29 Gifts, Day 14 - Creme of Tartar

Yes, that's my gift for today - creme of tartar. The preschool teachers use it to make play-doh, so instead of putting it on each teacher's wish list, I buy big jars of it for the teachers' room. It's so much cheaper! The teachers' requests are pretty simple, so if you want to make their dreams come true, you can always check their wish lists online.

Here are some fun (ok...that's questionable) facts about creme of tartar:

• It's a byproduct of winemaking.  It crystallizes in wine casks during the fermentation of grapes, and can precipitate out of wine in a bottle. 
• It is sometimes combined with baking soda and other ingredients to make baking powder, or with potassium chloride in sodium-free salt substitutes.  
• In cooking, it is used for stabilizing egg whites, preventing sugar syrups from crystallizing, and reducing discoloration of boiled vegetables.
• It can be combined with white vinegar to create a cleaning paste for brass or copper cookware.
• It's a vital ingredient in gingerbread house icing because it inhibits the formation of crystals.
• According to Dr. Wong, consuming 1-6 teaspons per day ("just shy of bowel intolerance"  :-o) will cure a yeast infection. 
• Mixed with water it will remove ring-around-the-collar and rust stains from fabric.
• Mixed with hydrogen peroxide it will remove a bathtub ring.
• Mixed with lemon juice it will remove ink from clothing.
• It will reportedly repel ants. 

And of course, it's a key ingredient in homemade play-doh:
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 cups water
1 tablespoon veg oil
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 package unsweetened Kool-aid (any flavor)
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a pot, cook over medium heat, stirring until a ball is formed. Knead the dough on a floured surface. Store in an air tight container.
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