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The Secret of Calcium Salts

May 7, 2019Cole Whitney
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calcium chlorideCalcium LactateCalcium Lactate GluconateSodium AlginateSphere Magic

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WTF Calcium Salts: Spherification Essentials and More

Selecting the right calcium salt is crucial to successful spherification. But that’s not all! (Cue infomercial music) Find out how to get the most out of your calcium… on this week’s WTF
 

Product Links:
Calcium Chloride
Calcium Lactate
Calcium Lactate Gluconate
Sodium Alginate
Sphere Magic

Recipe Links:
Edible Moscow Mule
Wake’n Bacon Jam
Impeccable Pickles
Pickled Mustard Seed Spheres

Episodes and Links Referenced that you Might Like!
WTF – Fermentation Lids
WTF – Pectin

Calcium Salts Reference Chart:

  Usage % Hydration Flavor Calcium Content Uses
Calcium Chloride 1% Cold Bitter 36.10%
Pickling, Spherification
Suggested Uses Calcium Chloride is one of the primary ingredients in direct spherification. It is used in the setting bath to activate the sodium alginate. Due to it’s extremely salty taste, it should not be used in reverse spherification.
Calcium Lactate 1% Cold Neutral 18.40%
Spherification, LM Pectin
Suggested uses Calcium Lactate is perfect for reverse spherification (dipped in sodium alginate bath) without adding any flavor at all to the end product. It is soluble in cold liquids and can be used with acidic, high alcohol, or fatty mediums. This has less calcium than Calcium Chloride. When making an abundance of direct spherification the calcium level in the bath will drop, so be sure to have extra “bath” ready.
Calcium Lactate Gluconate 1% Cold Neutral 9.30%
Spherification, LM Pectin
Suggested Uses Calcium Lactate Gluconate is a calcium-rich product and is perfect for reverse spherification (dipped in sodium alginate bath) without adding any flavor at all to the end product. It is soluble in cold liquids and can be used with acidic, high alcohol, or fatty mediums. This is the lowest calcium content of the three. When making an abundance of direct spherification the calcium level in the bath will drop, so be sure to have extra “bath” ready.

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.

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Comments (7)

The Secret of The Spherificator

July 2, 2019 9:31 am

[…] and Other Links you Might Like! WTF – Calcium Salts WTF – Flavor […]

Darren woodard

April 26, 2020 10:18 pm

How can you create edible lipid sulfur?

Janie Wang

April 27, 2020 10:12 am

Not sure but if you find out that sounds interesting!

Calcium Salts Usage Chart

April 28, 2020 3:13 pm

[…] Click Here to watch the full episode and learn more! […]

The Secret Of Sodium Citrate & Sodium Hexametaphosphate

September 28, 2020 11:18 am

[…] References and Other Links you Might Like! WTF – Sodium Citrate WTF – Sodium Caseinate WTF – Egg Powder WTF – Sports Snacks WTF – Fermentation Lids WTF – Calcium Salts (spherification) […]

Cathy Dean

November 20, 2021 12:03 pm

I read that with spherification, very little of the calcium lactate is absorbed into the food, so there is no need to really count the carb in Calcium Lactate when using it in a calcium lactate bath.

Is this true, and if so, can you explain why? I have a reader questioning the fact that I did not include the carbs in the calcium lactate in my keto noodle recipe 🙂

Cole Whitney

November 22, 2021 4:34 pm

The sodium alginate only pulls in the calcium ions, and it is almost negligible to count because the bath can be used to produce hundreds of spheres. There’s no exact way to measure how much calcium is taken in per noodle that we have found.

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