What you need to know: 1. Cream of tartar is actually a white odorless powder. You can find it conveniently packaged in the spices section of your local supermarket. 2. The chemical name for cream of tartar is potassium bitartrate or potassium hydrogen tartrate. 3. Cream of tartar is natural and is formed from the sediment left over in barrels after the winemaking process. They've found cream of tartar in ancient pottery dating back 7000 years. 4. Cream of tartar has multiple uses in food preparation including stabilizing egg whites by increasing their heat tolerance and volume and preventing sugary syrups chocolates and candies from crystallizing. 5. Homemade baking powder can be made by combining baking soda and cream of tartar as the active acid ingredient. 6. If you're whipping cream and want to stabilize it add some cream of tartar after whipping.