Agar Agar

While gelatin is not cooked, Agar agar must be boiled in liquid for at least 30 seconds and then cooled to jell.

Its jellification power is 8 times greater than that of gelatin. 1g Agar = 8g  gelatin. Use 2 gr of Agar for ½ liter of liquid. The dosage has to be precise.

Gelatin provides creamy consistencies while the texture obtained with Agar is firmer, even crunchy.

Important Note: In pastry making, Agar does not freeze well and makes water when thawing.

Description

Called Kanten in Japan, Agar agar is an extract of red algae belonging to the Rhodophyceae family. After abundant washing , it is dried and then subjected to a boil, thus providing a mucilage which, dried, is in the form of thin strips, transparent and curled. The agar is then pulverized. It has the power to absorb a large amount of fluids.

How to use Agar agar

Dilute Agar agar in a little water or liquid and mix the rest of this dilution preparation to your original quantity of liquid. For the agar agar to act, it must be heated to a temperature of 85 ° C; you can bring the whole preparation to a boil, but it is not necessary, you can actually preheat the dilution and mix with the rest. Since Agar agar is nearly eight times more jellifying than animal gelatin and the fact that it is odorless and colorless after gelation allows it to grant any sort of preparations: desserts, creams, sauces, jellies and jams. For jams, add the agar agar previously diluted in a little water after cooking; agar keeps the best taste and nutritional qualities of fresh fruit by limiting their cooking time. For jellied water, add 4 g of agar to 1 liter of water, simply diluting the powder in the liquid, together with any flavoring syrup, and bringing the assembly to a boil for 1 minute.