The Struggle:
Clumping is a common issue that you will encounter when using a gums and hydrocolloid. Hydrocolloids love water so much that they sometimes get greedy. These ingredients can get so greedy that they snatch up all the water, creating a ton of frustration because it ruins the entire batch of whatever tasty treat you’re planning. So how exactly do we stop the clumping of these water loving ingredients? Well you’ve come to the right place, I’ve clumped more ingredients than you could imagine. Which also means I’ve learned to fix a lot of mistakes too.
“How do I prevent my gums and hydrocolloids from clumping?”
Captain Clump.
First, do know that many of these ingredients are so prone to clumping because they love water. So any chance you give them to clump up they will take it. These little tricks are simple, they will not blow your mind. But, hopefully they will allow you to think differently when adding a new ingredient to a recipe. Any ingredient that thickens, gels, or in any way changes the texture of a liquid will most likely be prone to clumping. The best thing you can start by doing is adding these ingredients to any other dry ingredients in the recipe. Sugar is one of the best ingredients to dry mix a hydrocolloid into. In most recipes sugar is a main ingredient and it can help disperse the ingredient into liquid without clumping. Other dry ingredients such as spices can help disperse the hydrocolloids.
If there are no other dry ingredients you will need patience for the next method. Place the liquid in a blender and allow it to blend on medium to medium high. Once a vortex has been created you can begin slowly sprinkling in the hydrocolloid. Do not just dump the entire amount into the blender. You will need to slowly add it until it is incorporated. At this point you can turn the blender on high to be sure any small clumps are fully mixed in. if there are any pesky tiny clumps that are still hanging around you can strain them out.
Lastly there are a select number of ingredients that will mix easily. These ingredients are known as prehydrated ingredients. Ingredients like Perfected Sodium Alginate, Perfected Xanthan, Perfected Guar, Ultrasperse 3 & M, and Foam Magic will all mix in easily as they have been altered to not be so prone to clumping. So if you’re ever in a time crunch be sure to take your time. Add the hydrocolloids properly to keep those clumps from ruining your recipe.
2 Comments.
This isn’t about clumping. I bought Raspberry powder but there aren’t instructions as to amounts or uses.
Check out our two WTF episodes on fruit powders – The Secret of Fruit Powders & The Secret of Fruit Powders 2 and how to use them to taste.