What does cream of tartar do in baking recipes?
I am making the following recipe for a birthday party: Pinata cookies!, and it calls for cream of tartar in the dough. This is the first time I've seen that in a cookie recipe and I can't figure out what the purpose of it is. Anyone know what cream of tartar does in baking recipes?
Best Answer
As @rumtscho said, it is an acid and in your recipe above it is for activating the soda.
However, in general, recipes almost never call for cream of tartar for this purpose. Modern recipes, if they need acid to activate the soda, will call for baking powder instead which has the cream of tartar already mixed in.
Almost every time I see cream of tartar called for in a recipe it is when making a meringue. The acid denatures some of the egg white proteins and makes the eggs froth up faster and makes a stiffer meringue. Cream of tartar is good for this as it is dry so it doesn't throw off the liquid content and it has little flavor of its own.
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Quick Answer about "What does cream of tartar do in baking recipes?"
Cream of tartar helps stabilize whipped egg whites, prevents sugar from crystallizing and acts as a leavening agent for baked goods. If you're halfway through a recipe and find that you don't have any cream of tartar on hand, there are plenty of suitable replacements.How does cream of tartar affect baking?
Cream of tartar stabilizes the tiny bubbles in the egg whites, by precluding the egg proteins from sticking together. It thus speeds up the egg white whipping process and contributes to a stable, billowy, glossy meringue, perfect for cookies, topping pies, and folding into cake.What dies cream of tartar do in a recipe?
On its own, cream of tartar is an effective stabilizer for finicky recipes like meringue, souffl\xe9s or whipped cream, which all have a tendency to wilt or go flat. Cream of tartar is also a helpful cleaning agent around the house, especially when mixed with another acid or hydrogen peroxide.What effect does cream of tartar have on cookies?
Just like in regular sugar cookies, the cream of tartar prevents the sugar from crystalizing, giving a soft texture that's also chewy, plus that acid flavor is key in what differentiates a snickerdoodle from all other cookies.How does cream of tartar react when added to a recipe?
The tartar also helps to increase the volume of the egg foam and keeps them bright and white. Cream of tartar is also often added to baked products to help activate the alkaline baking soda. In fact, cream of tartar mixed with baking soda is what gives us baking powder.What does cream of tartar do in cookies?
More answers regarding what does cream of tartar do in baking recipes?
Answer 2
It is a weak acid. It purpose is to react with the baking soda for leavening. If you can't get it, you can use some other acid, e.g. citric acid, but it will introduce a slight taste of its own, and it is stronger than cream of tartar. You can also substitute baking powder instead of the baking soda + cream of tartar combination.
Answer 3
The cream of tartar gets in the way of sugar's natural tendency to bind together and prevents sugar crystals from forming. makeing a light pillowy texture rather than a sugary crunch
Answer 4
However if you use the baking powder instead of soda and tartar, u can still get the same identical effect by the temperature of your oven and time limit. Give it a whirl
Answer 5
cream of tartar is a leavening agent, it makes my puff pastry puff.
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