Agar Agar Powder 40g

Agar Agar powder has been used in many recipes from Masterchef Australia over the many seasons so far. Some highlights include:
Season One
Agar Agar was used in the Adriano Zumbo Macaron Tower with Kalamata Olive, and Beetroot and Raspberry Macaron
Season Two
Agar was also used by Claire and Adam Melonas on Masterchef Australia for the Green Peas and Egg celebrity challenge.
Season Three
Agar Agar Powder was used in the coconut jelly component of the Darren Purchese Immunity challenge.
Season Four
Agar Agar Powder was used by Shannon Bennett in his master class making the Peach Melba.
Season Five
Heston used Agar in his flourless mustard sauce

Heston cooking at home
Used in the mash potato to make the lime citrus explosion

What is Agar Agar Powder?
Agar Agar is also known by its Japanese name Kanten, Agar is derived from Gracilaria (Gelidium species) a bright red sea vegetable growing off the coast of Japan (Gleidium purpurascens). Our Agar Agar powder has a minimum gel strength of 1000units. Some slight adjustments maybe necessary to your recipe if a weaker agar powder has been used previously.

What does Agar do?
Agar Agar due to its high gelling properties is considered the king of gelling agents. It is an excellent thickening agent for many applications. A selection of these include: dough nuts, marmalade & jam, jelly, cheese, puddings, gelatin fruit desserts, meat products, bakery fillings and icings, dry and canned soups and ice cream. Our Agar Agar powder is unflavored and contains no bulking or filling agents. It produces a firm, clear jelly that is rich in iodine and trace minerals and can have mildly laxative effect if consumed in large quantities. Agar agar has stronger setting properties and, unlike gelatin which requires refrigeration to set, it will set at room temperature after about an hour - although it is advisable to store dishes gelled with agar agar in the fridge as it is a high protein food.

Agar agar powder can be substituted for the same quantity of gelatin in recipes. It is best to test the amount required before any mission critical applications. The gelling ability of agar agar is affected by the pH (acidity or alkalinity) of the added ingredients. More acidic foods, such as citrus fruits and strawberries, may require higher amounts of agar agar. Some ingredients will not set at all such as kiwi fruit (too acidic), pineapple, fresh figs, paw paws, papaya, mango and peaches. These ingredients contain an enzyme which breaks down the gelling ability of the Agar. It is possible to cook these ingredients to denature (kill) the enzyme before adding them to the Agar and water solution. For a firm jelly a good starting point would be approximately 2 teaspoons (approx 6g) of powder per 600ml of liquid.

Agar Agar is used in some recipies to make Falooda (Faluda). Faluda is a drink popular in Persia but comsumed from India to Afganistan. The agar is used to replace the arrowroot or the vermicelli noodles. For this reason agar agar powder is only a very small component of many in commercially available faluda powder mixes.

One suggested way to use Agar Agar.
Agar agar should be soaked in the liquid first for 10-15 minutes, then gently brought to a boil and simmered while stirring until it dissolves completely. This should take approximately 5 minutes. Unlike gelatin, agar agar can be boiled and can even be re-melted (thermoreversable) if necessary. If you are unsure as to the setting ability of your gel, test a small amount on a cold saucer - it should set in 20-30 seconds, if not you may need more agar agar, if too firm - add some more liquid.

The Melbourne Food Depot Agar Agar Powder has the following features:
Dairy Free
GMO Free
Soy Free
Sugar Free
Wheat Free
Egg Free
Yeast Free
Nut Free
Gluten Free
Sutiable for Vegans  & Vegetarians