Substitute For Cream Of Tartar In Playdough

Cream Of Tartar In Playdough

Children just love playing around with playdough and most of the recipes for making playdough at home require one to use cream of tartar. However, if you do not have cream of tartar in your house there are some substitutes that you can use. This article highlights some of the most common substitutes of cream of tartar in playdough it will however, start by explaining the importance of cream of tartar when making playdough so that you can have a better understanding of what properties the perfect substitute should have.

Contents

Why cream of tartar is important when making playdough

Most recipes for making playdough will require you to use cream of tartar, salt, flour, oil and food colouring. Each of these ingredients have their own purpose for example cream of tartar helps with the texture of the playdough and also it helps to preserve the playdough for some time. Salt also acts as a preservative of the playdough and oil acts as a lubricant that helps to keep the playdough nice and moist. The flour helps with the texture of the playdough. So since we now have an understanding of the purposes of all the essential ingredients, we need to recommend a substitute that will be able to blend with all the other ingredients whilst retaining the value of cream of tartar in playdough.

Substitute cream of tartar in playdough using salt

When making playdough for your children you can substitute the cream of tartar with salt. Although cream of tartar is commonly used in combination with salt as a preservative in playdough, salt alone can also act as a preservative in the playdough and also it will help with the texture of the playdough.

How to make playdough using salt

NB: when using this method you do not need to use a stove.

Since salt can act as a substitute of playdough here is a recipe that you can try. For this recipe you will need 4 cups of flour, 1 ½ cups of salt, 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 cup water and 4 different colours of food colouring.

When using this recipe the first step is to take 4 different bowls since you will be making 4 different colours of playdough. Divide the cup of water equally into the 4 bowls then add food colouring to each bowl and also oil. The next step is to mix together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Divide the dry ingredients into 4 and place in the bowls that have wet ingredients. Mix all the ingredients together then you can lastly knead the dough until it reaches a consistency that you are satisfied with.

Substitute cream of tartar in playdough using lemon juice

The other substitute that you can use to replace cream of tartar is lemon juice, this is because lemon is an acidic ingredient just like cream of tartar so it will work perfectly. Cream of tartar helps to make the playdough soft and using lemon juice as a substitute for cream of tartar in playdough will also help to make the playdough soft thus it is a good substitute. When substituting cream of tartar with lemon juice simply add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice when making the playdough.

How to make playdough with lemon juice

NB: this method requires you to use a stove.

For this recipe you will need 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 cup of flour, ¼ cup of salt, ¾ cup of water, 1 tablespoon of oil and food colouring.

When making playdough using lemon juice the first step is to combine the lemon juice,  water and oil into a pot and place it on a stove that is turned on to medium heat. When the ingredients have heated a bit add food colouring inside. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients that is salt and flour and when the ingredients on the stove are warm enough but not boiling add the dry ingredients and start mixing them up until they start to dry out and form a ball. Make sure that you do not overcook the playdough because it’s actually better to have an undercooked playdough as it will dry out during the cooling process. When the dough is done remove it and place it on a wax paper until it cools down then you can knead it for about a minute until it all comes together.

Substitute cream of tartar in playdough using white vinegar

White vinegar can substitute cream of tartar in playdough. This is because white vinegar is an acidic ingredient just like cream of tartar and also it will help the playdough to last for a longer period while staying soft. When substituting cream of tartar with white vinegar simply add 3 tablespoons of white vinegar to the other ingredients.

How to make playdough using white vinegar

NB: this method requires you to use a stove.

For this method you will need 1 ½ cups of flour, ¾ cups of water, 3 tablespoons white vinegar, ¼ cup salt, 1 tablespoon oil and food colouring.

The first step is to combine all the ingredients together in a pot except for food colouring. Place the pot on a stove that is turned on between low and medium heat and stir all the ingredients together until they start to thicken up. Add the food colouring when the mixture starts to thicken and stir it into the dough until it is fully combined. When you are satisfied with consistency of the playdough remove it from the pot and place it on a plate so that it can cool down.

Conclusion

Generally when making playdough there are a number of substitutes you can use to replace cream of tartar. The article has highlighted that it’s either you add more salt to the playdough or use lemon juice. This will help to maintain the soft texture of the playdough. The other substitute highlighted in the article is white vinegar. Instructions for using each substitute have been highlighted so you can easily try them out on your free time.

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