Cooking With Agar Agar

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Cooking with Agar

 

Agar is a natural gelatin that can be used in recipes that call for conventional

bovine gelatin. Gelatin is a slaughterhouse by-product derived from collagen,

animal hides, skin and crushed bones. Agar is derived from an edible sea

vegetable and is rich in iodine, calcium, phosphorous and trace elements.

Desserts made with agar set at room temperature unlike gelatin, which must be

chilled.

 

You can buy agar in flakes, powder, or bars. To substitute agar in a recipe that

uses gelatin, you need three times as much agar as the amount of gelatin called

for in the recipe. Three teaspoons agar gels 1 cup of liquid. When citrus juice

is in the recipe, you may need to use slightly more agar. Agar flakes should be

soaked in liquid to dissolve before being stirred or cooked, just sprinkle onto

the surface of the liquid in the recipe and soak for 10 minutes.

 

Unlike gelatin, agar can be reheated after it has gelled and then allowed to set

up again. This is helpful when experimenting with using agar in a recipe. Look

for agar flakes at your health food store.

 

- Deborah Flowers

 

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| For the memory of the uncompromisingly righteous is a blessing, |

| Proverbs 10:7a |

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