Agar

was used for centuries, it fell into disuse and has only recently been discovered to have many characteristics that make it useful for modernist cooking. It is used to stabilize foams and emulsions and to give a silky mouthfeel to sauces and broths. It can also be used to prepare fluid gels (see chapter 13), which in turn function as sauces. Agar is often combined with a very small amount of xanthan gum, a powerful emulsifier. The agar and xanthan gum are dissolved, allowed to set, and puréed into a fluid gel. Agar should be used in percentages ranging from 0.01% and 0.9% by weight to the liquid being set.