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Prawnil
Aug 30th, 2009, 12:23 AM
Has anybody ever had any jelly successes with agar?

I tried it for the first time yesterday and, drastic failure. I think I used too much (flakes), tablespoon per cup of liquid was the guide, because it came out looking, feeling and ramming like agar does when it's set for bacterial plates - the way it jelly-fractures instead of wobbling, & that odd savoury smell it has (like some kind of off-caramel bred with moss).

So has anyone managed? I imagine there're some desserts from somewhere that traditionally use it. And how does Pectin compare? Do low concentrations set?

fiamma
Aug 30th, 2009, 02:03 PM
I made some vegan Panna Cotta using soya cream, sugar, vanilla and agar. It's a case of trial and error, I fear: try adding half the amount you used before. One technique I found useful was dropping a little of my boiling agar mixture into cold water, or ice-cold water; that way you can tell what the consistency will be cold and you can make the necessary adjustments withut ruining a whole dish.

No experience with pectin, I'm afraid, but I think it's for jams (jelly for USers) rather than jellies (Jell-O). There's also arrowroot, but again that's for sauces I think; however used in large enough quantities I think it produces an effect similar to agar.


Good luck, if you need any more help just ask. :)