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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.
Comments (44)
May 6, 2021 10:53 am
It would be fun to spherify concentrated olive juice for a martini as well as ginger syrup for a Moscow Mule
May 6, 2021 12:24 pm
love that idea!
May 6, 2021 5:52 pm
I would like to make vermouth spheres for a martini. Combined with olive juice spheres it would be great
.
May 6, 2021 11:32 am
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!
May 6, 2021 12:23 pm
glad you liked it!
May 6, 2021 11:33 am
Would like sperifi a raspberry coulis for a lemon cake.
May 6, 2021 12:23 pm
sounds great!
May 6, 2021 12:32 pm
Shoga spheres (pickled ginger)
May 7, 2021 12:25 pm
garnishing sushi? yes please!
May 6, 2021 1:08 pm
Cocktails like Margaritas would be wonderful to spherify.
May 6, 2021 1:11 pm
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!
May 7, 2021 12:25 pm
Good luck!
May 6, 2021 4:45 pm
cucumber infused spheres on vadouvan curried shrimp
May 7, 2021 12:03 pm
that sounds so yummy, love it!
May 6, 2021 5:53 pm
I would like to make vermouth spheres for a martini. Combined with olive juice spheres it would be great
.
May 7, 2021 12:24 pm
Lovely idea!
May 6, 2021 5:57 pm
As well as the olive juice spheres, I would also like to combine them with vermouth spheres.
May 7, 2021 12:02 pm
That would be a nice combo!
May 6, 2021 6:16 pm
Sphere mango essence to dress Key Lime pie! How South Florida!
May 7, 2021 12:03 pm
That is a fantastic idea!
May 6, 2021 7:47 pm
I’d like to spherify fruit juice to add to lemonade.
May 7, 2021 11:40 am
Great idea, just beware of the pH levels.
May 7, 2021 12:28 am
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.
May 7, 2021 11:40 am
Check out last week’s Ask a Chef on this topic
May 7, 2021 11:02 am
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!
May 7, 2021 11:39 am
That’s a great idea! Maybe a good way to get kids to eat their vegetables!
May 7, 2021 11:23 am
I’d like to spherifi basil, peppers and tomatoes to add a flavor burst to pizza
May 7, 2021 11:38 am
Good one!
May 8, 2021 10:27 am
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.
May 10, 2021 12:06 pm
For a home cook if you don’t spring for the Spherificator the Perfect Caviar Maker works just fine for small batches.
May 8, 2021 6:03 pm
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.
May 10, 2021 12:04 pm
Let us know how it goes!
May 11, 2021 11:20 am
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!
May 12, 2021 7:16 pm
All fantastic ideas!
May 11, 2021 11:25 am
Basil, Sriracha, lime on scallops. Ginger, molasses, blood orange or a Grand Marnier atop a chocolate mousse. My mind is agog!
May 11, 2021 2:14 pm
Love those ideas!
May 12, 2021 5:05 pm
Maple syrup sphere on a beet and feta salad
May 12, 2021 7:15 pm
That would be delicious!
May 21, 2021 1:51 pm
I’d like to have sauce spheres in my noodles. I imagine this fun to eat.
May 24, 2021 8:34 am
Sure would!
May 21, 2021 5:39 pm
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?
May 24, 2021 8:33 am
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.
May 24, 2021 1:10 pm
Can’t wait to try this, it’s gonna be so much fun. Thanks
May 24, 2021 3:06 pm
Let us know how it goes!