Cookies and cakes can turn out to be mouth-melting soft with cream of tartar! Stabilizing white egg whips and ensuring smooth sugar syrup is all the result of this wonder ingredient. It is invisible yet very prominent in all dishes. If your kitchen pantry does not have this essential ingredient in stock, here are some substitute for cream of tartar that you can use.
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What Is The Cream Of Tartar?
Are you out of cream of tartar in your kitchen? If yes, the ideal and immediate solution is searching for a substitute for the cream of tartar. But what is the cream of tartar and how is it helpful in the kitchen? It is also known as tartaric acid. You can also term it as a by-product of wine production or the leftover residue on barrels. Leavener is an exact term for it as when amalgamated with baking soda, its combination can result in carbon dioxide gas. It is just like the gas that results in the use of yeast in bread baking.
Where To Buy Cream Of Tartar?
Cream of tartar is available at almost all nearby grocery store in the form of fine powder. It is white and you can find it in the spice or baking section. Not just the original ingredient, even substitutes for cream of tartar are also accessible at these stores. You can also order it online and keep a stock if you are a regular baker and often find its requirement. Buying the right substitute is also essential. To figure out this, it is important to understand its role in various recipes.
Working Mechanism For The Cream Of Tartar In Various Recipes
Stabilizing agent in egg whites – It is quite common to indulge in a meringue pie or a soufflé recipes as they are very tempting and tasteful. But, the softness you desire is available only with the pinch of cream of tartar. With its addition, your pies can get a desirable peak even after baking time is over.
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Leavening agent- Mouthwatering baked items like pancakes, cookies, and several other yeast free recipes include cream of tartar to it. Combination of it with baking soda results in an instant chemical reaction which in turn makes your product fluffier.
Also read – Betty Crocker Complete Pancake Mix (Original) Review
Avoids sugar crystals- This is yet another unknown and important use of cream of tartar. It prevents sugar crystallization after dilution.
By now, you must be well-versed with the interesting benefits of using this ingredient in various cuisines and recipes. If you are in a mood to bake something exciting today and wish to exclude yeast in it, adding up this amazing ingredient is a great option. In case, this product is out of stock, here are a few substitutes for cream of tartar.
What Can I Substitute For Cream Of Tartar?
There are a few close substitutes for the cream of tartar. Before picking up the right ingredient, understand its effect on every recipe. It is essential to avoid any type of flavor or taste changes. Some of these substitutes would offer you the right outcomes while others might adversely affect the recipe. A minor change of texture or appearance should not be a big concern.
Lemon Juice – It is the primary substitute for cream of tartar. Also, lemons are easily available in our houses and can be an immediate alternative. There are many benefits of using it as a substitute. First of all, it possesses similar acidic levels and even the flavors are equally pleasant. Hence, it blends well with almost all recipes.
Acidic elements ensure that the end product consists of appropriate gas quantities. Another benefit of this alternative is it prevents sugar crystallization and frosting of various elements. Cream of tartar is in a powder form while the lemon juice is its liquid version. Hence, it is essential to equalize their proportions in usage. For a pinch of cream of tartar, using one tablespoon of lemon juice would be enough.
White Vinegar – This is the next substitute for cream of tartar. White vinegar is another wonder element that can act as a food stabilizer. It is also produced by fermentation. Keeping in mind the proportion is also important. Using distilled white vinegar in equal amounts as that of cream of tartar can give a perfect texture to your recipe. Especially in the recipes where you need to play with egg whites, white vinegar is an amazing stabilizer. While baking cookies and cakes, you need to be skeptical about its usage. It can cause some changes in its taste as well as texture. You can opt for it if you are ready to experiment with mild texture alterations. If there is no other option available, you might consider it as a secondary substitute for cream of tartar.
Baking powder- Can the baking powder be substituted for cream of tartar? You might find this surprising to use baking powder as a substitute for cream of tartar. However, using baking powder in your recipe won’t make a very big difference. Most of you would not be able to find out the difference as well. Baking powder comprises of two parts of cream of tartar and one part of baking soda. It is essential to maintain the right proportions. Using 1 teaspoon of baking powder would fulfill the requirement of the main ingredient.
Buttermilk- Next on the list for a substitute for cream of tartar is Buttermilk. This is another easily available substitute that can enable you to prepare home-based recipes. The only caution while using this substitute is you must consider that it is liquid. As this is available in liquid form, it is important to deduct the concentration of other liquids in your recipe. If not utilized in a proper manner, this could bring a huge variation in the consistency of your recipe.
You might avoid it as a substitute but if there is no option available, adding it in the proper proportion is also good. Replacing ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar with ½ cup of buttermilk is the right option. Along with this, also keep in mind to eliminate about ½ cup of other liquid in your recipe.
Yogurt- Another decent substitute for cream of tartar is yogurt. The fermentation process breaks down the sugar and lowers the pH. Yogurt is also a similar ingredient to buttermilk but has a lesser liquid density as well. Also, its acidic properties match better with the cream of tartar. Using it in similar measurements like that of buttermilk might work in your favor. Although the original yogurt consistency is not much liquid, still you need to thin it out a bit to get the desired proportion of the mixture.
Also read- Curd And Yogurt: Are They Different?
Skip the cream of tartar- You can also do decently well in your recipes by excluding the main element. Skip the cream of tartar as a whole and you could end up getting a desirable taste. Although, it can be tricky with baked items as they possess the risk of losing the height and rising.
Cream of tartar is also easy to preserve when kept in an air-tight container. It should be kept away from moisture, heat, and light.
Final Words
Cream of tartar is one wonder ingredient about which many people are unaware. You might have seen in your grandma’s kitchen and still clueless about its usage. It is also no prominent even with its name. But the key question is what can you substitute for cream of tartar when you run out of stock? The above substitutes should be helpful. Using it or substitute for cream of tartar is a great idea when you are baking something special or unique. Before every use, you must smell it to ensure that there is no foul odor coming out of it.
