Cream of Tartar is also known as tartaric acid. Real cream of tartar is derived only from the crust on wine casks, where it has precipitated from the tartaric acid in the grapes.
It has an astringent quality which adds a tartness to foods. To mix your own baking powder, combine 1/4 teaspoon baking soda with 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar.
When added to meringues for pies or other baked egg white products, cream of tartar helps maintain the fluffiness. Also, good for cleaning copper cookware. Simply mix into a paste with water and apply. We sell a lot of cream of tartar to kindergarten teachers who use it in a homemade play dough.
The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in it's evocation of innocence and delight.
MFK Fisher
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