Article: Cooking With Agar

When working with agar flakes, there are a few basics you need to know before taking on a recipe. We turned to "Vegetables From the Sea" by Jill Gusman (HarperCollins, 2003), from which this advice is adapted:

"Unlike animal-based instant gelatins that dissolve in water, agar flakes have to swell up first with liquid before they dissolve easily. Otherwise, the flakes will turn into clear, sticky little pearls. Always soak the flakes first in the liquid you'll be using in the recipe. Then slowly bring the agar flakes in the soaking liquid just to the boiling point. Lower the heat and simmer until the flakes are no longer visible, about 1 minute. Stirring with a wire whisk helps break up any ...

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