What is cream of tartar and where do I find it in the grocery store?

Question

Is this ingredient even necessary to make Christmas cut-out cookies?

Answer 1

Usually in the spice section of your store. Different cookie recipes have different ingredients - find one that does not use cream of tartar.

Answer 2

Cream of tartar is a stabilizing agent for cooking and baking. You can find it in the spice section.

It is my understanding that it help things like frosting hold together over time. This would appear to apply as I think most Christmas cut out cookies have some frosting that you would want to set and not go sliding off the cookie.

Answer 3

There are many cut out recipes that do not call for cream of tartar.
Cream of Tartar is a natural, pure ingredient left behind after grape juice has fermented to wine.Cream of Tartar is used to stabilize egg white foams. It is also a major ingredient in baking powder.

Answer 4

I don't think there would be much resemblance to the real recipe if you excluded cream of tartar. I can't tell you what it is, but you will find it in the spice section. It is extremely tart taken straight but it is used in "7 Minute Frosting" and that is wonderful!

Answer 5

It is a spice, so you would look where the spice department is most stores have them. cream of tartar is not hard to find. but if you can't find it, you can still fix the recipe with out it.

Answer 6

Potassium bitartrate also potassium hydrogen tartrate has formula KC4H5O6. It is a byproduct of wine making. It is also known as cream of tartar. It is a potassium acid salt of tartaric acid.

Tartar crystallises in wine casks during the fermentation of grape juice. This crude form (known as beeswing) is collected and purified to produce the white, odourless, acidic powder used for many culinary and other household purposes, such as:

Stabilising egg whites, increasing their heat tolerance and volume;
Preventing sugar syrups from crystallising;
Reducing discolouration of boiled vegetables;
Frequent combination with baking soda (which needs an acid ingredient to activate it) in formulations of baking powder.

In wines bottled before they are fully ripe, argol can precipitate on the side of the bottle in a sort of crust, thus forming what is called "crusted wine".

When placed in a Bunsen burner's flame, it turns purple, indicating the presence of potassium.

When cream of tartar is added to water, a suspension results which serves to clean coins very well. The solution loosens surface dirt and grime on the coins. Then, the dirt can be wiped off quite easily.

Cream of tartar and vinegar combine to make a powerful cleaning agent used to clean encrusted pots, pans and stove tops.

A similar acid salt Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate is confused with Cream of Tartar due to their similar function in Baking powder

You can locate it on the spice aisle.

Answer 7

Cream of tartar is a mixture of baking powder and baking soda. It is commonly found in American grocery stores. Outside of the Usa, it's fairly rare. You should be able to just substitute baking powder and baking soda, but it's tricky. I've done it before to make roll out sugar cookies and they expanded too much...

Answer 8

With all the other spices. I know it's used for a stabilizer for making whipped cream too.

Answer 9

It makes things stiff, like if you have ever seen those little meringue cookies, its makes them hard. Also in Royal Icing, like for making gingerbread houses.

Its in the baking or spice aisle. Its a white powder.

Answer 10

It adds a wonderful taste to the sugar cookies and well worth buying even if u only use it once! Its found with all the other spices!