Agar Agar Powder FunCakes 50g

What is Agar-Agar?

Agar-agar is a white powder which, when dissolved in a liquid and brought to the boil, forms a firm gel when cooled. It is ideal for recipes where a vegetable gelling agent is required.

Dosage

Agar-agar is much more powerful than gelatine: 1 gram of agar-agar can gel approximately 100 ml of liquid.

Here are the most common dosages:

• For a firm consistency: 1 gram of agar-agar per 100 ml of liquid.
• For a softer consistency: 0.5 grams of agar-agar per 100 ml of liquid.

Note: In general, agar-agar is about 8 times stronger than gelatine, so you need much less agar-agar to achieve the same gelling effect.

Example of conversion: For a recipe requiring 10 g of gelatine powder

Divide by 8 to obtain the amount of agar-agar needed: 10 g / 8 ≈ 1.25 g agar-agar.

Instructions for use

1. Mix with cold liquid: Dissolve the agar-agar powder in the cold liquid (water, juice, fruit purée, etc.) before heating it. This prevents lumps from forming.
2. Bring to the boil: Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly. Agar-agar doesn't activate until it reaches 85°C, so it needs to come to a rolling boil to gel properly.
3. Boil for at least 30 seconds: To ensure that the agar-agar is properly activated, leave the mixture to boil for 1 to 2 minutes while continuing to stir.
4. Pour and leave to cool: Pour the mixture immediately into the desired mould or container, as agar-agar begins to gel as it cools. Leave to cool at room temperature or refrigerate to speed up the process.

Tips and advice

• Avoid strong acids: Highly acidic liquids, such as certain fruit juices (lemon, kiwi, pineapple), can inhibit the gelling power of agar-agar. If you use acidic ingredients, you may need to adjust the amount of agar-agar.
• Do not refreeze: Once gelled, agar-agar does not remix well if reheated, unlike gelatine.
• Setting test: If you're not sure how much agar-agar to use, do a small test with a small amount of liquid to adjust the dosage before preparing your full recipe.

Recipes Using Agar-Agar

1. Fruit jellies: Mix fruit juice with agar-agar, bring to the boil, then pour into moulds to obtain firm, tasty jellies.
2. Vegan pannacotta: Use agar-agar to gel a mixture of vegetable milk, sugar and vanilla for a delicious pannacotta.
3. Fruit tarts: Add agar-agar to your fruit tart filling to hold it together.
4. Flans and creams: Prepare flans or dessert creams using agar-agar to obtain a firm texture without gelatine.

Product characteristics

Ingredients: thickener: E406.

Nutritional values per 100g: 720 KJ / 172kcal Fat: 0.1g, of which 0.1g saturated saccharides: 0.4g, of which 0.0g protein. Protein: 0.1g. Sodium: 0.0g.

This product is: Halal certified.

With these instructions, you're ready to use agar-agar in your baking recipes and experiment with new textures and flavours. Happy baking!