The main difference for the cook is that gels made with agar must be boiled to completely dissolve the carbohydrates, whereas gels made with gelatin actually weaken if the mixture is boiled. Popular in Asian cooking and widely available in health food stores and Asian markets, agar works much like gelatin in that it’s soaked in cold water and dissolved in hot liquid, which then firms up into a gelled solid upon cooling. The most common vegetarian gelling agents are agar (aka kanten) and carrageenan (aka Irish moss), both extracted from red algae, a type of seaweed. Vegetarian substitutes for gelatin are made from carbohydrates rather than proteins. For a firmer effect, such as that in a typical gelatin dessert, use the same amount of gelatin to gel 1 cup of liquid, creating a 3% gelatin solution.Īre there vegetarian alternatives to gelatin? That’s enough to lightly gel about 2 cups of liquid, creating a 1-1/2% gelatin solution, which is perfect for savory sauces and glazes. Sheet gelatin isn’t as readily available as powdered, but you can easily substitute powdered for sheets using this equation: 4 gelatin sheets = 1-1/4 oz. What’s the difference between sheet and powdered gelatin?Ĭhefs generally prefer sheet gelatin to powdered gelatin because sheet gelatin has less surface area, so when the hydrated sheets are stirred into the hot liquid, less air becomes incorporated, creating better clarity in the finished gel. When stored this way, it has an indefinite shelf life. Gelatin is hygroscopic (it absorbs and retains water easily), so it’s best to store it in an airtight container in a dry, well-ventilated area. (If you add gelatin directly to hot liquid, it will stick together and form lumps.) After soaking, simply heat the water/gelatin mixture (or add hot liquid) and stir to dissolve the gelatin. How should gelatin be handled in the kitchen?įirst, soak gelatin in cold water or another cool liquid to hydrate its dried protein network so that it dissolves easily. As gelatin cools (as in a pan of cooled meat drippings), the protein strands line up next to each other and twist into long ropes, transforming the liquid into a firm gel. Because gelatin proteins are long and stringy, they tend to become interwoven, causing the hot liquid in which they are suspended to thicken, but not completely solidify when warm. They never form new bonds, though, so the liquid in which they’re dispersed stays fluid. Heat causes them to initially unravel and disperse just like any protein. But gelatin proteins don’t readily form bonds with one another. The liquid protein of the white, called albumin, firms up into a solid mass of egg white as it heats. Typically, food proteins respond to heat by unraveling, then bonding to one another and coagulating into a firm, solid mass. Gelatin is unlike any other protein used in the kitchen. The resulting free protein chains are extracted, filtered, purified, and dried into sheets or granules (powder) that are around 90% gelatin, 8% water, and 2% salts and glucose. To make gelatin, pig skin is soaked in dilute acid for about 24 hours, which unravels the crosslinking protein bonds in the collagen. Collagen is the connective tissue protein that gives strength to muscles and tendons and resiliency to an animal’s skin and bones. Most gelatin is produced from pig skin, which contains about 30% collagen by weight. Unlike starch- and flour-thickened sauces that are opaque and creamy, sauces thickened with gelatin are crystal clear and syrupy. It’s also why the juices set into a solid gel as they cool. That viscosity allows you to boil those juices into a luscious sauce without the addition of any other thickener. The drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan owe their slightly sticky consistency to gelatin. You can see its effect every time you roast meat. Gelatin is a mild-tasting protein derived from the collagen in animal tissue, and it’s the only protein with the power to thicken liquids. Here, we’ll explain where this magical ingredient comes from, the science behind how it works, and how to successfully use it in your cooking. But as soon as that solid hits the warmth of your mouth, it becomes fluid again. Mix gelatin with liquid and heat it up, and it dissolves into a thin, clear, flawless sauce let it cool and the liquid firms up into a jewel-like solid. Easy to use, easy to find, and able to assume the flavor and color of whatever liquid it’s dissolved in, gelatin is a versatile thickener for both sweet and savory cooking-it’s the secret to the shimmering glaze of a perfectly reduced pan sauce and the silky mouth-feel of an ethereal panna cotta.
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