Agar Agar?

[100Day]

http://www.instructables.com/id/Mole...gar-Spaghetti/

What is the stuff? I've heard people use it as a diet food because it makes you feel fuller.
Anyone ever cook with it?
i guess you can make pasta, jello, and jellies out of it.

will rep for any info on the stuff

[mannydawg]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agar#Culinary here you go

[dumbchicken]

It's similar to jello. A lot of asians use it for deserts.

It doesn't really have a taste on it own, so you'd have to add other stuff(fruits, sugary drinks, etc) to it to make it sweet.

[Shazriki]

Is this basically the same as xantham/guar gum that everyone raves about here? According to wikipedia they are both derived from polysaccharides (well technically xantham IS a polysaccharide and agar agar is derived from one) so can they be used in the same way?

[TERMplus]

Remove the spaces:

http: // www . foodchem.com/products_detail/&productId=eb3f3cb4-2a68-4226-a2ac-c5b9bc2edc18&comp_stats=comp-FrontProducts_list01-1286764117585 . html

http: // www . sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/MicroBio_Agar . shtml

If you're interested in recipes:

http: // allrecipes.asia/recipes/tag-849/agar-agar-recipes . aspx

It's basically vegetarian gelatin.

[Liller]

I didnt know you could make pasta from it?

[JasminOK]

So I may be bringing this back from the dead but info can always be useful (as I myself fell upon this thread in 2020)

Ok let me explain. Agar Agar is NOT like xanthan or guar Guam. Yes they have a similar action as they all have the ability to thicken but Agar is actually a derivative from seaweed! Agar also needs to be dissolved in hot liquid (much like gelatin) and needs to be cooled down to see the full action where as xanthan thicken by "velocity". Basically it thickens when you blend it.

Another thing to mention is that the ratio of each of these thickeners to liquid is very different!

Lastly, the mouthfeel you get from each one is also different. Agar dosent affect the viscosity feeling that much (again, think gelatin/hello). Xanthan on the other hand becomes pretty slimey, especially at higher doses.

I have never heard of pasta made of Agar. There are noodles made of Konjac root/ Glucomannan powder, yet another thickener (Miracle noodles). The texture is similar to solidified Agar. Maybe that's where the confusion came from.

Hope this helps!