I live for the fizz in my soda. But if you’re not a fan of guzzling down carbon dioxide (CO2) that makes the mouth sour and causes a tingling sensation in the throat, this is the blog you’re looking for.
This blog encapsulates pretty much everything you know on how to make soda flat, why it’s so bubbly in the first place, real hacks from real people, and so much more.
Let’s begin!
Table Of Content
How To Make Soda Flat?
You can make soda flat instantly by using a folded paper towel or a hot spoon to stir it, pouring it over crushed ice, blowing bubbles into it, or gently warming it up in the pan. Heating it up subtly in a pan is the best option for bulk de-fuzzing.
Let’s have a detailed look at these techniques.
Create Plenty Of Nucleation Sites
CO2 is pumped into the bottle/can at high pressure, so it stays dissolved in the water. When you crack open a can, you will see the bubbles form, which is CO2 dissipating.
The bubbles form on imperfections, rise to the top, and melt into thin air.
The process of the bubbles forming is called nucleation, and the imperfections are nucleation sites.
An easy way to make soda flat is by creating several nucleation sites. These sites should ideally have nooks and crannies to facilitate bubble creation.
The higher the number of bubbles, the faster the CO2 can escape.
So, anything with a bumpy and rough surface is an ideal candidate to prompt nucleation. It can be sugar, salt, paper towel, ice, etc.
By the way, mentos is the perfect example of it. You know what happens when you mix soda and mentos, right? So don’t try this at home!
Stick A Paper Towel In The Soda
Sticking a folded paper towel in the soda is easy and hassle-free to make it flat. This method is my personal favorite.
Here’s how you do it:
- Pour soda into the glass, leaving an inch of room at the top.
- Take a clean sheet of paper towel and fold it into quarters.
- Next, stick the folded paper towel into the soda with the open edge down. It’s essential to have the open edge down so that more surface is covered.
- Hold the paper towel in this position for a few seconds until the soda stops fizzing.
- Once the fizzing has stopped, remove the paper towel and taste the soda. If there’s still some fizz left, repeat the procedure.
This is my go-to method, but I have to carry out this process twice to make the soda really flat. Also, you’ll lose an ounce or two of coke as it gets soaked in the paper.
Pour Soda Over Ice
You can pour soda over ice to get rid of the fizz – if you have crushed ice, even better. Although this method cannot completely decarbonate the soda, it quite significantly gets rid of the fizziness.
The more the surface area of ice, the faster the drink will decarbonate.
This is a more appropriate and ‘normal’ option you have if you’re in a restaurant or any other public setting.
Note that pouring the soda over ice instead of adding ice to the drink works better since the pouring action helps release some CO2 in the process.
Add Sugar To Soda
Adding a teaspoon of sugar is a guaranteed method of flattening soda quickly. It’s also the easiest – don’t you think? All you need is a spoon and a sugar sachet.
Note that the soda will fizz significantly for a few seconds with the addition of sugar. Thus, make sure you leave some spare room at the top.
I must admit this method is not really good for your health as soda comes with plenty of sugar in the first place.
If you’re at home, you can sieve out the sugar. But still, the drink will be noticeably sweeter than before.
Warm It Up
If you have to de-fizz soda in bulk, this might be the best way to go. Just put some soda into a pan and warm it on the stove.
The warmer the soda, the less CO2 it will hold. However, that doesn’t mean you can boil the soda. It will become inedible.
Stirring the soda as you warm it will speed the process up. If you have a whisk – perfection.
Once the soda is de-fizzed, store it in the fridge to cool it down. If you can’t bide much time, keeping it in the freezer for 10 minutes will do the trick.
By the way, warm and decarbonated ginger ale or cola can help if you have a bad stomach.
Shake It Up
Shaking the bottle or can vigorously is a sure-fire way of flattening the soda. However, things will get messy if you don’t do it right.
You first need to ensure the lid fits right and tightly so you can shake it without worrying about the cover popping off.
Here are step-by-step instructions:
- Begin with a ¾ full bottle of soda. You’d want to leave some space at the top.
- Shake the soda for 20 seconds.
- Tap the bottle
- VERY SLOWLY open the cap until you hear a ‘woosh’ sound.
- Don’t open the cap completely and wait for a few seconds for all of the gas contained to release.
- Tap the bottle again to release excess gas.
- Put on the bottle cap tightly and repeat the process until the soda is flattened to your desired level.
You can increase the frequency and force of the taps as soda becomes less fizzy. But it’s better to err on the side of caution initially, so your bottle doesn’t explode.
Stir It Up
Stirring the soda with a spoon or fork is one of the easiest ways of flattening it out. If the spoon is heated, even better.
What stirring with a spoon does is it increases the nucleation sites and agitates the soda, so more bubbles are forced out.
Too much emphasis on spoons – if you don’t have a spoon handy, you can use anything you’re willing to stick in your drink!
Pour It Multiple Times From High Up
You’ll need 2 glasses for this. Here’s how it’s done.
- Pour soda into a cup from several inches above the cup. You’d want to hold the other cup down with your spare hand as it can get knocked over.
- Since the soda will fizz slightly, don’t completely fill the cup. Leave 1-2 inches at the top.
- Grab another cup and repeat the process.
- Pour the soda between the cups multiple times until it has reached your desired level of flatness.
You want to make sure you’re pouring the soda from high up to release for better impact.
Use A Bigger Glass
If you’re not in a hurry, pour the soda from high up on a glass with a big surface area. Increasing the surface area can flatten the soda pretty fast.
To provide you well-rounded, holistic information on a single platform, I went over several forums with a fine-comb tooth and pooled together some helpful and some humorous answers!
Have a look.
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How To Make Soda Flat? Real Answers By Real People
“Transfer the soda into a bottle with a tight lid and shake vigorously to build pressure. Open the lid to release pressure. Repeat the process until all carbonation is gone. This method only takes a few minutes.”
“Add some sugar. A spoonful of sugar will bring out a lot of CO2 at once. Then, sieve the sugar. I know this isn’t the most convenient method out there, but it works like a charm every time.”
“Crack open the soda can so you hear the characteristic “whoosh” sound of pressure being released from the bottle.
“Hit the side of the can with a heavy spoon. The sudden jolt will drive the gas out of the liquid. Repeat for a few minutes while gradually increasing the force of the taps.”
“All you should do is take a spoon and stir the content until it no longer fizzes. I can’t drink carbonated beverages for the life of me and this method works out great every time.”
“Just buy syrup from Soda Stream, and dilute it with non-carbonated water.”
“I remember blowing air through a straw to create big bubbles in my soda as a kid. It worked well. But it might be a bit embarrassing to do so in public places.”
“Stir it until the bubbles go away. Works like a charm.”
“Warm it in a saucepan. Remember, you’re supposed to warm it up and not boil it. Leave it to cool.”
“I always stir with a hot spoon.”
“Play a song by Peter Gabriel and hit it with a sledgehammer.”
Now that you are well-versed in making soda flat and yada yada, let’s have a peek at the shocking reason soda burns your throat.
Here comes the interesting bit!
Why Does Soda Make Your Throat Burn?
According to a 2010 USC research, the carbon dioxide in fizzy drinks like soda triggers the same pain sensors in the nasal cavity as horseradish and mustard do.
The carbonated gas activates a particular type of cell, which expresses a gene that serves as a pain sensor.
Who knew soda and a spicy condiment have so much in common?
So, the carbonation from your soda primarily causes two sensations – it makes your mouth sour and causes a tingling sensation in the throat and nose.
Based on the degree to which this “pain” receptor, TRPA1, is stimulated determines whether drinking a carbonated drink is interpreted as pleasure or pain.
Why Does Soda Fizz?
By now, you know that the fizz that bubbles up when you crack open a can of soda is carbon dioxide (CO2). So, what the peeps at soft drink companies do is force CO2 and water into the soda at very high pressure – around 1,200 pounds per square inch.
So, the “fssst”” sound you hear when you crack open the drink is tens of millions of CO2 molecules bursting out of the watery prison, where they were ‘held’ against their will.
Interestingly, an unopened soda can is virtually bubble-free.
Why?
Well, the pressure inside the can keeps the CO2 forcibly dissolved in the liquid.
So when you crack open the can, the pressure is released, and gas bubbles finally wiggle free from the soda and rise to the top.
Hmm… that was fascinating, wasn’t it? Or maybe, stimulating? 😉
Frequently Asked Questions
Before we end this article, here’s a sneak peek at the most frequently asked questions on soda at Cooking Yoda.
How To Decarbonate Can Of Soda?
Canned sodas are complex to de-fizz since you can’t put the lid on once it’s cracked open. So, what you can do is blow bubbles with a straw. It will force CO2 out of soda and make it flat.
But take a sip first, so there’s enough room at the top.
How To Remove Carbonation From A Drink?
You can remove carbonation from a drink by giving it a good shake to release all the bubbles, stirring with a hot spoon or folded paper towel, pouring the drink over crushed ice, and warming it up in the pan.
How To Make Soda Flat In The Cup?
You can make soda flat in the cup by stirring it with a hot spoon or blowing bubbles into it. If the cup has a tight lid, you can also put the lid on and shake it vigorously to create more bubbles and let CO2 pass.
Does Stirring Soda Make It Flat?
Yes, stirring soda allows the bubbles to form and release more carbon dioxide in the process – making the soda flat faster. Moreover, if the spoon that you will use to stir soda is hot, the result is achieved quicker.
How Long Does It Take For An Open Can Of Soda To Go Flat?
There are plenty of leeways here, but an open can of soda can go flat in 1-2 days. The higher the temperature, the less CO2 it holds.
So, if you keep the opened soda in the fridge, it will take longer to go flat – tentatively, 1-2 days.
Leaving the lid off will speed up the process.
Final Words: How To Make Soda Flat?
Flattening soda is simple and easy. But if you don’t execute it correctly, you’ll create a mini volcano.
My go-to method of flattening soda is stirring it for a good minute using a heated spoon. You can also use a folded paper towel to stir it. But the towel absorbs some of the soda.
As you can see above, there are one too many ways of flattening soda – from stirring it to pouring it over crushed ice. Whatever method you use, make sure to leave out some space at the top, so the fizz doesn’t spill!
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