KitchenSavvy

Cream of Tartar vs Tartar Sauce

Are Cream of Tartar and Tartar Sauce the same thing?
--Helen

Seeing this question made me think of a Before and After category puzzle on Wheel of Fortune where the answer is "Cream of Tartar Sauce."

No, they are not the same thing.  Cream of tartar is a dry white powder that is actually finely ground tartaric acid.  The chemical name is potassium bitartrate and the formula, for those who care, is KC₄H₅O₆.  It is found as a sediment in the making of wine (see Crystals in Wine).  Cream of tartar has three main uses in the home kitchen -- to stabilize egg whites when they are whipped (see Beating Egg Whites - How Cream of Tartar Helps), in candy making to help reduce the formation of crystals in boiling sugar, and as a leavening agent when combined with baking soda (see Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder).

Tartar sauce is a mayonnaise-based condiment most frequently served with seafood.  Typical ingredients, other than the mayonnaise are chopped dill pickles, capers, lemon juice, vinegar, onions or shallots, and various herbs and seasonings.  Here is my recipe for homemade tartar sauce which I like to serve with crab cakes:

Homemade Tartar Sauce

	1/3	c	Mayonnaise
1		tsp	Lemon Zest
1		tbsp	Fresh Lemon Juice
	1/2	clove	Garlic, minced
1	1/2	tbsp	Chopped Caper Berries, rinsed and drained
1	1/2	tsp	Chopped Fresh Chives
2		tsp	Chopped Fresh Cilantro or Tarragon
			Salt and Pepper, to taste

Mix all of the ingredients together and refrigerate, covered, for at least one hour for the flavors to meld.  Quantities can be adjusted to suit your taste.

I like to zest the lemon and mince the garlic using a micro-plane since that way they mix right in without any chunks or stringy bits, but both can be done with a knife if you prefer.  Also, I prefer the larger caper berries to the non-pareil size, although any size would work.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered, nor can we guarantee we will answer questions immediately
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Raw Egg Whites

Making "White Christmas Pie" for the first time, the recipe calls for beaten egg whites, with cream of tartar and sugar but never says to "cook" it.  Is it necessary to cook the egg whites, or is it safe to use them, blended with other ingredients?

--Dora

You are right to be concerned about using raw egg whites.  The USDA now warns against eating anything made with raw eggs and especially about serving them to infants, young children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, since they are the most susceptible to salmonella bacteria.  The risk is especially high in something like White Christmas Pie, since it is typically made well ahead of consumption and may be eaten over a period hours or even days.

There are alternatives however.  Some cooks have suggested a process for heating the egg whites with water, sugar and cream of tartar over a double boiler until they reach a temperature of 160°F (71°C).  I'm not crazy about this method for two reasons -- first because raising the temperature increases the risk of contamination so you need to be sure to heat the entire amount to that temperature and hold it there, and second because there is a chance of actually cooking the eggs if they are over-heated.  If done right, however, apparently you can still whip the egg whites as usual.

The other alternatives are the whites of pasteurized in-the-shell eggs and powdered egg whites or meringue powder.  The US FDA has approved the pasteurization of whole eggs in their shell.  They can be found in some grocery stores and can be used in recipes calling for uncooked eggs.  Powdered egg whites are also pasteurized and can be used.  They are reconstituted with water following the manufacturer's directions and should whip well for this recipe.

Meringue powder is powdered egg whites already blended with sugar and stabilizers such as gum arabic, as well as flavor and preservatives.  Since they already contain sugar and usually vanilla, you will likely need to reduce or completely omit the sugar and vanilla called for in the recipe.  It may take a bit of experimenting to find the right amount of sugar and vanilla to use.

In any case, the pie should be kept refrigerated until served.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered, nor can we guarantee we will answer questions immediately
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

How are Egg Counted in Baker's Percentages

I read your previous posting on Baker's Percentage.  My question is, given that eggs contain a lot of water, should they be counted in the hydration percentage for bread?

--Eric

About 76% of the total weight of an egg is water.  Of the rest, about 9.5% is fat, 12.5% is protein and 0.4% is glucose.   Technically, that means that for a large egg, weighing approximately 50 grams (1.76 oz), 38 grams are water. Egg whites alone have about 87.6% water.

For a typical white bread recipe, the water in one large egg can represent about about 5% - 6% of the total hydration percentage.  For doughs like Brioche and Challah, the water in the eggs can represent up to 20% or more of the total hydration percentage. 

In the Challah recipe given by Reinhart in The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread, he calls for 18 ounces of flour, 2 large eggs (3.3 ounces), 2 large egg whites (1.25 ounces), and 7 to 9 ounces of water.  The water in the eggs and whites totals just over 3.6 ounces or 20% of the total weight of flour.  The water represents between 40% and 50% of the total weight of flour, so the overall hydration is 60% to 70% (i.e. total weight of water from all sources/total weight of flour as %).

While I have heard some comments to the effect that we tend to spend too much time focusing on the minutiae of baker's percentages rather than learning how our bread actually behaves when we make it, since my return from the King Arther Flour Artisan Baking at Home class, I have been tracking my recipes and trying to learn how the science and the art come together in the kitchen.  In part, this is necessary simply because the Canadian flours available to home bakers tend to be higher in gluten forming proteins that their American counterparts.  What that means is that a recipe that works for US all-purpose flour will be under hydrated for Canadian all-purpose.  To get the results I want, I am finding I need to increase the hydration by a factor of about 1.03 -- that is, if a recipe calls for 70% hydration, I need to use about 70 X 1.03 = 72.1% hydration.  So far I would only call that a starting estimate, but without understanding where all of the sources of water are that come into a recipe, I can't make the appropriate corrections.  Either that or I try to figure out how to measure 0.03 of 2 whole eggs.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Egg Wedger

Generally, I am not a fan of unitaskers, those kitchen tools that have only one purpose.  An asparagus steamer or a fish poacher may be just the tool for the job, and if storage space is never a problem, you may want one of each, but for a practical home kitchen, we just don't have enough room for every device that comes along.

That said, there is occasionally a tool that is just the one you need for a task, and no other tool seems to do as well.  One unitasker that gets a place in my kitchen is an egg wedger -- sort of a tong like device that has a cradle on one arm to hold a hard-boiled egg, and on the other arm a criss-cross of wires that, when the device is squeezed together, slices the egg into six perfect wedges.  Perfect for one of my specialties, Salade Niçoise!

What's so great about it?  Well, for one thing the slices are uniform.  I find it much harder to get nice even wedges using a knife.  Quartering is a bit easier, but making six uniform pieces is more challenging.

Also, the pieces stay together.  When using a knife, it isn't unusual for the yolk to stick on the knife and pull away from the white.  With a little care using the wedger, the wedges remain intact, meaning no pieces of white uncurled from their yolk.

Finally, it's cleaner and faster.  Little bits of yolk clinging to the knife stick to the next slice leaving a yellow rim.  Fussy, I know, but easily solved with the wedger.  You can avoid the mess by repeatedly dipping your knife in warm water, but then you take more time and end up with a water slick on things.  With an egg wedger, one brief squeeze and you're done.  Neat, clean, even pieces in nearly no time at all.

Sometimes the payback on a unitasker justifies its existence.  This is one of those devices.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

A New Hollandaise Method

For most special occasions around our house, whether it's Christmas, a birthday or an anniversary, we have Eggs Benedict for breakfast.  The recipe is pretty straightforward.  Toast and butter English muffin halves, top with ham or Canadian bacon slices and a poached egg, and nap the whole thing with Hollandaise Sauce.  That is, straightforward except maybe for making the Hollandaise Sauce, which can be a bit fussy.  I have had it turn out runny, I have had it separate on me while cooking, and I have had the eggs poach too firm while I was trying to make the Hollandaise.

Today for Valentine's Day I was inspired to try a different method, recommended by Jennifer McLagan in her book Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes, and based on Harold McGee's book The Curious Cook: More Kitchen Science and Lore.

The traditional method requires cooking the egg yolks and liquid(s) over a double boiler, mixing in the butter slowly like as if you were making a mayonnaise, and then cooking until it is thickened.  Depending on the recipe, you may use melted butter, or cold butter out of the fridge, cubed and added one piece at a time.

The method McLagan uses is brilliantly simple.  Put everything into a saucepan over medium heat and whisk until its done.  At first the butter will soften and melt into the other ingredients, and then after a few more minutes the eggs will thicken.  In order to control temperature and avoid having the residual heat in the pan overcook the eggs, I continued to whisk while I put the bottom of the saucepan into a bowl of water to cool it off.  The method is incredibly simple, the results were as good as any Hollandaise I have ever made and the timing worked perfectly.  Just as I finished cooling the saucepan down, the eggs finished poaching and it was time to assemble the dish.

So, here's the recipe in detail:

3			Egg Yolks
2		tbsp	Fresh Lemon Juice
	1/4	tsp	Salt
			Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste
	3/4	cup	Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into about 12 pieces

Prepare a bowl of cold water and have it close by.

Whisk the egg yolks, lemon juice and seasoning together in a saucepan just until they are evenly mixed.  Break apart the pieces of butter and add them to the pan.

Place the pan over medium heat and whisk.  If the butter is melting too fast, you may need to lower the heat.  The intent is to have the butter melt and blend into the yolks without puddling on top.  Continue to whisk, being sure to work into the corner of the pan.  In a minute or so, the sauce will start to thicken.  Continue to cook until it clings to the whisk and would coat a spoon, about another minute or two.

Place just the bottom of the saucepan into the bowl of cold water and continue to whisk for another minute until the the pan has cooled down somewhat.  Taste, and if necessary adjust the amount of lemon juice or seasonings.

Since I was poaching eggs at the same time, I found it convenient to put the yolks into the pan, and combine the lemon juice and seasonings in a small dish until I was ready to make the Hollandaise.  If you combine them too soon, there is a chance that the acid and salt will cook the proteins in the eggs while it is sitting, like a ceviche.

If you are using salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe by half or more.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Solving Runny Tzatziki

Here's my problem.   I love tzatziki but every time I make some, it ends up so runny you could almost drink it with a straw.  It is too runny for dipping pita or vegetables in.  How can I make it thicker?

--Gail

Tzatziki is a traditional Greek dish made by combining yogurt, crated cucumber and other ingredients.

There are two things you can do which will likely solve your problem completely.  The first is to very thick Greek style yogurt.  If you can't find Greek style yogurt, you can make a good substitute by straining regular yogurt. To do that, place a paper coffee filter into a strainer, place the strainer over a bowl large enough that the bottom of the strainer is at least 2 inches (5 cm) above the bottom of the bowl, and then pour the yogurt into the filter.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours and up to overnight.

Depending on how long you leave the yogurt drain, it may be reduced by about half the volume and there will be about the same amount of yellowish liquid.  The longer you let it sit, the firmer your tzatziki will end up.  If you are straining the yogurt overnight, then after a couple of hours pour off the liquid in the bowl.  Drained yogurt is sometimes referred to as yogurt cheese.

Even if you are using Greek style yogurt, you may still want to strain it to make the final result even firmer.

The other trick you can try is once you have peeled, seeded and grated the cucumber, toss it with some salt and then place it into a fine sieve strainer and let it sit for an hour or so.  The salt will drain excess liquid out of the cucumber.  If you don't do this, the liquid will still come out of the cucumber only it will thin out the tzatziki once it is made.

Other ingredients that you might put into your tzatziki include garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and mint.  Here are the ingredients that I use.  You may vary them according to your own preferences.

1	1/2	c	Strained Yogurt (see above)
1			English Cucumber
	3/4	tsp	Salt
	1/4	tsp	Fresh Ground Pepper
1		clove	Garlic, finely grated
1		tsp	Lemon Zest, finely grated
2-3		tsp	Lemon Juice
2		tsp	Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4-5			Mint Leaves, finely chopped	(optional)

Make the strained yogurt, as described above, starting with 3 cups of regular yogurt.  It will reduce to the desired amount.  I prefer to use a full fat yogurt because it gives a better mouthfeel, and because some of the flavors in the garlic and lemon zest are fat soluble so it enhances the taste of the final dish.

Peel, seed and grate the cucumber, using the fine toothed side of a box grater.  Toss with the salt and strain as described.  If you prefer a chunkier texture, you can use the coarse side of the grater or finely dice the cucumber instead.

Blend all of the ingredients together.  Taste and adjust all of the flavors as desired.  Refrigerate for at least an hour and preferably a full day.  Remember that the flavors will meld some as it stands, but that the garlic may become stronger.

Serve with pita wedges or vegetables,  in gyros or as a side with other Greek foods.

Oh, and a final hint.  If you are making your tzatziki by whizzing everything in a blender, quit doing it that way.  The blender will only encourage more liquid to come out of both the cucumber and the yogurt and will make the end result too uniform in both texture and flavor.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Storing Fresh Eggs

What is the best way to store fresh, uncooked eggs?

--Sharon

Eggs should be bought from the seller's cooler and kept in the refrigerator, at a temperature between 32°F (0°C) and 40°F (4°C).  They should be consumed by the "best before" date on the package, or if there is no date within one week of purchase.

Some sources recommend not using the egg holder that is built into the door of some refrigerators, since the eggs are exposed to warm air each time the door is opened.  I'm not sure how much difference that makes to the shelf life, but I still prefer to keep the eggs in their original carton so that I know what the "best before" date is.  If you do keep them in the package they came in, never move eggs from an older carton into a newer one.  If you do that, you may end up with eggs that have been "upgraded" several times and are no longer safe to eat.  I keep my eggs on the lowest shelf, since it is a little cooler than higher shelves.

According to Harold McGee, eggs that are stored on their side have a bit better chance of the yolk being centered when they are hard boiled.  If this matters to you, then store the eggs in their original carton but stand the carton on edge.

While there is some romance to the idea of a wire basket of fresh eggs on the counter, this should not be done.  Eggs spoil much faster at room temperature.  Also, don't buy eggs that have been left out for display, for instance at the local farmer's market, as you don't know how long they have been at room temperature or maybe even warmer.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Beating Egg Whites - How Cream of Tartar Helps

While you mentioned that cream of tartar, in a properly sealed container, can be kept indefinitely, I used mine last evening and the beaten egg whites did not turn out to be stiff as described in the recipe.  I suspect the culprit is my cream of tartar being too old, even though it was kept in a tightly sealed container.

-- Lucy

Cream of tartar does not affect the stiffness to which egg whites can be beat nearly as much as it helps stop beaten egg whites from collapsing. 

When you beat egg whites, proteins in the whites unfold from their natural shape and become tangled with each other.  At the same time, you are beating air into the whites, forming small bubbles.  The protein molecules become attached to each other through chemical and electrical bonds that reinforce the skin of the air bubbles.  Over time, these bonds can pull the proteins closer together, forcing out the water trapped in the surface of the bubbles.  Eventually, the proteins pull themselves together so strongly that compact, grainy protein lumps form and the liquid pools in the bottom of the bowl.

This is where the cream of tartar comes in.  It helps prevent the formation of chemical bonds between protein molecules.

To understand this, first a little chemistry.  Protein molecules have, along their length, sulfur atoms that in turn may have a hydrogen atom attached.  If the sulfur atoms release their attached hydrogen into the surrounding liquid, then they can attach to something else.  Sometimes, that something else is a sulfur atom on another protein molecule.   If too many sulfur - sulfur bonds occur, the proteins pull together too strongly and the foam collapses, as above.

Because it is acidic, the cream of tartar increases the number of free hydrogen atoms in the liquid.  These extra hydrogen atoms either stop the sulfur atoms from releasing their attached hydrogen, or else provide another hydrogen atom to quickly take its place.  Because of this, the rate at which sulfur - sulfur bonds can be created is slowed down enough to help keep the egg whites stiff long enough to be used.

Any acid can be used for this purpose, although cream of tartar and lemon juice are the most common.  The amounts needed are 1/8 teaspoon per egg white for cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon per egg white for lemon juice.

If you are having trouble beating egg whites to stiff peaks, there may be one of three causes.  If you got any of the yolk from the eggs into the whites while separating them, this can lessen the ability of the eggs to form stiff peaks, as can contamination from oil, fat or detergent on the utensils.  You should never use a plastic bowl to beat egg whites, since fat molecules are attracted to some plastics and may leave a film on the inside of the bowl.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com

If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com

Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Substitute for Gruyère Cheese

What can I substitute for Gruyère cheese?

-- D

To some extent, that depends on what you are using it for.  In fondue, Ememental would be the standard substitution.  If you can't find Emmental, look for generic Swiss Cheese.   The Food Substitutions Bible suggests you can also use Comté or Beaufort as a general substitute for Gruyère.

For melting on top of one of my all time favorite potato dishes, Potato Flan with Caramelized Onions, I really like Jarlsberg, since its slightly stronger, nutty flavor stands up well to the complexity of the dish.  The original recipe called for Gruyère.  For grilling or melting onto potatoes or vegetables, you could also use Raclette from France or Switzerland.

And for eating out of hand, try any of the above as well as Maasdam or Edam.

If you live somewhere that has a good, knowledgeable cheese store, like the Bulk Cheese Warehouse in Saskatoon, go in and tell them what you are making.  They may have many more interesting suggestions.  If you are looking for a cheese to go with a particular food, say maybe to serve alongside a Peach Cobbler, tell them.  They may be able to suggest an interesting pairing.  If you aren't sure of a recommendation, most cheesemongers will be happy to give you a taste of any cheese they suggest.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com



Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

How Can You Prevent a Cheesecake from Cracking?

How can you prevent a cheesecake from cracking?

--Sr. Celine

Cheesecakes crack because the filling expands during cooking and then contracts while it cools.  If the filling is not able to relieve the stress caused by this contraction in some way, it cracks.  There are a few ways to help prevent cracking, according to Harold McGee.  They come down to ways to either reduce expansion or allow the filling to contract more uniformly.

To reduce expansion start by not over mixing ingredients.  The longer the ingredients are blended, the more air is incorporated, which expands during cooking, causing the filling to expand.  If you are using an electric mixer, use the lowest speed possible to do the job.  The downside, though, is that the resulting cheesecake may be more dense.

Also, cook the cheesecake at as low a temperature as possible.  A longer cooking time means more time for bubbles to escape.  If you can, use a water bath to moderate the cooking temperature.  If you are using a springform pan in a water bath, place the pan onto two or three layers of aluminum foil and then bring the foil up around the outside of the pan to keep water out.  The water bath may extend the cooking time, but it is the best way to cook egg custards, like cheesecake.

To get the filling to contract uniformly after cooking, do not overcook the cheesecake.  Shirley Corrihersuggests that there should be an area about three inches (7.5 cm) in diameter in the middle that is "still wobbly and shaky and ... looks undercooked."  For a more accurate estimate, use an instant read thermometer.  Insert the thermometer, starting at the corner edge so as not to poke a hole in the top of the cheesecake, angling down and in so that the tip is close to the center of the filling.  For food safety, eggs should be cooked to 160°F (71°C), however too much above that and the filling may start to separate and become grainy (see the KitchenSavvy posting Custards and Sauces).

If you are using a water bath, you can cook the filling to about 145-150°F (63-66°C), remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow the cheesecake to remain in the water bath, out of the oven, for another hour.  During that time residual heat will finish cooking the filling until it has reached the desired temperature.  If the temperature reaches 155°F (68°C) before you take the cheesecake out of the oven and you are using a water bath, remove the cheesecake from the bath and allow it to cool on the counter.  If you didn't use a water bath at all, cook the cheesecake to 155°F (68°C).  In either case, heat transferred from the edges to the center will finish the cooking to a safe temperature.

Cooking to a higher temperature, or until the center is no longer wobbly makes the filling less elastic, and more likely to crack.

Once the cheesecake is cooled to lukewarm, cover and refrigerate.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward