Food Grade Sodium Hydroxide in the Bay area

[jlally]

Anyone who has been to southern Germany knows how great the pretzels are - turns out that you need soda lye water to get the crust right - Anyone know where I can get food grade sodium Hydroxide in the Bay Area?

Thanks in advance!

[vincentlo]

Traditionally a lot of Cantonese (e.g., wonton) noodles are prepared with lye to prevent the noodles from getting "soggy" or overly tender. I bet most large Asian grocery stores will sell bottles of lye at very low prices. I actually have a bottle of lye sitting inside my kitchen cabinet right now.

[stilton]

Yep, find a big Asian grocery. I got a bottle of "lye water" at Pacific supermarket on Alemany in SF last weekend. There's different formulations of lye amongst the different brands; some have potassium hydroxide, or a blend of bases. The brand I got, "Tropics," has USP-grade sodium hydroxide and water only.

[Gustavo Glenmorangie]

May be you don't need lye.

Can't seem to get the link to work. NY Times Sept 15 2010. Harold McGee discusses baked soda for lye-dipped pretzels. Google it. Or put the two below together.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/din...

[wolfe]

Link didn't work for me. See this experiment. I know it probably lacks peer review.
http://class.fst.ohio-state.edu/fst60...

[Robert Lauriston]

If it's used in German baking, Lehr's most likely has it. Calcium hydroxide is readily available at Mexican markets.

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Lehr's German Specialties
1581 Church St, San Francisco, CA

[jlally]

Lehr's unfortunately doesn't carry it. They do have Potash, but that's for cookies, not pretzel

[wolfe]

Suggested source from other Sodium hydroxide threads.
http://www.essentialdepot.com/servlet/the-Sodium-dsh-Hydroxide-dsh-Lye-dsh-Food-dsh-Grade/Categories?gclid=COWJzfvJ3aUCFQQQbAodlD_H0Q
Accept no substitutes.
http://class.fst.ohio-state.edu/fst60...

[jlally]

Thanks for the link. I've got a couple of pounds on order. All set for pretzels, homemade soap, drain cleaning....

[wolfe]

That should last for quite a while since you use a dilute solution. Safe usage tips
Make the lye solution: Don gloves and goggles. Place 1 quart of water in a plastic or glass container, weigh 1 ounce of food grade into a bowl and add slowly to the water, stirring with a plastic spoon or similar object.

[jlally]

Thanks for the heads-up on Essential Depot. OK price, good delivery for true food grade lye. I'm happy to report that the pretzels turned out perfectly. Only downside - my German instructor now wants them for class each Saturday....

[Melanie Wong]

This thread on sourcing lye (sodium hydroxide) for curing olives might help you out. Please let us know what you find.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/458590