Why Is Cream of Tartar Used in Liquids?

Cream of tartar is scraped from wine barrels and ground into powder.

Cream of tartar, or potassium bitartrate, is a byproduct of the winemaking industry, often used to activate baking soda or add volume to eggs. Cream of tartar also can be used in liquids as a stabilizer and as a preservative.

Features

Cream of tartar forms a glucose syrup when it reacts with sugar. In syrup form, sugar is less likely to crystallize or separate from the other ingredients in the liquid mixture. Corn syrup and other alternatives can be used in the same way as cream of tartar, however cream of tartar does not add extra sugar and calories.

Benefits

Cream of tartar contains acid and has preservative qualities. The colorless and odorless nature of cream of tarter makes it usable as an additive to maintain liquid product shelf life. Cream of tartar also helps maintain the color of canned and pickled fruits and vegetables when added to canning liquid.

Other Uses

Besides complementing baking soda in baking recipes, cream of tartar has other common cooking uses. When added to beaten egg whites, it can produce uniform and fluffy meringue. Cream of tartar can be used to soften homemade icing, cake filling or caramel.

References

• Cooking Light: Cream of Tartar
• Gourmet Sleuth: Cream of Tartar: Substitues, Ingredients, Equivalents