Cream of Tartar, Recipes and More

Disclosure: In any review for a product or service, products or compensation may have been provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” and "Terms of Use" tabs for more information.

If you ever bought a can labeled cream of tartar and got a powdery stuff inside, don’t worry, there is nothing wrong with either your eyesight, or the product. That’s the way it is supposed to be. Cream of tartar is an acidic substance that also goes by the names of potassium bitartrate and potassium hydrogen tartrate.

This powdery substance is actually, a by-product of the process of making wine. Who would have thought, right? Well, I wouldn’t be so keen on writing about cream of tartar and its many uses if it hadn’t been for an article I read the other day. It contains everything there is to know about cream of tartar, from culinary uses to those that go beyond the kitchen.

Prepare the Perfect Dessert with Cream of Tartar

When preparing a dessert like cakes, cookies and meringue pies. Because, let’s face it. Preparing a delicious meringue pie is not enough if it doesn’t look inviting. And to look inviting the topping should be fluffy. The answer to achieving this fluffiness lies in whipping the egg whites. More precisely, you should add a 1/8 teaspoon for each egg white while you are whipping. So if the recipe calls for 3 egg whites you add 1/8 teaspoon x 3. This will help the formation of air bubbles and you can rest assure your topping won’t be flat. What’s more, cream of tartar when added to eggs will increase their tolerance to high temperatures.

Say you need whipped cream to top your cupcakes with. A recipe as simple as this one will call for a pinch of cream of tartar to be added to a cup of heavy whipping cream, two tablespoons of powdered sugar, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Uses of Cream of Tartar Beyond Cooking

There are plenty of helpful uses cream of tartar can be the star of. They are all pretty much connected to the kitchen in that cream of tartar can help you clean your burner pans and give your old copper kitchenware its shine back. An even simpler mixture, that of water and cream of tartar will be a great aid in cleaning steel appliances and removing scratches from them.

If this is not enough, cream of tartar can be used in the bathroom as well. A teaspoon of cream of tartar and a cup of white vinegar will make the magical solution that will help you remove mildew and mold in your toilet.

This incredible powder can even help you save your stained clothes. Only a pinch of it mixed with some lemon juice will do wonders with stained clothes.

If you are flabbergasted by all these uses of cream of tartar too, then go ahead and buy a can next time you go grocery shopping. It will be handy at any time since you will only need a pinch, be it for recipes or other uses, and its shelf life is pretty long (of course, provided that you keep it in an airtight container in a cold and dark place).