What is Cream of Tartar made of anyways?

[uppityperson]

[jukes]

1. i have no acceptable response for your query

and will refrain from an unacceptable response

[uppityperson]

4. my first idea would result in an instant locking.

[jukes]

13. i can only admit to having a similar concept

and i can't comment on why.

you can PM me if that doesn't make sense.

[uppityperson]

14. mine had something to do with the first word.

as in "cream"

[jukes]

18. i'll state obliquely

that was the operative word in my aborted post.

but i sense a certain fragility in the frozen substrate in this vicinity, so i'll tactilly (and tactfully) retreat to firmer ground.

[uppityperson]

19. !

:spank:

[jukes]

21. indeed!

:cry:

[fudge stripe cookays]

2. They scrape that gnarly stuff....

off your teeth, then dehydrate it and powderize it.

Or something.

:D

[Burma Jones]

3. this - yecch

[mikeytherat]

5. Wine barrel scrapings (seriously!)

Cream of tartar is the powdery white substance derived from the sediment in wine barrels. It helps prevent candies from crystallizing, it stabilizes beaten egg whites and it can even remove stains from aluminum pans.

mikey_the_rat

[Aiptasia]

7. Ewww

You mean it's like Wine-Vegamite?

If so, I fear it.

[yellowdogintexas]

23. fear if you must but you can't make a decent meringue without it

I make meringue that is so perfect you can turn the bowl upside down and nothing will drip out. It won't even move... and it has a gorgeous satiny sheen to it. You just don't get that if you leave out the cream of tartar.

One little box of it will last forever because it is used in very small amounts

[Dora]

6. Grapes.

Q. Please tell me what cream of tartar is and where I can find it?

A. Cream of tartar is is the common name for potassium hydrogen tartrate, an acid salt that has a number of uses in cooking. Now, before you get all jittery about the thought of cooking with an acid, it's worth noting that milk, brown sugar, steak, plums, and just about every other food we eat is acidic. In fact, egg whites and baking soda are the only non-acidic (alkaline) foods we have.

Cream of tartar is obtained when tartaric acid is half neutralized with potassium hydroxide, transforming it into a salt. Grapes are the only significant natural source of tartaric acid, and cream of tartar is a obtained from sediment produced in the process of making wine. (The journal Nature reported some years ago that traces of calcium tartrate found in a pottery jar in the ruins of a village in northern Iran are evidence that wine was being made more than 7,000 years ago.)

Cream of tartar is best known in our kitchens for helping stabilize and give more volume to beaten egg whites. It is the acidic ingredient in some brands of baking powder. It is also used to produce a creamier texture in sugary desserts such as candy and frosting. It is used commercially in some soft drinks, candies, bakery products, gelatin desserts, and photography products. Cream of tartar can also be used to clean brass and copper cookware.

If you are beating eggs whites and don't have cream of tartar, you can substitute white vinegar (in the same ratio as cream of tartar, generally 1/8 teaspoon per egg white). It is a little more problematic to find a substitute for cream of tartar in baking projects. White vinegar or lemon juice, in the ratio of 3 times the amount of cream of tartar called for, will provide the right amount of acid for most recipes. But that amount of liquid may cause other problems in the recipe, and bakers have found that cakes made with vinegar or lemon juice have a coarser grain and are more prone to shrinking than those made with cream of tartar.

Now, if they were making cream of tarter 7,000 years ago in Iran (or at least if cream of tartar was making itself), don't you think you can find the small plastic or glass bottles it comes in among the hundreds of other small jars and bottles in the spice section of your grocery store? Or you can get modest or huge quantities of it online.

http://www.ochef.com/933.htm

[uppityperson]

10. cool, thanks.

I always refer to it as that white powder everyone has and no one knows what to do with except snickerdoodles.

[Dora]

12. I never have it when I need it.

Then I buy it and don't use it, and throw it out after a year.

Then I need it and I don't have it.

:shrug:

[LynneSin]

8. All I know is you CAN'T make SNICKERDOODLES without it

and I love snickerdoodles!!!

http://southernfood.about.com/od/cookierecipes/r/30408c.htm

Snickerdoodles - Snickerdoodle Cookies
From Diana Rattray,
Your Guide to Southern U.S. Cuisine.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Old-fashioned cinnamon cookies with a whimsical name.
INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
PREPARATION:

In a shallow bowl, combine 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Cream shortening; gradually add 1 1/2 cups sugar, beating well. Add eggs; beat well. Stir in vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, soda, salt and cream of tartar. Add sifted ingredients to creamed mixture; stir until well blended. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place snickerdoodles 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets.

Bake snickerdoodles at 400° for 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Makes about 4 dozen snickerdoodles.

[jukes]

22. def

use a shallow bowl, by all means...

:rofl:

[SteppingRazor]

9. PEOPLE!!! CREAM OF TARTAR IS PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[uppityperson]

11. like this guy?

[NNadir]

15. ...

:rofl: :applause: :rofl:

[otherlander]

17. Who is that guy? He looks like Rumsfield...

:hide:

[SteppingRazor]

20. Yeah, he thinks like Rumsfeld too!

:evilgrin:

[Sequoia]

16. Mayo, lemon and relish.

Well, never mind. I should'v read it first. Okay, tartar sauce.

[xchrom]

24. fe fie fo fum