"acid" news and stories

Is a dish lacking something you can't pinpoint? Try a tiny bit of salt if you must, but don't forget the secret weapon tucked in the fridge or lolling on the counter.

While I personally prefer to use a drip coffee maker or my espresso machine, I know a number of people who swear by their french presses. A french press works by mixing coarsely ground coffee beans with water, letting them soak, then pressing the beans to the bottom of the carafe, leaving behind filtered, strong coffee.

To some, the press method makes the coffee taste too bitter, as the water that remains in the pot soaks far too long in the grounds compressed at the bottom. This bitterness also means that the coffee is too acidic, which can cause some unpleasantness for anyone sensitive it. Hammacher Schlemmer has a new french press that has been redesigned to eliminate excess bitterness and acidity. The Acid Reduction French Press holds the grounds at the top of the press, rather than at the bottom, preventing your coffee from over-brewing.

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For some people, food and heartburn go hand in hand. Unfortunately, doctors have long been recommending that those who suffer with heartburn (also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease) give up many foods, such as fried and spicy foods, alcohol, carbonated beverages, coffee and chocolate,  in an attempt to prevent unpleasant symptoms. New research from Stanford University shows, however, that cutting out favorite foods does not actually stop heartburn for most sufferers. There are two lifestyle changes that showed a clear benefit: losing a few pounds and sleeping with the head elevated, to "reduce stomach acid from entering the esophagus while sleeping." Changing both of these things produced better, more consistent results from patients when compared to those who simply cut back on or cut out various foods.

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Cream of tartar is potassium hydrogen tartrate, which is an acidic salt. Grapes are the most common natural source of tartaric acid. During the wine production process, a sediment forms as a result of combining potassium hydroxide with the tartaric acid, leaving a white sediment: cream of tartar.

A combination of cream of tartar and baking soda was the original baking powder. Baking soda reacts almost instantly when exposed to wet/acidic ingredients, but the addition of cream of tartar tempers the effect of the baking soda and delays the rising reaction – which will produce a higher rise in the oven. Unlike baking powder, however, cream of tartar will not lose it potency over time, so you can buy a jar and keep it in your kitchen cupboard forever.