Cooking with Citric Acid 101 (2024)

FAQs

How much citric acid to use in cooking? ›

One teaspoon (5 grams) of citric acid is equal in acidity to about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of lemon juice. Thus, only a very small amount is required, and you'll need to make recipe adjustments.

You can replace citric acid with white vinegar or lemon juice. Use around 1/3rd of a cup of white vinegar, or around 1/3rd of a cup of lemon juice. You will get a mild to moderate flavor of the substitute acidifying agent.

Citric acid may be good for you, but in higher amounts may cause damage to your tooth enamel, digestive issues, allergic reactions, and interactions with medications. Most people do not need to supplement citric acid, though. Citric acid is a weak organic acid found in many foods.

Check out the ingredients list on many processed foods and you'll find that citric acid is a common additive. But outside of food manufacturing, chefs are just beginning to discover that citric acid is a powerhouse ingredient and a valuable cooking staple.

Citric acid solution— Dissolve 2.0 g of Citric Acid Monohydrate in about 10 mL of water, dilute with water to 30 mL, and mix.

Some creams include citric acid to help clear up skin infections. Other citric acid drugs that you take by mouth can lower the amount of acid in your urine. This can help prevent kidney stones. You might also take citric acid for metabolic acidosis, a buildup of acid inside your body.

Fabrizio Zago's* studies on both products when using washing-machine showed that acetic acid (vinegar) is more aggressive and corrosive than citric acid when it comes in contact with nickel and other metal. In fact, the wastewater of a wash using acetic acid carries more metals than the one using citric acid.

Vinegar is mild like citric acid, and gives a similar sour flavor. To use as a substitute, start by tripling the amount of vinegar for citric acid in the recipe, and add more to taste. The reason for this is that vinegar is a much weaker acid than citric acid, so you need more to get the same effect.

Electronic screens: Citric acid can harm the protective layer on electronic screens found on computers, TVs, phones, and laptops. Instead, use plain tap water and a microfiber cloth to clean electronic screens.

What cancels out citric acid? ›

You can use a strong base like NaOH (sodium hydroxide) to neutralize citric acid. If you do not have access to NaOH, something like sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) will also neutralize citric acid well.

Use citric acid as you would more familiar seasonings—sparingly but often. With citric acid, a little goes a long way, so add it slowly and taste as you go. Add a pinch to soups, pasta sauces, marinades, or even dry rubs. If you're unsure how much to use, follow the general rule that ¼ tsp.

It has an antioxidant characteristic, used as a preservative in food. Furthermore, it has a protective effect on liver tissue, besides playing an important role in intermediate metabolism, since it is one of the components of the Krebs cycle (Abdel-Salam et al., 2018; Vinholes et al., 2018).

Citric Acid is very effective in maintaining healthy skin, hair and overall health. But anything in excess can have a damaging effect and so is the case with Citric Acid as well. When taken in moderation, Citric Acid makes your hair increasingly soft, smooth, glossy, adding thickness and volume to your hair.

Here are some examples:For cleaning: The recommended range is typically 30 to 60 grams of citric acid per liter of water (or 50 to 100 ml of liquid citric acid). For food or beverages: The amount is much smaller, based on taste preference. You might start with a teaspoon or less and adjust to your liking.

¼ teaspoon powdered Citric Acid is equivalent to 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. 1 teaspoon powdered Citric Acid is equivalent to ¼ cup lemon juice (4 Tablespoons). Citric Acid lowers pH and imparts tartness to the fruit mixture, but it doesn't add a particular flavor.

Add ½ teaspoon per quart or ¼ teaspoon per pint. Citric acid also is used to preserve the color of fresh cut fruit or as a pretreatment for frozen and dried fruit (see Color Enhancers and Colorants section). Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, should never be used to acidify foods.

To descale your coffee maker with citric acid, aim for a 20 percent acid solution. Usually, this means you'll add 2 tablespoons of powder per quart of water.