Cream of Tartar is literally a double agent – Safe enough for baking and strong enough as a household cleaner!
In baking, Cream of Tartar keeps the sugar from binding together, thereby preventing sugar crystals formation on baked goods, resulting in a smoother consistency and appearance.
An everyday use for Cream of Tartar is in meringues and angel food cake. When egg whites are whipped to make meringues, the protein molecules in the eggs unwind and link together forming a rigid 3-dimensional network.
Occasionally, the proteins form excessive links to one another resulting in over-coagulation that causes lumpy meringues. Cream of Tartar limits the number of links that proteins can form, thereby yielding a smoother, glossy meringue.
