agar agar

I have a recipe for panna cotta that calls for agar. After some googling I've ascertained that this is an algae derivative similar to gelatin. Does anyone know how this differs from gelatin and/or a source for it on the north side. I'm thinking some of the Thai grocers might have it.

Agar is available at many of the thai-viet stores allong argyle. you can also check the Uni-Mart on Clark (a filipino grocery store).

Abraus wrote:I have a recipe for panna cotta that calls for agar. After some googling I've ascertained that this is an algae derivative similar to gelatin. Does anyone know how this differs from gelatin and/or a source for it on the north side. I'm thinking some of the Thai grocers might have it.

I am also sure you'll find it in pretty much any asian grocery. It's a common vegetarian gelatin alternative. It is used, I believe, in many asian desserts, definitely in Japanese desserts.

Best,
Michael / EC

Someones making Sean McClain's Avocado Panna Cotta from Green Zebra at home.

That thought crossed my mind, but the agar is actually for a basic panna cotta with a strawberry coulis.

Abraus wrote:Does anyone know how this differs from gelatin . . .

Gelatin is derived from animal protein, primarily collagen from skin, connective tissue, and bones. It’s basically a complex mixture of protein chains ranging from hundreds to thousands of amino acids (the building blocks of proteins).

Agar is isolated from the cell wall of several types of marine algae. Chemically it’s a polysaccharide, a long chain of sugar molecules (mostly galactose and derivatives) bonded together. You’ll probably find only a single type at the Argyle shops but there’s a huge variety of agar (and derivatives) available. They have a wide range of gelling and melting temperatures as well as a range of gel rigidity.

Both gelatin and agar are long chainlike molecules and both solidify by a roughly similar mechanism: as the temperature is lowered the chains interact with each other to form a huge tangled web, a gel.

As for cooking with the two, I don’t have a lot of experience (I’m not a big fan of gels) but they’re interchangeable to a large degree. Panna cotta is traditionally made with gelatin but obviously agar can be substituted (please let us know how it comes out). My impression is that gelatin often yields a softer gel while agar is crunchier (of course this can be influenced by the concentration). It could be fun to play around with the huge variety of gelling agents available to the food industry (and trendy chefs).

Rene G,

Thanks for the info. As you suggested, the gelatin and agar are interchangeable in the recipe and my use of the agar is not due to vegetarian concerns, but rather to heat sensitivity. The agar can be added and heated with the cream, sugar, etc. whereas the gelatin (the recipe calls for sheets) have a higher degree of heat sensitivity and must be added after cooling. Given the recent pot of scalded milk I poured down the drain after my recent aborted yogurt experiment (not sure what happened, normally it is no prob) I am not eager to melt the animal protein of the gelatin.

On a side note, the protein aspect of gelatin explains why my great-uncle who consumed vast, vast amount of "chuckles" always complained his nails grew too fast.

I'll post on the texture when I make the dish next weekend.

I need to purchase some agar agar. I live in River West. Does anyone have a local resource? Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Hi,

Your query was merged into an existing topic on agar, which has ideas on where to locate it.

Regards,

deesher wrote:I need to purchase some agar agar. I live in River West. Does anyone have a local resource? Thanks in advance for any assistance.

I'm close to River West, and I think once, too lazy to get to Argyle or Chinatown, I purchased some agar agar at Whole Foods. (I usually go to the one on Huron.)