How to Use Agar

Agar, also known as agar, agar gel, seaweed gel, algin, and algae, is a gelling agent extracted from a marine plant called red-brown algae. Agar agar has many uses, but it is mainly used in cooking. Agar has no smell or taste and contains only 3 calories per 1g of agar. This article will teach you how to make food with agar agar and describe several different uses.

Prepare Agar

Look for agar and decide which form is easier to use. Agar usually exists in three forms: powder, flakes, and lumps. All three types of agar work well, but the real difference is just the ease of preparation. Powdered agar is easiest to prepare because it can be replaced with gelatin in a 1:1 ratio (1 teaspoon gelatin equals 1 teaspoon agar powder). Agar powder also dissolves faster in water than flakes and lumps of agar. If you don’t know which one to use, choosing powdered agar is your safest bet.

• Agar blocks are white, light, and made from freeze-dried agar. For quick dissolution, you can grind the agar cubes in a coffee machine or spice grinder, or crush them with your hands. One cube of agar is equivalent to 2 teaspoons of agar powder.
• Fragmented agar can also be ground in a coffee machine or spice grinder so that the agar is less concentrated than powdered agar. Crushed agar is white and looks a bit like fish feed. 2 tablespoons of crushed agar is approximately equal to 2 teaspoons of agar powder.
• Agar agar powder can be purchased at natural food stores, in the food section of supermarkets, or online.

Use a hand whisk to combine the agar and liquid. The hardness of the gel is determined by the amount of agar. If the food doesn’t indicate how much agar to use, you can use the experience of others to mix the ingredients in the following proportions: 1 teaspoon of agar powder, 1 tablespoon of crushed agar, or half an agar cube is needed to solidify 1 cup of liquid.

• If you want to use agar powder instead of gelatin, prepare an equal amount of agar powder as gelatin, or use 1 tablespoon agar agar powder or half agar agar cubes instead of 1 teaspoon gelatin.
• If you want to solidify acidic liquids like citrus juice or strawberry juice, use more agar.
• Some fruits are too acidic or contain enzymes that prevent coagulation, so they must be cooked before agar is added. These fruits include kiwis, pineapples, papayas, mangoes, peaches, and fresh figs.
• If you choose canned fruits made from the above-mentioned fruits, you don’t need to cook them first, because the canned fruits are already cooked. You can also mix the agar with boiling water before adding it to the acidic liquid.

Bring all ingredients to a boil over low heat. The agar powder solution needs to be boiled for 5 minutes, and the agar powder and agar blocks need to be boiled for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir constantly until the agar is completely dissolved. The agar absorbs water during this process and then solidifies into jelly as the temperature drops.

• Let the temperature of the solution rise as much as possible. The advantage of agar compared to gelatin is that it solidifies at a higher temperature, so it remains solid at room temperature and even after heating. When the solution temperature drops below 45°C, it will begin to gel. Adding other ingredients may cause the temperature of the solution to decrease and cause the agar to solidify prematurely, so the temperature of the agar solution should be raised as much as possible so that the temperature of the solution does not drop below 45°C when the solution is removed from the heat source.
• If you want to make wine-flavored jelly, boil the agar with juice or other ingredients, then add the wine and mix well. Doing this will prevent the alcohol from evaporating.

Pour the solution into a mold or container and leave it at room temperature until it solidifies. The agar solution will start to solidify when the temperature drops to between 40°C and 45°C. As long as the temperature is not higher than 79°C, the jelly will remain solid. If you don’t like the cold taste, don’t put the jelly in the refrigerator. The jelly can be left at room temperature without worrying about it spreading or turning into liquid.

• If you are not sure if you have enough agar powder, pour a small amount of the solution into a cold bowl and see if it solidifies. If the state of the solution does not change after 30 seconds, it means you need to continue adding agar. If the solution sets like jelly but is too hard, add more liquid.
• Do not stir or shake agar that has not completely solidified, as this will cause the agar to spread.
• Do not grease or line the mold with tin foil before pouring the agar solution. The solidified jelly comes out of the mold easily, but grease and tin foil are not conducive to solidification.
• The solidified agar can be reheated and boiled. After cooling, the solution will turn into a gel state again. The above process does not affect the agar’s ability to solidify. If you want to add other ingredients, pour the ingredients into another mold and add more agar to make the jelly a little firmer. You can also add liquid to the agar solution to make the jelly a little softer. Jelly made with gelatin cannot be repeatedly heated and solidified.

Using Agar Agar in Cooking

Mix the agar with fruit juice or sweetened milk to make a jelly. Agar agar itself has no flavor, so it will absorb the flavor of whatever ingredient it is mixed with. In this way, the flavors of agar jelly are simply countless. The consistency of jelly doesn’t change at room temperature, so you can place it on a small plate or bowl without worrying about the jelly turning into a puddle. Try mixing agar agar with tea, juice, soup, coffee, etc. You can mix and match whatever you think is delicious!

• Try boiling agar-agar powder with chocolate milk and adding a pinch of cinnamon. Pour the solution into a glass and let it cool, and a fragrant dessert is completed.
• As mentioned earlier, when making jelly from the juice of certain acidic fruits, the process is relatively troublesome because the acidic substances or enzymes in these fruits will prevent the agar from solidifying.
• Find some cute silicone molds and pour the solution into them. The final jelly will take on the shapes of stars, cats, hearts, shells, etc.

Make edible cocktails with agar agar. If you’re planning on serving mini jelly shots for a party, boil the agar-agar with the other ingredients. When the solution begins to bubble gently and the agar is completely dissolved, add the alcoholic beverage and stir well. Finally, pour the mixture into a small wine glass or ice cube tray and wait for the solution to solidify.

• Mix agar-agar with other ingredients to make hot toddy jelly. This jelly is great to serve at holiday parties, just be sure to heat it before eating.

Replace egg whites with agar. When a recipe calls for egg whites, if you are a vegetarian, allergic to eggs, or don’t like the taste of eggs, use agar-agar instead of egg whites. To substitute the whites of an egg, do this: Mix 1 tablespoon of agar powder and 1 tablespoon of water, stir quickly and vigorously with a hand-held electric mixer or hand whisk, then place the solution in the refrigerator to cool. Once the mixture has cooled, take it out and stir again. The agar at this time can be used in baking instead of egg whites, and adding agar will not change the taste or color of the food.

Use agar-agar liquid gel to make plain pudding or mayonnaise. Making gelatinous desserts usually requires a lot of eggs as a thickening agent. In fact, in addition to eggs, a simple gel-like mixture produced by mixing agar and water can also be used to make gelatinous desserts. The specific method has been mentioned in the first part of this article. Beat the set agar with a stand or hand mixer until smooth. Mix beaten agar with other ingredients and you have a delicious, egg-free dessert.

• If you want your pudding or mayonnaise to be thicker, add a little xanthan gum.
• If you want to thin out your dessert, add a small amount of water or other liquid.

Health Benefits of Agar

Use agar to suppress appetite. Agar will expand after entering the stomach, making people mistakenly think that they are full. In Japan, the method of eating agar to lose weight is also called the “Hanada method of losing weight”. Many Japanese people use this method to suppress appetite. People with type 2 diabetes are said to have experienced significant weight loss and improved metabolism after adding agar-agar to their daily diet. Agar also stabilizes blood sugar levels.

• Before adopting this weight loss method, you must first consult your doctor.
• If you eat agar agar as a snack, you won’t feel hungry throughout the day. You can also mix the agar with your meals to shorten your meal times.
• Note that agar can irritate the intestines and make people want to defecate.
• When eating food made from agar, you’d better drink 240ml of liquid at the same time, otherwise, the agar will expand and block the esophagus or intestines.

Tablets made from agar agar stimulate intestinal motility and act similarly to laxatives. 80% of the ingredients in agar are fiber, so it can relieve constipation. However, people with intestinal infarction (a blockage or twisting of the intestines that prevents gas or excrement from being excreted) should never take agar tablets, as this may worsen the condition.

• If your abdomen suddenly begins to experience severe pain, swelling, vomiting, or nausea, do not consume agar agar. You may have an intestinal infarction, and your top priority is to go to the hospital immediately.
• If you want to use agar agar as a laxative, you must drink no less than 240ml of liquid when consuming agar agar.

Tips

• If you are allergic to eggs or want to reduce the calorie content of your ice cream when making your ice cream at home, agar is the best substitute for eggs.
• Mix agar and coconut milk for a tropical-inspired dessert!
• While there aren’t many formal studies on the health benefits of agar in humans, some early studies suggest agar may have anti-inflammatory properties that could be used to control the progression of conditions like fatty liver disease. Introducing agar into your daily diet may provide certain benefits to your body, but you still need to discuss it with your doctor.