CK Meringue Powder: Is Bulk Product Different?

15# indeed has a difference to the other three. 1#, 4oz, and 8oz have cream of tartar in it, 15# has potassium acid tartrate. All other ingridients are identical, at least based on the list you can download.

The funny thing is only, that potassium acid tartrate is the scientific name of cream of tartar

I'd say, you get the identical product, no matter if bulk or tiny jar. The bulk only has a more sophisticated ingridients list.

 

And I don't beat my Meringue powder (Wilton, only one to be available here). Neither to peaks nor to anything else. I just mix it with the sugar, add water, and then beat the whole stuff in one go. The only step I do in advance, I dissolve my extra teaspoon of cream tartar in the water to be sure I have no large crystals in my RI.

 

Thanks Laegwen! That is very, very good information to know. (The smaller packaging has one of those idiot taxes added, lol.)

I make my royal icing the same way, first dissolving the meringue power and straining, then just beating it all together. Don't add any extra cream of tartar though. How did you learn that cream of tartar prevents larger crystals in the icing?

Do you do this specifically for Wilton, or any brand of meringue powder?

Oh, sorry, my text was a bit misunderstanding. I dissolve the extra cream of tartar because it comes in sugar size crystals, and they need a bit to dissolve. If I add them dry, there can remain some in the RI at the end. The reason I add it at all is taste. As I only can buy Wilton Meringue powder (seems like no other brand is available here), and I find this artificial vanilla taste kind of gross, I hide it with the citric taste of cream of Tartar.

Though I believe that the cream of tartar we have in Germany is a bit different than yours in the US. You don't get it at baking supplies stores (only very rarely directly imported from the US for horrible prices). Unless you want it to be mixed with baking powder already - which I don't want for my RI. So I buy mine at the apothecary. It looks a bit like sugar, only slightly yellow.

 

When making the RI, I simply pour confec sugar, meringue powder, and egg white powder into a bowl dry, stir a little and then add the cream of tartar water. So yes, I am also one of those people who ignore the instructions and do my own recipe

It's fascinating to hear the differences between our supply sources. Thank you so much for clarifying. I'm starting to understand how confusing it is to translate recipes between different countries, and why so many people have problems. Considering that meringue powder could have a variety of ingredients, in various proportions, results with it could be all over the map. (Completely unintentional pun!)

Never in a million years would I have thought cream of tartar might be mixed with baking powder, or need to be dissolved like that. Makes me wonder how many people out there might have tried royal icing recipes with cream of tartar, then given up on it because the crystals clogged their tips? We need to start an international glossary of ingredients and products.

That idea has my support!!!

Especially with cream of tartar, it was rather complicated to figure out. I've read about this in some icing recipes, went to the local supermarket and wanted to buy it (naive me...). Not available. Next supermarket - same result. In a very expensive one I finally found it, hurrah. I read the ingridients before buying, thank God, and it said "cream of tartar baking powder". This seemed a bit strange as an ingridient for RI. Baking powder? So I started a bit of research and that is how I found out that we in Germany simply don't have powdered cream of tartar. A nice lady in an American food store told me that they don't have it anymore, as they have problems with the customs when they try to import. But that I could get crystalized cream of tartar in apothecaries and that she uses that for her RI and is very content. A long journey for such a small thing

 

And this list continues. Corn syrup - not available here, again only as very expensive direct import. I've read that adding a little will make the icing more shiny and less brittle. Just like glycerine, which I can easily buy here, but I don't want to, as glycerine is highly toxic (not when eaten, but when accidentially inhaled. If you cough while eating glycerine and get something in your lungs, you could even die!). I'd love to give it a try, but I'm not willing to pay 15€ for a bottle with 250ml!! We do have other light syrups here, but can they be used as a substitue? I haven't been able to find out... grrr.

 

Or my permanent strife, the Wilton garden tone set. I just loooove those colors, and I want to have them! Alas, there are some E's in it that are not allowed in the EU, import is not an option even though I would be willing to pay. And so far I haven't been able to find out if other suppliers might have the same colors only by different names...

 

Shortening. Same thing, not available, only very expensive direct imports. In this case, though, I found out that we have a pretty good substitute which gives the same results when used in cookie dough.

 

A list comparing different ingredients, giving possible substitutes, and where to get them in a country could really be helpful.

I am unable to send you a private dialogue, but have an idea. Cream of tartar is not expensive at all, and small/light enough I could put some in a letter. Customs might not like me sending little baggie of white powder though, lol! Maybe we should see if anyone else is interested in a glossary of ingredients (and maybe common brands?), or see if Julia could make a survey?