Cream of Tartar

Big Guy was craving snickerdoodle cookies and, I admit, it sounded good to me too. As I checked my pantry for the ingredients, I pulled out the cream of tartar and innocently asked the question, “What is it?” Big Guy, who normally knows alot about everything, was even flummoxed by the question.

Thanks to the internet, the answer was readily available. I loved the definition started with “cream of tartar is one of those mystery ingredients you might have seen in your grandma’s pantry without knowing what it is used for.” Whew, I am not alone!

As I read further, it stated, “It is a dry, powdery, acidic byproduct of fermenting grapes into wine. Its science name is potassium bitartrate.” Well, ok!

The bottom line is this mystery ingredient gives my snickerdoodles their tang by preventing the sugar from crystalizing. It also gives rise to egg whites by creating foam and stabilizing the structure. Now you know what I know and THAT is not too much!