The Portland daily press., 1883-09-21
The Cooks Dilemma.

Two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar and
one of soda to quart of flour" was formerly
the standing direction in every kitchen for
making light biscuit, cake, etc. 1t has been
found of late that the old rule won't work,
double this quantity of cream of tartar being
required to produce the former result, and
even then, owing to the great variation in
strength of the best cream of tartar that can
be purchased at the stores, uniform results
can no longer be depended upon in its use
The cause of this inferiority of modern
cream of tartar is explained by the Massachu-
chusetts State Board of Health, and also BY
the New York State Board of Health, which
in recent examination of q samples of
cream of tartar, claimed by dealers to be of
the very best quality, found them adulterated
with alum, terra alba, phosphate of calcium,
etc., from to SO per cent. Five samples were
adulterated with terra alba to such an extent
that they were really terra alba with little
cream OF tartar added.s In the soda examined
from II per cent of carbonate of lime to % per
cent. of ground gypsum were found o
course it is impossible to produce light or
wholesome bread with such stuff as this for
leavening material, and the best cooks, if
relying upon its use, must frequently fail In
their work. The old formula, therefore.
no longer to be relied upon, must give way to
new methods.
Science, fortunately, comes to the aid of the
cook in this dilemma with the ever-ready
baking powder; but here again the greatest
care is necessary in selecting a baking pow
der, to avoid one that may not only spoil the
work of the cook but will make the cookery
produced an instrument of danger to the
health. Most of the baking powders and
bread preparations of the market are made
either from the very cream of tartar above
described, from alum, which is poison or
from phosphates derived by disgusting pro-
cesses from the solution of old bones in sui
phuric acid, and hence their use is attended
with the same inconvenience and dangerous
results that follow the use of adulterated
cream OF tartar. The only way to overcome
these difficulties would seem to be in the selec-
ton of baking powder of thoroughly we'll
established reputation, whose absolute purity,
wholesomeness, and effective power as leav-
ening agent have been confirmed beyond con.
prevention. The Roya, Baking Powder meets
this want more nearly than any other, and has
been recommended by the government chemist
as the most acceptable and perfect substitute
for the old fashioned cream of tartar and Soda
1t is undoubtedly pure, and its merits have
given it sale probably equaling that of all
other baking powders combined. Its manu-
factnrers have an advantage over all others in
possessing facilities for obtaining pure mate
rails. They refine their cream of tartar direct
from the imported crude grape acid by means
of patented processes, exclusively their own,
which the cream of tartar is rendered abso-
lutely pure and uniform in strength In addi-
ton to this, they employ a number of expert
chemists who thoroughly test every pound of
ingredient used, and admit no material into
the Royal Baking Powder compound until
they have demonstrated it chemically pure.
As consequence the action of this powder is
always uniform, as well as of the highest de-
gree of power, and never fails to produce
light, SWEEP, wholesome and palatable bread,
biscuit or cake. With its universal market,
and the great magnitude of its sales this COM
pany finds 1t its interests to adopt these extra
ordinary methods, which no baking powder
maker whose market is limited to single
State or locality can afford.