How to use Agar powder, my Top Tips

Agar Agar powder can be used to prepare low carb jam, jelly, flan and ice cream suitable for the Dukan Diet. Today I'm giving you my top tips for using Agar powder.

Tip # 1  A little goes a long way.

Agar is made out of seaweed and used as an alternative to unflavoured gelatin. But Agar sets stronger than unflavoured gelatin, and if you use too much Agar powder on a recipe you can end up with a nasty surprise: rock-like gelatin! Don't add more agar powder than suggested on the recipe.

Tip # 2 Measure it Carefully

If you don't have a digital measuring spoon and you want to measure Agar powder using kitchen spoons, my tip is: do not use a teaspoon. Use a coffespoon instead or, if using measuring spoons,  choose the "1/2 teaspoon"  This way you will get the perfect amount of Agar every time. 

Let me show you how I do it. 

Take a coffespoon, fill it with Agar powder and then level it off. This is 1 gram of Agar. Do this twice, and you'll have 2 grams of Agar powder. Easy Breezy! Now, what happens if you try to measure 2 grams of Agar using a kitchen teaspoon? Two grams are not a level teaspoon, but a scant teaspoon. This is a very imprecise measurement and may well turn out a disaster.

For most recipes, 1.5 to 2 grams of Agar would be enough to lightly set 2 cups of water, milk or juice. That's two level kitchen coffespoons, or if using measuring spoons, a level "1/2 teaspoon" This will get you a "flan like"consistency, as the one you get with 6 gelatine leaves, 1 envelope of gelatin or three rounded teaspoons of gelatin unflavoured powder (10 grams).

Tip number 3: Agar must be boiled

This is another difference between gelatin and Agar: the fibers in the gelatin get destroyed if it boils, but Agar needs to boil and then shimmer for several minutes to activate. Here is how to use it:

• sprinkle Agar powder over a cold liquid (milk, water, juice...), 
• let it soak for about 5 minutes, 
• bring it to a boil and shimmer for 2 to 5 minutes, stirring until the agar completely dissolves. 

If you are using milk, don't let it boil over, ok?

Tip number 4: Mix with warmed ingredients. 

Let's say you want to make my Dukan Salted Caramel Flan recipe. In this recipe you add some fat free cream cheese to make the flan creamier. With unflavoured gelatin, you pour hot milk over the gelatine to melt it and then you add room temperature cream cheese. But if you do so with Agar, the flan won't set. 

With Agar you need to warm up all the ingredients, or even better, add them to the sauce pan once the agar is fully dissolved, and let them shimmer for just one second. Then pour into very clean, oil free molds and leave them undisturbed until the flan is completely set. If you stirr the agar again or shake the molds, the flan will collapse.

Tip number 5: Keep it simple.

Don't go for a wildly complex dessert, especially if you are an Agar novice. Agar works wonderfully with very simple recipes, like sugar free jams and marmalades. Do you know you can use Agar to make a delicious low carb, low fat Dukan ice cream without egg yolks or heavy cream? You can find the recipe in my Youtube Channel and my spanish blog Recetas Dukan Maria Martinez.com (I will post it here in a couple of days)

Note on Agar to Liquid Ratio

"Gelling concentrations: Gels can form with an agar concentration of as low as 0.25% agar, but these gels are fairly weak. 0.5% agar forms a well set gel. A recommended gel concentration for a lightly set gel is 0.3-04%. Once concentrations reach 1%, the gels formed are hard and rubbery (analogous to a bouncy ball)" from Catering and Leisure.com

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** The video has english close captions. If you can't see the close captions go to the video  on Youtube, and activate them.