What Is Cream Of Tartar? Usage In BakingCream Of Tartar

Cream of tartar is a popular ingredient for baking, and for those who are passionate about baking, they have heard of this ingredient. But for those who just started baking, surely many people do not understand and know all the uses and uses of this flour, especially its English name. So let's explore what Cream of tartar is, the characteristics and uses of this ingredient to make your baking easier.

The ingredients for baking are extremely diverse and abundant. It is not easy to remember all the names and characteristics of the ingredients. Proficient bakers can be familiar with the ingredients to make the right recipe, but there are ingredients that newbies always want to learn more, Cream of tartar is one of them. . To explore this kind of material, let's find out what Cream of tartar is, its use in making cakes.

What is Cream of tartar?

Cream of tartar is the crystallized product of tartaric acid fermentation, is crystallized and found in wine cellars, in wine casks and on the lid of old wine bottles (if stored). at 10oC). This ingredient is taken, cleaned and produced a white powder called Cream of tartar.

Cream of tartar is crystalline and slightly translucent so it is also called "wine diamonds". The chemical formula of Cream of tartar is KC4H5O6, which is the reaction of tartaric acid and the compound of potassium metal (the compound containing potassium in grapes)

Cream of tartar is white and smooth. Photo: Internet

Despite the word "cream" in the name, Cream of tartar is absolutely not the same cream as whipping cream - whipped cream or ice cream to eat - ice cream, but a catalyst in making cakes in powder form Fine or coarse white grain, which is not a blooming agent but helps the blooming process, is one of the fairly common bakery ingredients.

Uses of Cream of tartar

Cream of tartar has many useful uses in food processing, especially in baking. Particularly for whipping the egg whites, adding a little Cream of tartar will help the egg whites to be harder, more stable, more elastic, keep air bubbles from breaking and also prevent the egg white from drying out if accidentally overhand and also slower to separate the water.

When whipping egg whites, the usual recipe is to use 1/8 teaspoon
Cream of tartar for 1 egg white (30-33gram). For the best effect, Cream of tartar is usually added after the egg whites have been lightly beaten for about 30 seconds, and begin to form large bubbles.

Cream of tartar helps whip egg whites faster and more stable. Photo: Internet

There are many recipes that require using Cream of tartar to whip the egg whites, but without Cream of tartar, you can also substitute with lemon juice and a pinch of salt in case of a light and low stir Mix like Chiffon. In that case, you can replace 3g of Cream of tartar powder with 6ml of lemon juice. For cakes like Macaroons, Meringue, you should use Cream of tartar.

In addition to being used in making cakes, Cream of tartar is also used to prevent hardening or crystallizing sugar when making syrup, keeping green for vegetables when processing, helping to stabilize ice cream or making sugar cookies (sugar cookies). In addition, Cream of tartar can be combined with Baking Soda to replace Baking Powder (baking powder).

Cream of tartar powder is a completely harmless additive, moreover, it is very safe when the amount is very small, so you can feel secure using the Cream of tartar according to your purpose.

The storage method for Cream of tartar is the same as for Baking Soda or Baking Powder: Store in a cool place in a cool place, if buying in bulk, you can divide and store in the refrigerator compartment, it will be limited. Get broken time.

You can buy Cream of tartar powder at supermarkets or bakeries.

So we know what Cream of tartar is, its characteristics and uses. When you need to make a cake, make an ice cream, or prepare other dishes that need the participation of Cream of tartar, you should go to the supermarket or the nearest bakery store to bring yourself this extremely useful powder.