Cream of tarter ? can I substitute

[Dar]

I am trying to make some of my meals ahead this week because I am super busy this up coming week.

I need Bisquick baking mix, and I am out .. I have google searched a "home made mix" and found one.. but now its calling for cream of tarter... what the heck is that and can I substitute it with something else?

 

[redux]

found this

Cream of Tartar Substitution - The answer is, there is not a good substitution. If cream of tartar is used along with baking soda in a cake or cookie recipe, omit both and use baking powder instead. If it calls for baking soda and cream of tarter, I would just use baking powder.

Normally, when cream of tartar is used in a cookie, it is used together with baking soda. The two of them combined work like double-acting baking powder. When substituting for cream of tartar, you must also substitute for the baking soda. If your recipe calls for baking soda and cream of tarter, I would just use baking powder.

One teaspoon baking powder is equivalent to 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar. If there is additional baking soda that does not fit into the equation, simply add it to the batter.

 

[redux]

and this

Substitute 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar for each 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar called for to stabilize egg whites. Keep in mind that vinegar may alter the taste of the final product.
When cream of tartar is used in a recipe with baking soda, it works like a double-acting baking powder. If cream of tartar is not available, substitute baking powder for both the baking soda and cream of tartar called for in the recipe. Use 1 teaspoon baking powder for every 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar.

 

[DuckLady]

Good info! I thought cream of tartar was used to stiffen a cookie dough for using a press or egg whites in a meringue

 

[Dar]

thanks..

i was surprised there was not a substitution sticky or a section of the cook book on substitutions..

hey terrie maybe we should start a substitutions sticky in the recipes section

 

[DuckLady]

Go ahead!

Start one and I will add it to the recipe index.

I will also sticky it to get attention to it to get it going.

 

[Dar]

Quote:
ok i will do it.. so I have changed the name of this thread so there is no confusion I will PM you the link for the sticky thread.. how can we make it efficient so that its in alphabetical order and not all jumbled?. (or am I asking to much?)

 

[ranchhand]

Pretty far OT but funny - I once sent a boyfriend to the grocery store for mayo, because I was making Tartar Sauce for the fish dinner that night. He got the mayo, but apparently wandered all the aisles, because he came home with cream of tartar, too, on the theory that I needed it to make Tartar Sauce.

20 years later, he STILL has than can of Cream of Tartar on his kitchen shelf, to remind him not to get all his exercise leaping to conclusions.!

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

I don't get the joke? I use cream of tarter to make tarter sauce. What do you use???

 

[ranchhand]

Cream of tartar is a dry powder found in the spice section at the store. Tartar sauce can be bought in the condiment section, or be homemade like the first recipe.

Regular Tartar Sauce, usually used on fried fish:

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon minced onion
2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Or your preferred variation of it.

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Uses for cream of tartar:

"Cream of tartar is best known in our kitchens for helping stabilize and give more volume to beaten egg whites. It is the acidic ingredient in some brands of baking powder. It is also used to produce a creamier texture in sugary desserts such as candy and frosting, because it inhibits the formation of crystals. It is used commercially in some soft drinks, candies, bakery products, gelatin desserts, and photography products. Cream of tartar can also be used to clean brass and copper cookware.

If you are beating eggs whites and don't have cream of tartar, you can substitute white vinegar (in the same ratio as cream of tartar, generally 1/8 teaspoon per egg white). It is a little more problematic to find a substitute for cream of tartar in baking projects. White vinegar or lemon juice, in the ratio of 3 times the amount of cream of tartar called for, will provide the right amount of acid for most recipes. But that amount of liquid may cause other problems in the recipe, and bakers have found that cakes made with vinegar or lemon juice have a coarser grain and are more prone to shrinking than those made with cream of tartar."