Cream of tartar is one of those obscure ingredients you find in some baking and cooking recipes. It has a distinct, slightly acidic flavor and lends itself to sweets like meringues. Is cream of tartar gluten free?
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What Is Cream Of Tartar?
Cream of tartar is an acidic powder that is created in the wine-making process. It comes from the tartaric acid in the grapes. Cream of tartar is considered a leavening agent because when it is mixed with baking soda, it forms carbon dioxide. This gas is what helps fluff up and allows your baked goods to rise.
You will also see cream of tartar used in recipes like meringues. In this instance, cream of tartar helps to strengthen the bubbles created when whipping egg whites. This is why meringues hold their shape so well during the baking process.
I haven't tried this, but the cream of tartar can also be added to whipped cream to stabilize it so that it doesn't soften and lose its shape. See below for a fun recipe to try out for your next dessert!
Be sure to check out all of my articles to see what baking ingredients are gluten free.
Answer: Is Cream Of Tartar Gluten Free?
I am happy to say in most cases, cream of tartar is gluten free! Because it is created from the wine-making process, no gluten ingredients are involved.
The risk of cross-contamination is low, but you definitely need to read the label to be sure your cream of tartar wasn't processed on shared lines.
How Long Does Cream Of Tartar Last?
Because we don't use cream of tartar often, many of you may wonder how long cream of tartar will last and keep fresh in our spice cabinet. The good news is if you store cream of tartar in an air-tight container away from direct sunlight, your cream of tartar can keep fresh for years!
Gluten Free Cream Of Tartar Brands:
- Mc Cormick - If McCormick says a spice or ingredient is gluten free, they mean it. This comes from their website, "If any product has a Gluten Free claim, the product and the manufacturing line have been validated Gluten Free."
- Penzeys - Although Penzeys doesn't get their spices officially certified as gluten free, only one product in their entire product line contains gluten (aleppo pepper), and Penzeys spot tests their spices for gluten. They also state clearly that they clean their lines between every run.
- Spicely - Their spices are certified gluten free.
- Badia Spices - They are certified gluten free.
- Morton & Basset - Their spices are certified gluten free.
- Litehouse - Litehouse is a company that makes freeze-dried herbs. Their herbs are gluten free but not certified.
- Stubb's BBQ - My old stomping ground favorite restaurant (hello Austin!) All of Stubb's BBQ spices and sauces are gluten free.
- Kinder - Kinders makes spice rubs and sauces. They label their gluten free spices, so you do need to look at the labels.
Gluten Free Recipes Using Cream Of Tartar:
There are some brands that are very good about labeling allergens and whether products are made on shared lines. These brands, in particular, are very good about it, and you can feel safer knowing these brands' cream of tartar is both celiac and gluten intolerance safe.
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