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preservation Citirc Acid instead of vinegar?
- Thread starter BenVanned
- Start date
salsalady
Business Member
yes, citric acid will work instead of vinegar, citrus, etc. I think it will have a tart flavor, though. Seems like I heard citric acid is the stuff they use in super-sour candies. Mix a little bit (1/8 tsp???) in 1/2 cup water and give it a taste before using it in your sauce. You can also add some sweetness to your sauce to balance out the tart.
Good Luck, have fun~
Good Luck, have fun~
Citric acid is a superior stabilizer. It is derived from citrus fruit and purified as a solid. As such it does not evaporate or boil off, so it has no stink like vinegar. You can formulate citric with alkaline bases (bicarbonate), to form buffers, which can nail a given ph. The final product will be very resistant to change in ph with addition of ingredients.
All in all, citric acid is great stuff to have around the home and kitchen -- it is safe, cuts calcium scum and removes iron stains without damage to fine fabrics etc. By the way, if you rinse wool and silk fabrics with a little citric, it gives a super soft hand without the stink of vinegar.
All in all, citric acid is great stuff to have around the home and kitchen -- it is safe, cuts calcium scum and removes iron stains without damage to fine fabrics etc. By the way, if you rinse wool and silk fabrics with a little citric, it gives a super soft hand without the stink of vinegar.
so i can remove blood stains and make hot sauce with it? sounds like the miracle substance.
I've used citric acid before (sour salts) in powdered form in hobby batches. It's also supposed to be an excellent color stabilizer.
That said, I disagree that it "doesn't affect the flavor" - it absolutely affects flavor. 1 tsp of citric acid is equivalent to like the juice of like 10 limes - it's sour, and so you're going to make your sauce more sour by using it.
That said, I disagree that it "doesn't affect the flavor" - it absolutely affects flavor. 1 tsp of citric acid is equivalent to like the juice of like 10 limes - it's sour, and so you're going to make your sauce more sour by using it.
Dunno about that - you'll have to experiment. It is intensely concentrated though.
It's impossible to tell you how much to use since I don't know your other ingredients are or what the baseline pH of the sauce is. Plus I'm not a food scientist.
One of those things where you need to check, add, check, add, check, add, etc.
But I do know you can always add more but you cannot take it out so add judiciously.
It's impossible to tell you how much to use since I don't know your other ingredients are or what the baseline pH of the sauce is. Plus I'm not a food scientist.
One of those things where you need to check, add, check, add, check, add, etc.
But I do know you can always add more but you cannot take it out so add judiciously.
You may be thinking of lime, like quick-lime or Calcium Oxide. I'm talking about lime like the citrus fruit used to prevent scurvy. Citric Acid will not help you dispose of a body. It will however make one into a giant lick-em-aid stick when mixed with cane sugar.
Citric Acid is also used in Cheese Making to both control the PH and to form the curd (I typically make Mozzeralla). I had not considered it's use for the base of a sauce, but I have added it to my standard "fire extinguisher" used in place of Prilosec OTC) when I have heart burn. It adds a "fine" carbonation to the drink when used in conjunction with Baking Soda... Ideas are popping out of my head as we speak. 
Citric / bicarbonate mixed together as dry powders make great 'engines' for propelling all kinds of toy vehicles and projects.
Rocket engines, model volcanoes, jet boats etc. When the well-blended powders are wet the reaction generates carbon dioxide gas. Depending on the design of the container and the outlet for the gas, your imagination is the limit. Fun and safe entertainment as long as you don't use glass containers or get crazy with oversize restricting containers.
Think of the Mentos in the Coke bottle craze.
We ol’ farts were doing a similar thing with plastic bottles, citric and bicarb - 50 years ago.
Rocket engines, model volcanoes, jet boats etc. When the well-blended powders are wet the reaction generates carbon dioxide gas. Depending on the design of the container and the outlet for the gas, your imagination is the limit. Fun and safe entertainment as long as you don't use glass containers or get crazy with oversize restricting containers.
Think of the Mentos in the Coke bottle craze.
We ol’ farts were doing a similar thing with plastic bottles, citric and bicarb - 50 years ago.
Any acid you add to change the pH is going to make the sauce more tart, the more you use. Your two main options are to get a pH test kit and only put in as much as needed OR put less in and freeze the sauce in quantities you'd use up before it spoils in the refrigerator. I suppose canning could be considered another alternative to freezing, but still kept in the fridge after opening and a quantity used up soon.