Wen/Li Yuanyuan nutritionist
The "gum" of various thickening effects (professionally called thickeners) is often seen in many processed foods.
When it comes to "gum", many friends are a little scared. In fact, in life, a lot of "gum" is also very close to us.
Especially when making pastries, everyone needs to operate the gum themselves, and you can witness the magical role of the gum through.
For example, the popular desserts of mousse, jelly, pudding, and yokan all require the use of this special magic weapon --- gum.
Everyone's most cooked gums are gelatin, agar, carrageenan, jelly powder, etc., their role is similar, nothing more than the "solidification" of the ingredients, increase elasticity, of course, the shiny appearance also helps to enhance your appetite.
But what exactly is the difference between them? Can they be substituted for each other? How to use it?
First, geelistin: the most "frequent customer" of home baking glue
ps: The previous article has specifically talked about it, link:
In a nutshell, gileatin, is essentially a protein. In fact, it is the "collagen" extracted from animal bones, animal skins or fish skins, so it is also called "fish glue" or "gelatin". It is widely used in mousse, jelly and pudding desserts. There are two kinds of gelatin powder and gelatin tablets.
The use of the two is not too much difference. Probably it is to soak the gelatin powder or gelatin tablets in cold boiled water first, wait for the foam, then slowly heat until melted, and then add to the ingredients that need to be solidified as needed.
Second, agar: suitable for making yokan and cold cakes
Source: Gelatin comes from "meat" and agar comes from "vegetarian".
Agar is a polysaccharide extracted from seaweed such as seaweed, also known as watercress, laver gum, etc., yellow-white transparent flakes, filaments or powders, and is also another widely used thickener. Agar can significantly improve the gel properties of food and change the texture of food, but it is also more expensive.
This guy can often be seen in many cold dishes and snacks.
Use: When the agar is in use, it is necessary to soak it in cold water in advance, and the agar will expand to about 4 times the size after full soaking, and then pour water and heat it until it melts. Compared to gelatin, agar is more difficult to melt and needs to be boiled in boiling water for a few minutes to fully melt. Difficult to melt means easy to solidify, once the water temperature drops below 40 ° C, the agar will immediately solidify, so it is solid at room temperature, without the need to refrigerate or freeze.
Uses: Agar is easy to solidify, its taste is harder than gilliding, suitable for making pastries such as yokan, cold cakes, etc., of course, it can also be used to make jelly, pudding, but the taste is not as q-bomb as gilltin. And the mousse is not suitable for making with agar, otherwise it will completely lose its tender taste. Similarly, desserts such as yokan are not suitable for gelatin, otherwise the taste will lose its moistness. Therefore, gelatin and agar can not be used interchangeably.
Third, carrageenan: make jelly taste the best
Source: The name is also translated from English (carrageenan). Similar to agar, it is also a polysaccharide extracted from seaweed, and according to the different seaweeds extracted, it is also known as unicorn gum, stone cauliflower gum, staghorn gum, carrageenan and so on.
Uses: Carrageenan itself has a sticky and smooth taste and elasticity, so the jelly made of carrageenan is particularly elastic. In contrast, jelly made of agar is not only inelastic, but also more expensive. Jelly made of gilled needs to be made and stored at low temperatures, increasing energy consumption and being troublesome. Coupled with the fact that the stability of the gelatin is stronger than them, the price is also cheaper, so carrageenan shows obvious advantages in making jelly.
Smart merchants naturally do not miss such a very cost-effective thickener, often used to replace the general agar, gelatin, pectin and other thickeners for the production of large jelly.
Use: Carrageenan water solubility is very good, add it to water, at 70 ° C began to dissolve, 80 ° C is completely dissolved, room temperature can solidify into a gel, and long-term placement will not reduce its gel strength and viscosity, even if repeated heating gel is still very good.
Fourth, jelly powder: can be used directly to make jelly
Source: Jelly powder is a product of reprocessing, the composition is not as simple as gelatin or agar, but by "sugar, thickeners (gelatin, konjac gum, carrageenan) and the corresponding taste and color of flavor, pigment, etc.", so it can be taken directly to make jelly, when used directly add water to mix, convenient and fast, the taste is also good.
Uses: Of course, carrageenan, gelatin or agar can also be used to make jelly, but these gums also need to be mixed with other ingredients and proportions when used. Although it is not as convenient as jelly powder, you can add your favorite ingredients as you like, and the taste can also be eclectic, which is "unattainable" for many friends. Therefore, the two categories have their own advantages, and they are just fine according to the situation.
Fifth, mirror pectin: directly used in mousse, fruit pie, cheesecake surface
Source: Similar to jelly powder, it is also a reprocessed product that is easy to use. The main ingredients are "sugar + water + various food additives based on thickeners (agar, pectin, etc.)." It seems that although it is called mirror pectin, the gum inside is often more than just "pectin".
Uses: When making mousse cake, fruit pie, cream cake or cheesecake, brush a layer of mirror pectin on the surface, which not only has the role of fixing decorative ingredients such as fruits, but also has the effect of moisturizing and protecting the color, of course, it can also bring a layer of attractive luster to the surface of the pastry, such as mirror surface, so that the dessert value is better and the appetite is more open.
Use: Solid at room temperature, it needs to be gently stirred to soften into a flowing gelatinous liquid, or an appropriate amount of juice can be added at the same time to help flavor. Then brush on the surface of the pastry before solidifying.
If you don't have ready-made mirror pectin, mix yourself with jelly or jam with water and heat it in the microwave until it melts can also be used as temporary mirror pectin.
In general, different gums have different characteristics, no glue can "dominate the world", and it is still necessary to choose the required coagulant according to the dessert to be made and their own plan.