And So It Begins

The ingredients have arrived! Which means that this week will end up being far more productive than I originally anticipated...so watch out for some pictures and experiments later this week!

Note the scales on the left. The top one goes to 0.01 grams of precision.

But back to the ingredients. In this post, I want to further explain what exactly I have and how I intend to use it. Similar to the last post, but on a much more specific level. So here we go!

The ingredients shown above can be grouped based on their uses into a few main categories (with a few exceptions): Spherification, Gelation (Gelification), and Thickeners.



Spherifiers:

Bacon Flavored Caviar Anyone?

All of the ingredients shown to the left are used in creating spheres out of liquids, which is one of the most common molecular gastronomy techniques. There are two specific types: regular spherification and reverse spherification. Regular spherification produces small caviar-like droplets of gel that tend to only be about the size of a pea. The Calcium Chloride on the bottom right and the Sodium Alginate on the top left are both used in this technique. Reverse spherification involves creating a much larger sphere, that is actually completely liquid on the inside. The Calcium Lactate on the top right is used with the aforementioned Sodium Alginate to produce this effect. More on the science behind this when I actually try to do it. The bottom left is Xanthan Gum, an extract derived from bacteria that is used to thicken a liquid to prepare it for both types of spherification; however, Xanthan Gum also has other uses.



Gelling Agents:

Never confuse a Gel for a Gelatin. Gelatin forms a Gel. A Gel...is a Gel.

As one might guess by the sheer number of those pictured here, gels are a large part of molecular gastronomy. Starting from the middle with the long thin sheets and going clockwise, here we have 160 Bloom Gelatin, Iota Carrageenan, Agar Agar, High Acyl Gellan, Low Acyl Gellan, and Kappa Carrageenan. All of these serve similar purposes: creating gels out of liquids. "Then why get six different ones???" Good question! While they all serve the same purpose, they all are meant for different situations and produce different properties in gels. Gels are described using a variety of specific words and generally are categorized by the following: elastic to brittle and tender to firm. Each of these gelling agents only will work for specific liquids based on factors like pH, temperature, molecular polarity, and more. Plus, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing.



                                                                                      Thickeners:

Through Thick and Thicker

Thickeners are something that most people can relate too a bit better. You use flour to thicken dough. Corn Starch to thicken soup. Lambda Carrageenan to thicken milk for cheese making. Okay, the last one might be a little out there. While traditional thickeners are very potent and useful, molecular gastronomists have to take the other chemical ingredients into account. Every ingredient must be chosen precisely and used in a precise amount to ensure good results. It should be noted that Lambda Carrageenan, unlike Iota and Kappa, does not form a gel and is used as a thickener for products high in Calcium. Xanthan Gum is also primarily a thickener when not used for spherification.

The Good, The Bad, and
The Tasty

The Rest:
the final ingredients I ordered are from three other categories that are a bit more complicated chemically. The large package in the middle is N-Zorbit M brand Tapioca Maltodextrin, and one of the things I was most excited about in this whole package. First of all, it contains the same amount of material as the two packages beside it; it's just so light that it takes up twice as much space. It is used for transforming fats and oils into solids. Mix a little N-Zorbit M into some melted butter or olive oil, and it turns into a powder. As soon as that powder hits your palette, it will turn back into a liquid. How awesome is that?!?! The orange package on the right contains Ascorbic acid, used as a pH buffer. (No cool visual effect, sorry). The ingredient on the right is the infamous Sodium Hexametaphosphate. Arguably one of the most fun and impressive compounds to say. Sodium Hexametaphosphate is what is known as a sequestering, or chelating, agent. When in a solution with metal ions, a sequestering agent surrounds the metal ion and makes it much less likely to react with other substances in the solution. Chelating agents are most well known for their uses in detoxification in cases of heavy metal poisoning. (Either way, don't drink the Mercury). In cooking, it can help prevent certain ions like Magnesium from reacting in a way that they aren't supposed to.

Whew. That is a lot of science. And not much food to show for it. Yet. Stay tuned, in the coming weeks you will see all of these ingredients and more being used to their full potential. In the mean time, please ask any questions you would like in the comments section, and share this page with everyone! Get ready for the good stuff, coming later this week!