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WTF Agar & Alginate Spherification: Have It Your Way
Spherification is broadly broken up into 2 techniques – Alginate + Calcium or cold oil agar spherification. Both techniques turn flavorful liquids into delightfully unexpected edible spheres, but one produces a popping caviar and the other a flavorful solid boba. Scott and Janie review the ingredients, techniques, and equipment that are key to both techniques, the similarities and differences between them, as well as tips and tricks for getting success every time with spherification. We serve a spruced up carrot cake with ginger and carrot spheres… on this week’s WTF.
Product Links:
Spherificator
Super Agar
Perfected Sodium Alginate
Calcium Chloride
Sodium Citrate
Citric Acid
Spherification Spoon
Recipe Link:
Carrot & Ginger Spherification
Crave It Carrot Cake
References and Other Links you Might Like!
WTF – Calcium Salts
WTF – Spherificator
WTF – Super Agar
WTF – Cocktail Pods
WTF – Sodium Citrate
WTF – Sodium Citrate & Sodium Hexametaphosphate
WTF – Culinary Acids
WTF – Shelf Life Extension (carrot cake recipe)
About ‘We Transform Food’
We Transform Food is a weekly series from Modernist Pantry exploring cool ingredients and gadgets that can help any chef transform food into more memorable experiences.
44 Comments.
It would be fun to spherify concentrated olive juice for a martini as well as ginger syrup for a Moscow Mule
love that idea!
I would like to make vermouth spheres for a martini. Combined with olive juice spheres it would be great
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I’m so excited to try different recipes with the spherication. I hadn’t realized until I watched your video that there were so many options. I’ve only done balsamic pearls so far and hope I win. Thank you for sharing!
glad you liked it!
Would like sperifi a raspberry coulis for a lemon cake.
sounds great!
Shoga spheres (pickled ginger)
garnishing sushi? yes please!
Cocktails like Margaritas would be wonderful to spherify.
I am so glad you did this video. I have tried the reverse spherification, but not direct. I am going to try mango spheres to top a tropical cheesecake. Wish me luck!
Good luck!
cucumber infused spheres on vadouvan curried shrimp
that sounds so yummy, love it!
I would like to make vermouth spheres for a martini. Combined with olive juice spheres it would be great
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Lovely idea!
As well as the olive juice spheres, I would also like to combine them with vermouth spheres.
That would be a nice combo!
Sphere mango essence to dress Key Lime pie! How South Florida!
That is a fantastic idea!
I’d like to spherify fruit juice to add to lemonade.
Great idea, just beware of the pH levels.
I am wondering if it would be possible to to add a layer of different flavor and texture by dropping the still damp with calcium chloride alginate bubbles into another alginate bath.
Check out last week’s Ask a Chef on this topic
I love it! I would like to spherifi EVERYTHING! First thing I would like to spherifi is celery, beet and carrot juice (or any thing I stick in my juicer) to add a little healthy burst to salads!
That’s a great idea! Maybe a good way to get kids to eat their vegetables!
I’d like to spherifi basil, peppers and tomatoes to add a flavor burst to pizza
Good one!
Grape juice for open-faced popping PB&J sandwiches! I have the Modernist ingredients, but didn’t spring for the tools because I wasn’t sure if I would keep doing it (too many kitchen gadgets already). I really need the strainer spoon, but winning the Spherificator would be amazing.
For a home cook if you don’t spring for the Spherificator the Perfect Caviar Maker works just fine for small batches.
That looks like fun. I used your jarred raspberry spheres on some cheesecake and they were delicious, but I think it would be fun to be able to make them myself.
Let us know how it goes!
I’d like to try basil or saffron or a Sriracha with scallops or even do a molasses with ginger or a tangerine or blood orange on a chocolate martini, oh! Grand Marnier atop chocolate mousse. My mind is agog!
All fantastic ideas!
Basil, Sriracha, lime on scallops. Ginger, molasses, blood orange or a Grand Marnier atop a chocolate mousse. My mind is agog!
Love those ideas!
Maple syrup sphere on a beet and feta salad
That would be delicious!
I’d like to have sauce spheres in my noodles. I imagine this fun to eat.
Sure would!
I would like to know if it is possible to spherify alcohol with the direct method and then include these spheres into a mousse. In that case how long could it last liquid?
No, that wouldn’t work. You can do alcohol spheres using our recipe, but it would be very difficult to include it in anything. You can certainly experiment with it.
Can’t wait to try this, it’s gonna be so much fun. Thanks
Let us know how it goes!