We love a tasty tomato sandwich just as much as the next person. Peak summer weather sparks our craving for the ultimate summertime meal and once the season's best tomatoes start showing up at the market we know it's tomato sandwich time.
There are, of course, a myriad of ways to put together a tomato sandwich, and we've gotta say we've yet to try one we didn't like. Using fresh ingredients, unexpected spreads and a variety of seasonings are all easy ways to elevate the already noteworthy creation. But we recently happened upon America’s Test Kitchen ’s take on the classic summer sandwich and were surprised by the secret ingredient they use for a next-level version of the dish: cream of tartar.
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What is Cream of Tartar?
Cream of tartar is an old-school pantry staple that you may associate with your grandparents' kitchen. It's the key ingredient to making snickerdoodles taste snickerdoodle-y, can help stabilize whipped cream and meringue, and serve as a stain remover. The unsuspecting ingredient only needs to be used in small doses to yield major results, and its dry, powdery, acidic makeup adds to the mystery of its name. Cream of tartar is known as potassium bitartrate, which is also referred to as potassium hydrogen tartrate, or tartaric acid. It's a dry, very fine white powder and you can usually find it in the spice aisle at your local grocery store.
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What Does Cream of Tartar Add to a Tomato Sandwich?
Tomatoes taste their absolute best when they have the perfect balance between sweetness and acidity. Cream of tartar is an acidic ingredient that has the ability to boost the brightness of tomatoes without adding extra liquid or additional flavors like something like vinegar would. Just a sprinkle of cream of tartar will transform the taste of tomatoes for the better, as well as elevate the flavor of any not-so-perfect tomatoes in the bunch.
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How to Use Cream of Tartar to Elevate a Tomato Sandwich
As per ATK’s instructions, before you bust out the cream of tartar, it’s important to start by finding the best, fresh, local tomatoes that you can get your hands on. After you’ve sliced the tomatoes, cover two slices of bread with mayo on one side, then toast the bread on a griddle, mayo side down. Once the slices of bread are toasted to a beautiful golden brown, transfer them to a plate then spread a little more mayo on the untoasted sides.
Now for the special ingredient. Use a small bowl to combine salt, pepper and cream of tartar, mixing until well combined. Lay the tomato slices onto the untoasted side of one slice of bread, and then sprinkle with the cream of tartar mixture. Close the sandwich, slice in half (we prefer a diagonal cut ) and enjoy!
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