Description
A gelling agent derived from red algae, agar agar is a good substitute for animal gelatin and pectins. Discover molecular cooking.
Recipes: jellies, hot mousses, aspics, light jams...
Agar-agar is a natural vegetable gelling agent, made from dried, washed and cooked red seaweed: the resulting gels are then pressed into sheets. These leaves are then cut and ground into powder.
Agar-agar is generally used at 2g for 200 to 500ml of final preparation, depending on the texture of the desired jelly. The higher the concentration (e.g. 2g for 200ml), the firmer and more brittle your jelly will be. An agar-based preparation can be heated up to 70°C without melting! Ideal for terrines, mousses and hot creams.
Adding a little sugar to the agar during incorporation facilitates its dispersion.
A preparation to be gelled with agar must be fairly liquid and always contain a little "available" water, i.e. no emulsion, undiluted syrup or pure alcohol.
Has the agar mixture turned to jelly before you poured it into your molds? Don't panic, it can be melted by heating it to a temperature above 70°C.
Thanks to its nutritional properties, agar-agar is an ally of slimming diets. It is not caloric and supports the digestion like the elimination of toxins.
2 g of agar agar is equivalent to 3 sheets of gelatin (about 16 g), it is 8 times more powerful.
