Cream of Tartar

http://apieforapie.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/tartarus-of-the-meringues/

Cream of Tartar: The Tartarus of the Meringues

Most meringue recipes call for a pinch of cream of tartar. What the hell is the stuff and what does it do? Cream of tartar is another name for the acid potassium bitartrate and it’s a byproduct of winemaking. Who knew? The acid crystallizes in wine casks during fermentation. The process for extracting the crystals from wine dates back to ninth century persia, but traces of the acid have been used to date the winemaking process back about 7000 years. Despite it’s auspicious history, cream of tartar wasn’t commercially available until the 1800s.

I had always assumed that cream of tartar was some horrible, industrial chemical byproduct and I’ve only got my high school history teacher to blame! He made us read Herman Melville’s sendup of the industrial revolution, The Tartarus of the Maids:

“Then, shooting through the pass, all alone with inscrutable nature, I exlaimed–Oh! Paradise of Bachelors! and oh! Tartarus of Maids!”

The story is about a visit to a hell-like paper mill and the ghostlike women whose lives are drained by their industrial labor. It’s a great (but depressing) story…that has nothing to do with cream of tartar. Word association is a powerful thing.

But what does it actually do?

Cream of tartar is most often used in baking as either a stabilizer or a leavening agent.

This gave me a total flashback to 7th grade science class.

Remember learning about acids and bases back in the 7th grade? Well, egg whites have a pH of about 9, which makes them a base. Cream of tartar is about a 3 so just a little bit edges the egg whites towards the acid side of things. The acidity helps the coiled strands of protein (egg whites) relax and unwind. Think of it as unraveling a sweater! The long strands stay whipped up.

You could use other acids to achieve the same result, but most edible acids (like vinegar or lemon juice) have strong flavors. Nobody wants their meringue to taste like vinegar. Cream of tartar doesn’t taste like anything. It’s more expensive than vinegar, but one jar of the stuff can make about a hundred pies so you’ll be fine.

Cream of tartar’s acidity also makes it a great leavening agent, but that’s a story for another day. For now, try using it to clean your aluminum pans or remove hard water stains.

I learned a lot of the information above from Paula Figoni’s How Baking Works. It’s a great resource for studying the science behind baking and an indispensable resource for anybody developing their own recipes.

http://razorfamilyfarms.com/crafts/cream-of-tartar/

Cream of Tartar — The Cleaner You’ll Swoon Over

October 27, 2008

In my little world, items like cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate) are not simply a super way to stabilize egg whites but also scandalously inexpensive cleaning secrets. This long-forgotten gem of a cleaning agent may be used with a little water or vinegar to lift even the most stubborn stains. Unattractive grout driving you batty? Mold and mildew stains got you reaching for the Prozac? Burner pans and casserole dishes giving you fits? Cream of Tartar is your new best friend.

Cream of tartar is one of nature’s best bleaching agents. Cream of tartar, a.k.a “crusted wine,” is mixed with baking soda to create baking powder (bet you didn’t know that.. okay, some of you probably did, you smartypants). While it is an acid, it’s not harmful. It’s an acidic salt which comes from grapes. Why is commercial laundry detergent never grape scented? I want to know. Someone please contact Tide. We need answers! Actually, we don’t need answers. We can scent our own homemade detergent (I haven’t bothered but that’s not to say that you couldn’t… after all, you knew about that baking powder thing — you smartypants). Anyway, back to the important stuff:

Use a few tablespoons of cream of tartar with hot water or hydrogen peroxide and clean any aluminum pans which have discoloration or any rusty drains, pans, or stains.

Do you have copper kettles? Mix some cream of tarter with lemon juice and rub the copper with it. Rinse and be amazed!

How about a porcelain sink, tub, commode? Rub the porcelain surfaces with cream of tartar and watch the stains disappear.

Fabric stains? No prob. Mix a few teaspoons of cream of tartar with some glycerin and use like spray-and-wash. The results? Well, I’m here to tell you that this stuff cured the ring around Joshua’s shirt collars.

Just need a great nonabrasive cleaner? Mix 2 teaspoons of vinegar and 2 teaspoon of cream of tartar in a small dish (use 3 or 4 teaspoons of vinegar and 3 or 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar if you have more items to clean). Apply with your cleaning rag or scrub brush and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Scrub. Wash with hot soapy water.

Please pass these recipes to your friends. They really are wonderfully easy and inexpensive. And while we’re chatting…. what stain is currently plaguing your happy home? What stubborn stain taunts your cleaning efforts by refusing to surrender?