Origins of agar-agar?
Agar-agar is a natural gelling agent made from red algae. These are dried, washed, crushed boiled and turned into a gel. The gel is pressed into a film and cut. Strips are then ground into powder.
A landmark in traditional Japanese cuisine for more than a thousand years, key ingredient in the "Okinawa diet", agar has been used by the food industry for many years.
Where use agar and what for?
Agar is much used as a cooking aid in particular to replace animal based gelatin in many dishes: aspic, terrine, mousse, creme chantilly, pannacotta cream, bavarois/entremet, etc.
Info: 2 g of agar agar are the same as 3 strips of gelatin (approximately 16 g), so it is 8 times stronger !
Agar is used in molecular cuisine recipes: spaghetti, mousse, hot espumas, various jellies, alcohol jelly cubes... etc.
Thanks to its nutritional quality agar is an ally in slimming diets. It has a very poor caloric value, improves digestion and encourages toxin elimination. Agar is a key ingredient in low calorie cream, home made preserves and of course the “seaweed diet”.
Agar plus
- Natural gelling agent
- Easy to use
- Easy to prepare with good shape keeping on removing from mould
- Slimming aid
How to use Agar-agar?
Use 2 g (1 sachet) for 200 to 500 ml preparation depending on required texture. The more agar, the harder and more breakable the gel (for example: 2 g for 200 ml). Agar is a versatile gelling ingredient.
Agar must be well dispersed and heated for ideal gelling.
- Disperse agar by sprinkling over liquid solution.
- Mix with a long neck blender to eliminate any lumps.
- Bring to boil allowing a few minutes to melt while stirring.
- Allow the food to rest in a cool spot until it sets (around 40-50°C).
Notes
- A food preparation using agar can be heated up to 70°C without melting! Perfect for your terrines, hot mousse and hot cream dishes.
- Premixing agar with a little sugar will help disperse agar.
- When using agar prefer liquid low solids solutions with “available water”: avoid emulsions, pure syrups and spirits.
- Agar provides a reversible gel so if you find you need to remelt your jelly (at above 90°C). Don’t hesitate; it will set again just the same.
- Make your gel more pliable or creamy by adding 1 g tara gum to 2 g agar for 300 ml final preparation.
- Cutting down your egg consumption? Use agar to replace eggs in a vegetarian flan.
| Ingredient description | Kalys’s agar is extracted from Gelidium algae. Mostly hand picked, this high quality agar is effective even when little is used. |
|---|---|
| Code alimentaire | E406 |
| Durée de conservation | 6 month |
| Condition de conservation | Store in a dry and cool place in its original packaging. |
| Kosher Certified | Yes |
