GELATIN is consistently among the ingredients in Glazes or modern cakes. However, it’s often challenging to navigate through some terms, such as Gelatin Mass and Gelatin 200 Bloom, or even know what AGAR AGAR is.
Well, it’s time to clarify a bit!
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WHAT IS GELATIN
Gelatin is a thickener of animal proteins derived from collagen and connective tissues. Its role is to thicken preparations like creams and glazes without altering their taste. On food labels, it’s listed as E441 (food gelatin).
Usually, gelatin is sold in 2 primary forms:
Sheet Gelatin, rigid sheets weighing about 2g, represents supermarkets’ most common format for this ingredient. This gelatin must be hydrated before being melted and used in the recipe.
Powdered gelatin, on the other hand, is much more practical in dosage and easily dissolves in liquids.
Each gelatin is also characterized by an index called BLOOM, which indicates its gelling power: the higher the Bloom degree, the stronger and more stable the gelatin will form.
Generally, the most used form in pastry is gelatin at 200 Bloom, which stands at about 3/4 on a scale ranging from 50 Bloom to 300 Bloom. Still, you may also find commercial denominations that distinguish themselves solely by their Bloom grade.
Bronze Gelatin: 150 Bloom
Silver Gelatin: 180 Bloom
Gold Gelatin: 200 Bloom
HOW TO EASILY USE GELATIN
It can often seem challenging to navigate through many denominations, especially when a recipe requires a specific quantity of gelatin at a precise Bloom degree, and at home, you have another with different characteristics. The good news is that we can easily substitute any gelatin by varying the quantity of another gelatin with a different Bloom degree. Here’s how:
If, in the recipe, you need to use 20g of Gold gelatin at 200 Bloom, but you have Silver gelatin at 180 Bloom at home, then here’s the calculation (very simple to do):
Multiply the quantity of gelatin in the recipe by the Bloom degrees indicated in the recipe: 20g x 200 Bloom = 4000
Divide the result by the Bloom degrees of the gelatin you have at home: 4000 / 180 Bloom = 22.22 or 22g
So you can replace the 20g of 200 Bloom gelatin with 22 grams of 180 Bloom gelatin.
HOW MUCH GELATIN TO USE?
Regarding the classic 200 Bloom gelatin, generally, you can safely use about 18g—40 g per liter of preparation, depending on the desired gel structure.
For example, for a soft and spoonable mousse, you can use 20g of 200 Bloom gelatin per liter of preparation, while to prepare a firm aspic, you will need 40g.
HOW TO USE GELATIN?
Pay attention to hydrating the gelatin to achieve the maximum gelling power. Although the sheet and powdered versions are similar, they require different preparation.
The gelatin sheets must be hydrated in cold water for at least 10 minutes and then swell for 15 minutes before being squeezed and melted at a moderate temperature. It is essential, in fact, that the gelatin does not exceed 55°C (131°F) during melting.
On the other hand, the powdered gelatin should be diluted in a quantity of water of 6 times its weight and let rest for about 10 minutes before being used in the recipe by adding it to a hot liquid (between 55°C and 100°C).
GELATIN MASS
In a professional setting, preparing a quantity of hydrated gelatin ready for use, called a Mass, is preferred so that it is always available.
The recipe for Gelatin Mass is very simple:
- Take 50g of gelatin sheets.
- Hydrate them with 350g of cold water for at least 10 minutes.
- Finally, melt them using the microwave for a few seconds.
Once ready, the mass should be placed in a sanitized container, sealed tightly, and stored in the refrigerator at +4°C (39°F) for 3-4 days.
If you use powdered gelatin, dilute it in 6 parts of water (50g of powdered gelatin in 300g of cold water) and let it hydrate for 10 minutes in the refrigerator at +4°C before using or storing it.
At this point, the quantity of gelatin required by the recipe must also take into account the added water, so if the recipe needs 10g of gelatin, you should add 80g of Gelatin Mass (or 70g if you prepare the mass with powdered gelatin), or 10g + 70g of water with which it was hydrated.
Since this preparation has a high water content, the mass can quickly become a target for mold, so I recommend thoroughly sterilizing the container and sealing it tightly.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AGAR AGAR AND GELATIN?
Agar Agar is vegetable gelatin extracted from Japanese algae. The powder form is undoubtedly the most readily usable (the one I purchased) among the various forms on the market.
Agar Agar has a higher gelling power: about 600 Bloom compared to the 200-300 of gelatin. For this reason, if you want to substitute one of the two ingredients, use the formula I mentioned above to make the conversion. Generally, when transitioning from gelatin with 200 Bloom to Agar Agar, you’ll need to divide the quantity by 3: 10g of gelatin with 200 Bloom corresponds to 3g of Agar Agar.
Agar Agar is “Thermo-Reversible,” meaning once set, it can be returned to its liquid form (by heating) and set again.
Although these aspects may be particularly favorable for Agar Agar, there are two aspects to consider when using this vegetable gelatin:
The “strength” of the Agar Agar gel is lower than that of the gelatin gel, and often, after 24 hours, the gel loses liquid.
Agar Agar does not tolerate freezing well, so I do not recommend using it for mousses or creams that need to be frozen or chilled (modern cakes).
HOW TO USE AGAR AGAR
Unlike gelatin, Agar Agar does not require hydration. It is added to the cold mixture and must be dissolved by bringing the mixture to about 90°C —95°C for a few minutes (something that would destroy gelatin).
Once the mixture is ready, it should be cooled for about 1 hour at room temperature and then in the refrigerator at +4°C until completely set.
Suppose you want to use Agar Agar to prepare mousses. In that case, I suggest dissolving the agar-agar needed for the recipe 3 times its weight and boiling it. Then, combine it with the mixture (paté à bombe, mousse) using a spatula.
CAUTION WITH ACIDIC FRUITS
Whether you use gelatin or agar agar, a series of fruits contain a particular proteolytic enzyme (which eats the proteins that make up the gelatin) that affects the gel and compromises its gelling power. Among the most common fruits are kiwi, pineapple, papaya, mango, and blackcurrant.
To fix this problem, bring the juice or pulp of these fruits to 100°C for a few minutes to destroy the enzyme, and then add the gelatin later.
To preserve the color and flavor of these fruits, I recommend boiling about 1/3 of the total juice and dissolving the agar-agar. Once this is dissolved, you can easily add the hot juice to the rest of the recipe without compromising the freshness of the fruit.
4 comments about “Gelatina e Agar Agar: Tutto quello che devi sapere”
Ho usato 9 grammi di agar agar Rapunzel sciolto in poca panna sul fuoco e poi unito a 1 kg di crema (formaggio e mascarpone) per fare una cheesecake, ma la cheesecake è rimasta troppo morbida. Non si è solidificata la crema
Ciao Veronica,
vista la grande presenza di grassi (panna, mascarpone e formaggio) non ti serve usare la gelatina, sia se fai il cheesecake cotto in forno che raffreddato in frigo.
Se la crema è restata troppo morbida, allora è da rivedere la ricetta 😉
A presto!
Vorrei un consiglio su quale gelatina usare per gelatinare i canape’ o tartine salate. Premetto che non amo le gelatine con il gusto della carne. Mi piacerebbe una gelatina dal sapore neutro e che mantenga l’ aspetto brillante. Forse la gelatina k potrebbe essere indicata?
Ciao Laura,
usa pure una gelatina Oro 200Blooms per nappare i canapés. A seconda di quanto ti piaccia “solido” lo strato di gelatina, puoi usare dai 30-40gr di gelatina in polvere su 1litro di liquido.
Il liquido può essere acqua (per un gusto neutro), oppure un brodo leggero di carne o verdure (secondo il gusto che vuoi abbinare), o ancora un mix di acqua e madeira se ti piace un gusto leggermente “alcolico”.
A presto!