbonate and cream of tartar offered bakers better control of the leavening process, allowing for predictable results. Her father refused to approve the marriage until Horsford's prospects improved, so the two did not marry until August 1847. Rumford Baking Powder was made in the town at the Rumford Chemical Works and was named after Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford. It became part of Rhode Island in 1862. This appointment apparently caused resentment among his neighbors who felt there were veterans of the French and Indian War better qualified for the commission. While the introduction of calcium acid phosphate satisfied the supply problem presented by cream of tartar, the baker still had to mix two products to get a satisfactory leavening agent. This was accomplished by In 1846, the introduction of baking soda, a salt that can react with an acid to create carbon dioxide, made things easier. But there's more to baking powder than fluffy biscuits, and some simple acid-base chemistry is the key. He mixed the two in a container with a little cornstarch and baking powder was born. Rumford Baking Powder National Register of Historic Places [ edit ] The surviving parcel, roughly 8.5 acres (3.4 ha), includes a few wood-frame buildings which may date to the 1857 move and a large three-story brick warehouse built in 1895. In 1861 the boundary between Massachusetts and Rhode Island was adjusted with the result that East Seekonk Massachusetts, became part of East Providence, Rhode Island, so the corporation had to be chartered again in Rhode Island. Early in 1854 Wilson left his principal's post at Chicago Academy and returned to his native Uxbridge, Massachusetts, with the aim of starting a business. Explore chemistry education resources by topic that support distance learning. Later that year, Wilson sought Horsford's cooperation in the development of chemical products which Wilson would manufacture.13. Also contains a history of the Rumford Chemical Works on the inside back cover. After several months wandering Europe, Thompson entered the service of the Elector of Bavaria, in whose employ he remained for fifteen years, achieving prominence as a public servant. As a result of Horsford's work, baking became easier, quicker, and more reliable. Thompson was born in Woburn, Massachusetts, on March 26, 1753. After that, he served as an apprentice clerk in Boston, enrolled as a medical student, and taught school. The development of baking powder made baking easier, quicker and more reliable for bakers in the mid-19th century. Horsford chose the corporate name which recognized the scientific achievements of Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, as well as the Rumford Chair which he occupied at Harvard and which had been founded by a grant from Count Rumford. 6 1/4" x 3 1/2". Dedicated June 12, 2006, at the Rumford Chemical Works in East Providence, Rhode Island, and April 27, 2007, at Clabber Girl headquarters in Terre Haute, Indiana. The development of baking powder made baking easier, quicker and more reliable for bakers in the mid-19th century. He mixed the two in a container with a little cornstarch and baking powder was born. Liebig had an international reputation, and through his writings and the students he trained, he exerted great influence over chemistry and agriculture in the United States.6, Horsford's first meeting with Liebig did not go well, with the American complaining that he was "received indifferently. You shall have a good laboratory, well furnished and a cordial welcome from all your associates. In 1856, this need for a viable alternative drove a young chemist Eben Norton Horsford to create and patent the first modern baking powder. During and immediately after the Civil War, New Englander Eben Horsford’s Rumford Baking Powder pioneered the industry, making it easier to bake bread. In the early 1840s Horsford taught mathematics and natural history at the Albany Female Academy, where he fell in love with a student, Mary L'Hommedieu Gardiner. in civil engineering. He cleaned the streets of Munich of beggars, giving them clean quarters and putting them to work. See our Browser Support/Compatibility page for supported browsers list. Horsford understood little of the German, but commented that Liebig's experiments were "executed with skill, dexterity, grace, and rapidity."8. This may be said to be the first truly modern bread. "The fact that you can find it in every major supermarket tells you something about how it's been embraced," Carbone says. Horsford's work as geologist led to membership in the American Association of Geologists and Naturalists [forerunner of the Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)] and contact with John Webster, Professor of Medicine at Harvard College. 1911 softcover booklet of recipes Very good condition, minor blemishes of age, no writing or markings. Once you’d done that, your hard-earned rising agent could still be killed or weakened by temperatures that were too hot or too cold, or contamination from bacteria. This academic post had been established by Count Rumford, an inventor and entrepreneur. During these years he continued to live in Cambridge, Massachuestts, until his death on January 1, 1893. Privacy Statement The mixture of acid with sodium bicarbonate was stabilized by addition of starch and marketed in one package. Baking powder was the main output of the Rumford Chemical Works. Other competitors soon sprung up, and Royal was willing to resort to vicious tactics to gain control of the market. The first product resembling baking powder was created by English chemist Alfred Bird in the late 1840s. Ceremonies were attended by Joseph Larisa Jr., the town's mayor. Get the best of Smithsonian magazine by email. The Collegium Pistorum did not allow bakers or their children to withdraw from the guild and enter other professions; but it did protect the special privileges the state granted bakers. Thanks for the tip! Even when it did work, leavening was a tedious process. Horsford's wish to study with Liebig especially proved apt as the German chemist's approach to science was practical, believing it should serve the public good. E. In a phrase, baking powder. This discussion is informed by the following: Bernard Dupaigne, The History of Bread, trans. The next time you pull out that mason jar of baking powder from the cupboard, think of the history behind such an unassuming ingredient. Horsford eagerly seized upon Wilson's offer as he had just received his first patent for a chemical process, the use of calcium sulfite to neutralize chlorine in bleached cotton and linen fabrics. The formulation began in 1891 and production technique patented in 1903. (Weisblatt,n.d.,p.1) The ruling classes—aware that rebellion often followed famine—regulated prices to avoid the cost rising too high. Baking powder was the main output of the Rumford Chemical Works. Eben Horsford’s unique formula was an important innovation and made the making of biscuits, cookies and other quick baking products simpler than before. Grown in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, wheat was probably chewed at first. So what changed? It was not a happy marriage; the couple separated in 1809, and Rumford moved to Auteuil, where he died in 1814. For the history of baking powder, see the following: Anon., Eighty Years of Baking Powder History: 1859-1939, Rumford, RI, Rumford Chemical Works, 1939; Eben Norton Horsford, The Theory and Art of Bread-Making: A New Process Without the Use of Ferment (Cambridge, Mass: Welsh Bigelow & Co., 1861); Paul R. Jones, "Justus Von Leibig, Eben Horsford and the Development of the Baking Powder Industry," Ambix 40, Part 2 (1993): 65-74; Anon, "History of the Rumford Chemical Works," typed manuscript, dated April 15, 1947, in the East Providence Historical Society; Anon., "The Story of Baking Powder — The Story of Rumford, reprint from Oil-Power in East Providence Historical Society. In 1873, another company, the Royal Baking Powder Company, was set up in Manhattan. He planned and developed the English Garden, which still exists. Antonio and Sylvie Roder, (New York: Abrams, 1999) and the following Web sites: "The Story Behind a Loaf of Bread: The History of Bread. He established a chemical merchandising firm in Providence, Rhode Island, which he named George F. Wilson & Co. and which specialized in the supply of chemicals to the local textile industry. P.S. At the same time, he was working on other ideas that might yield products for marketing. In 2006, the American Chemical Society designated Rumford Double-Acting Baking Powder as a National Historic Chemical Landmark, as a “seminal achievement” in … Samuel Rezneck, "Horsford's 'Marching Ration" for the Civil War Army," Military Affairs 33 (1969): 249-255. Also includes… Find a chemistry community of interest and connect on a local and global level. ACS Spring 2021 But how many know their connection to an everyday kitchen product, baking powder? Read more. Unfortunately, the site they picked proved unacceptable as neighbors complained about the constant escape of sulfur dioxide during the manufacturing process. It was not until the 1870s that the famous Cavendish Laboratory opened in Cambridge, England. While Horsford was developing processes, Wilson invented equipment for the implementation of Horsford's discoveries. Learn More. Ingredients are monocalcium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate, and cornstarch. With Thanksgiving close at hand the homemaker is thinking seriously of pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce. I’ll look for the smaller containers of Rumford. These two factors—that the components of baking powder had to be kept separate and that the availability of cream of tartar was erratic—fueled the search for a more efficient and economical baking powder. (Retrieved November 24, 2020) Also of Interest. He reformed the organization of the military, which raised morale, lessened the paper-work required of officers, and improved the pay, provisions, and leisure time of enlisted men. 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