Agar agar derived from seaweed is the strongest gelling component used in the confectionery industry. With its help, marmalade, cheeses, jellies, meat and fish jellies, ice cream are prepared, as it helps to prevent the formation of ice crystals, as well as juices, since it has the ability to lighten them. When preparing jellies, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that its gelling properties decrease when heated to eighty degrees, the optimum temperature for the formation of jelly mass is forty-five degrees Celsius.
Agar-agar is widely used in the food industry. The amount of it that is added to the products depends on the standards for them, as well as on the recipe used. For example, in the confectionery industry, this is approximately one percent of the mass of the finished product. It is used as a stabilizer (E406), as well as for the preparation of desserts, sorbets, sauces. With its help, syrups, preserves, mayonnaises, cakes, jellies, soups and much more are prepared.
Agar-agar is an ideal substitute for gelatin of animal origin, the gelling component obtained from it has no color, taste or smell, therefore it is universal in use.
Consider a pie recipe using agar-agar.
Ingredients: one glass of couscous or corn porridge, two and a half cups of pear juice, three hundred and fifty grams of jam, five grams of agar agar, salt, nuts to decorate the cake.
Couscous is put in a bowl, a pinch of salt and juice is added and brought to a boil, after which it is left for ten minutes. Agar-agar must be soaked for five minutes, then mix it together with the water in which it was soaked with jam. The mixture is put on fire and cooked until the agar-agar is completely dissolved. Couscous is laid out in a mold, watered with jam and put in a cold place for solidification. The finished dish is decorated with nuts and served cold.
Another recipe using agar-agar (jelly).
Ingredients: two glasses of juice or another drink, two tablespoons of agar-agar powder, zest of orange or lemon, vanilla on the tip of a knife, sugar, cinnamon and cloves to taste.
The liquid is heated in a bowl, agar-agar is added to it and boiled for two minutes until the latter is completely dissolved. Vanilla, sugar to taste, cinnamon and cloves are added to the resulting mass. The liquid is poured into molds, cooled and placed in a cold place for solidification.
It should be noted that agar-agar contains a large amount of iron, calcium, iodine and magnesium, as well as folic acid. It is recommended to use it in dietary food, since it has a laxative property, it well suppresses hunger and does not contain calories. In addition, this gelling component has a decongestant effect and has an antibacterial property.
Agar-agar is of two varieties: the highest (white or light yellow) and the first (dark yellow). This component is produced according to the following scheme: first, algae are washed and cleaned, then they are treated with water and alkali, they are extracted, filtered, solidified, then they are pressed, dried and crushed. It goes on sale in the form of a powder or plates that do not dissolve in cold water, but only in a hot solution, while the latter becomes viscous and transparent. When cooled to forty-five degrees, it becomes a pure gel, which is thermally reversible.
Thus, knowing where to buy agar-agar and how to use it for preparing various products, you can get quite tasty and satisfying dishes with a low calorie content, which have the ability to remove toxins and toxins from the body, improve the liver and intestines.