Agar-agar

Today, agar-agar, which is a Malaysian word for jelly, is simply known as agar. This natural vegetable-based substance is extracted from a type of Japanese seaweed and is used in the pastry kitchen to thicken and jell products in the same way as gelatin. It can be purchased in its natural form—greenish strips that look something like dried noodles—or in a more convenient fine powder. The strips must be soaked for a minimum of 12 hours prior to use. Imported powders can vary tremendously in both strength and quality, depending on the brand, so it is best to test and determine the gel strength before using it in your final product. In this text, I use agar powder classified as U.S.P.N.F. This is a pharmaceutical-grade product (which means it is approved for use in or on the body) that can be purchased from a chemical laboratory or by special order from your drugstore. The pharmaceutical-grade product is 8 to 12 times stronger than gelatin (brands and types of gelatin vary in strength as well). When using pharmaceutical-grade agar powder, it is not necessary to soften it before dissolving but it must be heated close or all the way to the boiling point to dissolve fully. Although enzymes do not affect agar, acids do, so when making jellies, for example, it is important to add a flavoring, such as a fruit puree, after the agar and the other ingredients are cooked, or the jelly will not set completely.