Substitutions – Cream of Tartar

I mentioned in the buttermilk post that the cream of tartar is the ingredient I substitute for for the most. Don’t get me wrong, I AM a snickerdoodle aficionado and I do keep cream of tartar in my current residence, but about half of my cooking takes place in the homes of others (hence how handy an online recipe box is ;3). I am a baker though, most people aren’t that heavily into baking from scratch and won’t keep this stocked (just pray they have baking powder!). Cream of tartar is listed in recipes for two purposes: as a leavening agent (something that makes the dough or batter rise) or as a stabilizer of eggs and such.

1. Baking powder

Now, if your baking recipe calls for both cream of tartar AND baking soda you can omit both and substitute baking powder. The fast acting baking powder you find in the baking aisles is actually just a combination of cream of tartar and baking soda, so if you are baking and the CoT and soda are the leavening agent, this is the best option.

2. Lemon Juice and Vinegar

For 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar, substitute 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar. This is the preferred substitution for recipes that call for cream of tartar to be added to egg whites before whipping.

By the way, if you aren’t stocking lemon juice in your refrigerator already, I would really pick some up on the next shopping trip.