- I'm here today to tell you that you should stock your
kitchen with powdered acids. No, they don't give you the complex aroma of lemon or lime juice, and no, they won't add
the crunch of a slice of tart Granny Smith apple,
but that is exactly the point. Powdered acids give you
full control over acidity without bringing anything
else to the table. Why is that a good thing? Think about how you use salt. You stock your pantry with
plenty of salty ingredients, but do you turn to them
anytime a dish needs more salt? No, most often you reach for a pinch of straight sodium chloride. Powdered acids deserve as
much place in your pantry as kosher salt and granulated sugar. First up, let's cover a
little of the science of sour. There are five basic tastes that we can detect on our tongues: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. Now, I've covered salt and
umami in separate episodes that you should check
out at the links below. While you're there, don't
forget to hit subscribe and like and that little bell button so you always get
notified of my new videos. Today we focus on sour, which, interestingly, is
actually the most mysterious and least well-understood taste. (thunder rumbling) Now, what I mean by that is
scientists haven't studied it to the extent they have the other taste. It was only in 2018 that a receptor for sour
was actually identified. It's called OTOP1, which gives me real "Star Wars" vibes. According to scientists who study it, it is an unusual protein that allows protons to cross cell walls. So these days we know a bit
more about how it works, but what about the
question of why it works? Why do we evolve the
ability to taste sour? Being able to taste sweetness is critical to finding and consuming calories. We pick up salty taste because
salt is an essential nutrient for physiological processes, and bitter is a pretty good
signal of toxic material as most toxic foods
contain bitter alkaloids, but with sour, well, we're
just a lot less certain. There are tons of theories. One I find incredibly interesting is that having the ability to taste acids might have allowed our ancestors
to find past prime foods that were safe to eat. Rotted foods could have
made ancestral humans sick but if the rotting was done
by lactic acid bacteria, which acidifies the food and kills many potentially
harmful microbes, it would be safe to consume. Acids are indispensable in cooking. They increase saliva production and are particularly valuable
counter to rich fatty foods. Knowing how to balance acid and fat as we do in a vinaigrette and 1 million other preparations, is as valuable to a cook as
understanding how to use salt. Acid also counterbalances
sweetness, particularly in fruits. A super ripe juicy peach
is still packed with acids and that prevents the fruit
from being cloyingly sweet. Beyond taste, acids can also
physically change foods, particularly protein-rich ones. We'll see this in a minute, but before we head to the kitchen, let's talk about a few common acids. When it comes to acids
in fruits and vegetables, the two top dogs are malic
acid and citric acid. But the really interesting thing is that most fruits and
vegetables have an acid profile made up of a number of different acids. Malic is the predominant acid in fruits like apples, plums,
apricots, and cherries. Malic tastes like a Granny Smith apple and it lingers on the palate. Citric acid is the primary acid in citrus fruits, berries,
pomegranate, pears, and most tropical fruits. Citric is a quick sharp zing. Compared to malic, it is
more intense and short-lived. Tartaric acid, an important
acid in wine, is found in grapes but also shows up in
cherries, lemons, bananas, and even avocados. Ascorbic acid, aka, vitamin C, is found in citrus fruits,
tomatoes, strawberries, cantaloupe, potatoes, and
Brussels sprouts, to name a few. It is a vitamin our body needs, and it's a powerful antioxidant. It shows up in many packaged foods where oxidation can cause
off flavors and colors. You can find citric acid
right at your supermarket. It's often hanging out
with the canning supplies, and you can order the rest
of these easily online. Now, this is just a taste of acids. There are other important
acids in our kitchens, but I'm gonna save them for another time. Vinegar and its acedic acid is its own fascinating world. If you'd like to see
me do an episode on it, let me know in the comments. And lactic acid is also super interesting, but that belongs in a
fermentation episode, right? You want that one, too? Let me know. When we reach for lemons and limes to add sourness to a dish, in addition to acidity,
we also bring flavor, often a bunch of liquid and
sometimes different textures. Dry acids eliminate all of those factors. Why is that a good thing, Dan? Okay. Let's run through some uses. The classic vinaigrette
ratio is three to one. Now that's three parts oil
to one part acid solution like vinegar or lemon juice. By reaching for citric acid,
we can tweak this ratio. I love to add a pinch of citric acid to amp up acidity
without adding more water in the form of citrus juice, to balance the additional acidity and increase the oil from
three parts to four parts, and now I have a thicker,
more lush vinaigrette with a higher ratio of tasty olive oil while keeping the perfect
acid-to-fat balance. Next is fried foods. Now, we all want our fried
foods to stay nice and crispy and one of the surest ways to sog them out is to toss them with watery ingredients. Wanna make a nice lemon pepper
seasoning for chicken wings? Do as our friends over
at Cook's Country do and add a half a teaspoon, which is 3.5 grams,
citric acid to the mix. Your wings stay crispy and you get that sour
taste with no extra liquid. This tip also works great
on popcorn, potato chips, and many of our other crispy friends. It's also perfect for citrusy cookies where added liquid can
seriously impact things like gluten development and spread. But folks, that is just the beginning. With dry acids, we can take,
say, delicious orange juice and bring its pH down to
that of lemons and limes. Why? Because lime strength orange juice is so much more versatile. You can use it in any recipe that calls for lemon or lime juice. Here, I'm gonna put it to use in a mindbogglingly good cocktail by Cook's Illustrated senior
science research editor, Paul Adams. It's called the Creema di Leema, and it's essentially a Ramos gin fizz but with sweet, aromatic orange juice. Let's go to the kitchen. First, let's make our lime
strength orange juice. We mix two cups of orange juice with two teaspoon citric acid and one-and-a-half teaspoons malic acid until they're fully dissolved. The combo of these two acids
mimics the natural acid profile of orange juice. You can make this days in advance and stash it in the fridge, and then use it in any recipe that calls for lemon or lime juice. We're talking vinaigrette,
ceviche, orange curd, orange meringue pie. The possibilities are limitless. For the drink, we stir
together three ounces of gin, two ounces of heavy cream, one-and-a-half ounces simple
syrup, one large egg white, and a quarter teaspoon vanilla extract. Then, add a quarter cup
of our lime strength OJ. First, we dry shake until frothy, which takes about 30 seconds. Then we add ice and shake
for a full two minutes. We're after the luscious,
dense, foamy head you'll get on a good Ramos gin fizz. So we need to shake, shake, shake. Finally, we strain into
two large wine glasses. Add an ounce of soda water to each and stir gently to combine. Then just grab a friend and cheers. Mm, mm, mm, mm. That is so good. Now, I won't say it tastes
like a perfect creamsicle or a '90s mall Orange Julius, but, well, I mean, actually, that's exactly what it tastes like, and thanks to the pure
powdered acids in it, it's sharp and refreshing. You can make lime strength orange juice, tangerine juice, mandarin juice. You get the idea. You can use 'em in your favorite cocktail and non-alcoholic drink
recipes one to one, wherever it calls for lemon or lime juice. Wait, you know what I just thought of? Orangeade, lemonade but with
acid-adjusted orange juice. Who's gonna make it before I do? Huh? You're gonna make it? All right, it's a race. Okay, it's finally time
for dessert, posset. Now, I know it sounds like an animal, but it's actually one of the
simplest desserts you can make. It can be made well ahead and impresses so hard at the table. If you don't know posset
or have never made it, this is going to be a
game changer for you. Without egg yolks, flour,
corn starch or gelatin to coax it into setting, its transformation into a velvety delight literally seems like magic,
but really it's science. You combine and reduce
cream, sugar, and lemon zest and then strain and add lemon juice. Cooking denatures the
whey protein in the cream and concentrates the protein and fat. Dropping the pH with lemon juice causes the dissolved proteins, primarily casein, but also whey protein, to link up into a gel. After chilling, the cream sets into a plush, delicious custard. Now, the classic is lemon posset. We'll top ours with a
few fresh blueberries. It's incredible. Silky smooth, creamy, bright
with acidity and lemon flavor. Lemon desserts are great and all, but what I really love is grapefruit for its flavor and bitterness, but grapefruits pH is too high to get a properly set custard. Enter our new best friend, citric acid, and Cook's Illustrated senior
editor Annie Petito's recipe for grapefruit posset. We'll first make a solution of 40 grams citric acid
and 60 grams water. We only need one-and-a-half
teaspoons for this recipe, so you can store the rest in a jar at room temperature indefinitely, or use the rest to
descale your coffee maker, which you should be doing. We combine heavy cream,
sugar, and grapefruit zest in a medium sauce pan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. We'll continue to boil, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar, and we'll cook until the
mixture is reduced to two cups, which takes about 10 minutes. Next, we remove the
sauce pan from the heat and stir in our citric
fortified grapefruit juice. 20 minutes later, we strain
through a fine mesh strainer, divide the mixture evenly
among six individual ramekins, and chill for at least three hours. Look at this luscious custard. No eggs, no starch, just
cream, sugar, and acid. It's so good garnished with
some candied pistachios, creamy, perfectly tart, and
packed with grapefruit flavor. I gotta try all these. Let me grab a little
salad, a sip of cocktail, and a little bit of posset. This is without a doubt how to eat acid. Acids, with an s. I said acids, is how to eat acids. Whew! Thank you all so much for watching. Now, if you're interested in those episodes on vinegar
or lactic acid fermentation, let me know in the comments. While you're down there, you can grab the recipes from this show and every single episode
of "What's Eating Dan?" at cooksillustrated.com/whatseatingdan. There's a link right below. I hope this episode inspired you and you head out and
grab some powdered acids and start playing around with them. If you're highly interested in acid adjusting in
cocktails, in general, I can't recommend enough "Liquid Intelligence" by Dave Arnold. Thanks again for watching.
I'll see you all next time.
