Agar Agar Flakes / Powder

[Guest guest]

Has anyone got an experience using agar agar flakes vs. powder? I have a

recipe that calls for agar agar flakes and it specifies the measured amount

but in brackets it gives the weight as 2 ounces. She states in the recipe

that different brands of agar flakes are cut differently so you may get poor

results using the measured amount and she recommends using the 2 ounce

weight instead for best results.

 

I'm in Australia and I cannot find agar agar flakes anywhere, but I can

easily find agar agar powder. Do they work interchangeably? As long as I

weigh it and use exactly 2 ounces, would it work the same?

 

Thanks for any help you can offer, I'd appreciate it.

 

Anna

[Guest guest]

hi anna

yes, i'm sure if you're going by weight you can use the powder and

flakes interchangeably.

best wishes

alice

 

On 4 May 2008, at 17:12, Coop wrote:

 

> Has anyone got an experience using agar agar flakes vs. powder? I have

> a

> recipe that calls for agar agar flakes and it specifies the measured

> amount

> but in brackets it gives the weight as 2 ounces. She states in the

> recipe

> that different brands of agar flakes are cut differently so you may

> get poor

> results using the measured amount and she recommends using the 2 ounce

> weight instead for best results.

>

> I'm in Australia and I cannot find agar agar flakes anywhere, but I

> can

> easily find agar agar powder. Do they work interchangeably? As long

> as I

> weigh it and use exactly 2 ounces, would it work the same?

>

> Thanks for any help you can offer, I'd appreciate it.

>

> Anna

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Alice!

 

 

On 4/5/08 5:01 PM, " Alice Leonard " <alice wrote:

 

hi anna

yes, i'm sure if you're going by weight you can use the powder and flakes interchangeably.

best wishes

alice

 

On 4 May 2008, at 17:12, Coop wrote:

 

Has anyone got an experience using agar agar flakes vs. powder? I have a

recipe that calls for agar agar flakes and it specifies the measured amount

but in brackets it gives the weight as 2 ounces. She states in the recipe

that different brands of agar flakes are cut differently so you may get poor

results using the measured amount and she recommends using the 2 ounce

weight instead for best results.

 

I'm in Australia and I cannot find agar agar flakes anywhere, but I can

easily find agar agar powder. Do they work interchangeably? As long as I

weigh it and use exactly 2 ounces, would it work the same?

 

Thanks for any help you can offer, I'd appreciate it.

 

Anna

[Guest guest]

, Coop <rodstruelove wrote:

>

> Has anyone got an experience using agar agar flakes vs. powder?

 

[snip]

 

> Do they work interchangeably?

 

It's been my experience that you need far less of the powder than of

the flakes, though I don't have an accurate enough kitchen scale to

measure things that precisely by weight to experiment. Even buying

flakes, there is a fair bit of variability from brand to brand. So for

me, the bottom line is to test as I go and keep records of how much is

needed of a particular brand for the particular recipe. If you're

making something for a crowd or a special occasion, you could always

do a dry run... what are you making with them, by the way?

 

If you do find that 2oz powder achieves the same result as the 2oz of

flakes called for, though, please post back to the list. It might be

one more excuse...er...reason for me to finally get a decent kitchen

scale I'm curious to hear how things turn out for you.

 

HTH,

Colleen

[Guest guest]

Thanks Colleen,

 

I am a bit worried about it — since it’s my first time trying this recipe, I don’t know how to expect it to turn out. I didn’t mention the specific recipe because it’s definitely not fat-free, but I picked up “The Real Food Daily Cookbook” after reading good things about it and she’s got a recipe for Cashew Cheddar Cheese that I wanted to try. It’s supposed to be able to be used as a cheese sauce if you use it right after making it, or you can put it in a container in the fridge for 4 hours and it should harden enough you can shred or slice it. She says if you are not happy with the consistency or texture then blame the agar flakes because they are cut different from brand to brand, so she tends to go by weight.

 

I’ve already got one strike against me as I don’t have a food processor, at least not the type she’d be using in the recipe. But I do have a very small Oscar for chopping small amounts of stuff, and I have a very good blender, so I’m hoping between the two it may still work well enough. I will let you know how it turns out, I’m hoping to try it this weekend.

 

Anna

 

 

On 5/5/08 12:03 PM, " davis_colleen " <davis_colleen wrote:

 

> Has anyone got an experience using agar agar flakes vs. powder?

> Do they work interchangeably?

 

It's been my experience that you need far less of the powder than of

the flakes, though I don't have an accurate enough kitchen scale to

measure things that precisely by weight to experiment. Even buying

flakes, there is a fair bit of variability from brand to brand. So for

me, the bottom line is to test as I go and keep records of how much is

needed of a particular brand for the particular recipe. If you're

making something for a crowd or a special occasion, you could always

do a dry run... what are you making with them, by the way?

 

If you do find that 2oz powder achieves the same result as the 2oz of

flakes called for, though, please post back to the list. It might be

one more excuse...er...reason for me to finally get a decent kitchen

scale I'm curious to hear how things turn out for you.

 

HTH,

Colleen

[Guest guest]

Hi Anna,

 

I was wondering what you were making with the agar--now I know! I just wanted to chime in to say that I hope it's a recipe for a big batch of cashew cheese because 2 ounces of agar powder is a HUGE amount. I buy it in packages at the Asian grocery store--the Telephone brand--and a whole package is only .88 of an ounce. That package lasts me a very long time, so I have a hard time imagining using more than 2 packages in one recipe. My rule of thumb for substituting flakes for powder is 1 tablespoon of flakes equals 1 teaspoon of powder, but I don't know how that translates in terms of weight.

 

Just as a point of comparison, I use a teaspoon of the powder to make "fruit gels"--

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/08/fruit-gel-babies.html --made with 2 cups of liquid. They get very firm, like the jello cups you can buy in the non-refrigerated section of the grocery store. One teaspoon weights about 4 grams, or .14 of an ounce. So you're going to need over 14 teaspoons of agar powder to equal 2 ounces. That's such a lot! I hope your recipe calls for a whole lot of liquid.

 

Susan

 

-------------Susan VoisinFatFree Vegan Kitchenhttp://blog.fatfreevegan.com-------------

 

-

Coop

Monday, May 05, 2008 4:40 AM

Re: Re: Agar Agar Flakes / Powder

Thanks Colleen,I am a bit worried about it — since it’s my first time trying this recipe, I don’t know how to expect it to turn out. I didn’t mention the specific recipe because it’s definitely not fat-free, but I picked up “The Real Food Daily Cookbook” after reading good things about it and she’s got a recipe for Cashew Cheddar Cheese that I wanted to try. It’s supposed to be able to be used as a cheese sauce if you use it right after making it, or you can put it in a container in the fridge for 4 hours and it should harden enough you can shred or slice it. She says if you are not happy with the consistency or texture then blame the agar flakes because they are cut different from brand to brand, so she tends to go by weight.I’ve already got one strike against me as I don’t have a food processor, at least not the type she’d be using in the recipe. But I do have a very small Oscar for chopping small amounts of stuff, and I have a very good blender, so I’m hoping between the two it may still work well enough. I will let you know how it turns out, I’m hoping to try it this weekend.Anna

[Guest guest]

Hi Susan!

 

There are 3-1/2 cups soymilk in the recipe, 1/2 cup oil, 1/4 cup yellow miso and 2 tablespoons lemon juice ... the dry ingredients are 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, 1-1/4 cups raw cashews and 1 or 2 teaspoons each of a few different seasonings. Then, of course, the one cup (about 2 ounces) agar flakes. I value your opinion ... If you were going to attempt this recipe, and you didn’t have flakes, how much powder would you use? I have since found a source of the flakes online, but it cost $14.35 including shipping for a 30g package. If my calculations are correct, that’s just over one ounce, so I’d need 2 packages — I’d rather not order that much if the powder will work or this is going to be very expensive cheese!

 

It says the recipe makes 4 cups of cheese, and my packets of agar powder are also .88 ounce. I know with the flakes she says that it’s best to go by weight rather than measure, but maybe with the powder I shouldn’t try to match the weight. I’ve seen on another blog where they say 1 TBSP flakes = 1/2 tsp powder. I really don’t want to waste all of my ingredients and have it not turn out.

 

On another note — this is my first experience with miso as well, and I thought it would come in a jar, but the only kind I could find here is in a plastic pouch not easily resealable. Once opened, does it keep well? Do I need to refrigerate it? Any advise would be appreciated. I thought I might transfer it to a jar and put it in the fridge. There are no instructions on the package (at least not in English) as I could only find it at the Asian grocery store.

 

Anna

 

 

 

On 5/5/08 10:12 PM, " Susan Voisin " <susan wrote:

 

Hi Anna,

 

I was wondering what you were making with the agar--now I know! I just wanted to chime in to say that I hope it's a recipe for a big batch of cashew cheese because 2 ounces of agar powder is a HUGE amount. I buy it in packages at the Asian grocery store--the Telephone brand--and a whole package is only .88 of an ounce. That package lasts me a very long time, so I have a hard time imagining using more than 2 packages in one recipe. My rule of thumb for substituting flakes for powder is 1 tablespoon of flakes equals 1 teaspoon of powder, but I don't know how that translates in terms of weight.

 

Just as a point of comparison, I use a teaspoon of the powder to make " fruit gels " --

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/08/fruit-gel-babies.html --made with 2 cups of liquid. They get very firm, like the jello cups you can buy in the non-refrigerated section of the grocery store. One teaspoon weights about 4 grams, or .14 of an ounce. So you're going to need over 14 teaspoons of agar powder to equal 2 ounces. That's such a lot! I hope your recipe calls for a whole lot of liquid.

 

Susan

 

-------------

Susan Voisin

FatFree Vegan Kitchen

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com

-------------

[Guest guest]

I use it I put it in soups beans anything that I want a stock base.

Eva Ritsema

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[Guest guest]

Hi Anna,

 

About the miso, I also buy it in those packages at the Asian market. You need to refrigerate it after opening (you could put the opened bag into a ziplock bag) but it does keep for a really long time. It takes me forever to use up one bag, and I've never had it go bad.

 

I wish I knew what to tell you about your cheese recipe. I've never made one like that and wouldn't know where to begin. I really wish I could be of some help but wouldn't want to give you the wrong info.

 

Susan

-------------Susan VoisinFatFree Vegan Kitchenhttp://blog.fatfreevegan.com-------------

 

-

Coop

Monday, May 05, 2008 4:43 PM

Re: Re: Agar Agar Flakes / Powder

Hi Susan!There are 3-1/2 cups soymilk in the recipe, 1/2 cup oil, 1/4 cup yellow miso and 2 tablespoons lemon juice ... the dry ingredients are 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, 1-1/4 cups raw cashews and 1 or 2 teaspoons each of a few different seasonings. Then, of course, the one cup (about 2 ounces) agar flakes. I value your opinion ... If you were going to attempt this recipe, and you didn’t have flakes, how much powder would you use? I have since found a source of the flakes online, but it cost $14.35 including shipping for a 30g package. If my calculations are correct, that’s just over one ounce, so I’d need 2 packages — I’d rather not order that much if the powder will work or this is going to be very expensive cheese!It says the recipe makes 4 cups of cheese, and my packets of agar powder are also .88 ounce. I know with the flakes she says that it’s best to go by weight rather than measure, but maybe with the powder I shouldn’t try to match the weight. I’ve seen on another blog where they say 1 TBSP flakes = 1/2 tsp powder. I really don’t want to waste all of my ingredients and have it not turn out.On another note — this is my first experience with miso as well, and I thought it would come in a jar, but the only kind I could find here is in a plastic pouch not easily resealable. Once opened, does it keep well? Do I need to refrigerate it? Any advise would be appreciated. I thought I might transfer it to a jar and put it in the fridge. There are no instructions on the package (at least not in English) as I could only find it at the Asian grocery store.Anna

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Susan. While I know it’s not a fat free recipe, I will let you know how it turned out!

 

Anna

 

 

On 8/5/08 7:40 AM, " Susan Voisin " <susan wrote:

 

 

 

 

Hi Anna,

 

About the miso, I also buy it in those packages at the Asian market. You need to refrigerate it after opening (you could put the opened bag into a ziplock bag) but it does keep for a really long time. It takes me forever to use up one bag, and I've never had it go bad.

 

I wish I knew what to tell you about your cheese recipe. I've never made one like that and wouldn't know where to begin. I really wish I could be of some help but wouldn't want to give you the wrong info.

 

Susan

-------------

Susan Voisin

FatFree Vegan Kitchen

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com

-------------

[Guest Potkas7]

Yes, I have experience in using agar agar. The measurements for flakes and the powdered form are not interchangeable.  Gram for Gram the powder is a much more powerful setting agent so you only need about half as much.  I once made the mistake of using a tablespoon of agar powder in a recipe that called for a tablespoon agar flakes.  I ended up with a hockey puck!  However, if you make that mistake don't despair.  There's nothing fatally wrong with the mixture.  It can be revived with a blender and some liquid to thin it out.