Beef stew turns to vinegar taste

I made beef stew with beef, carrots & potatoes. I added salt, pepper, beef bouillon to start. I also added 1T of red wine vinegar because it brings out the flavor and it was perfect! I decided to thicken it and mistakenly used cream of tartar instead of corn starch. The entire pot turned to a very strong vinegar taste! Can anyone tell me what went wrong? Was there an interactive between the cream of tartar and the red wine vinegar?

Cjcottrell
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3 Comments

702551
702551 November 13, 2023
Cream of tartar is tartaric acid. It's present in wine so you likely amplified the red wine vinegar (which has acetic acid, tartaric acid and likely other acids).

You could try to add a base to counteract the acid and neutralize it somewhat. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is probably in your cupboard, that's the easiest one. Another is calcium carbonate, the same active ingredient as stomach antacids (like Tums and Rolaids). Winemakers use calcium carbonate to reduce excess acidity.

Best of luck.
 
702551
702551 November 13, 2023
Uh, rather than toss in a bunch of baking soda into the pot sight unseen, I'd pull out a cup or so of the stew, add a little bit, and taste. If you are okay with the result, then you can proceed with the rest of the pot.
 
Nancy
Nancy November 13, 2023
Sorry I don’t have the chemistry knowledge on how to repair this.

However, for futures I can recommend cornstarch or arrowroot as additions to thicken a stew or soup (without the acidic result from cream of tartar).
 
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