What You Need to Know
Plant-based ingredients can be used to create spherified ravioli, foam, gel-like cubes, vegan 'cheese', vegan 'meat', and vegan 'egg' through various chemical reactions, such as sodium alginate reacting with calcium ions to form a gel-like substance, lecithin acting as an emulsifier to stabilize foam, and agar agar dissolving in hot water and solidifying as it cools.
Steps
- 1.
Spherified Basil Essence (Italy): Encapsulates fresh basil flavor in edible spheres
- 2.
Miso Caramel Foam (Japan): Creates airy texture for umami dessert topping
- 3.
Beetroot Gel Cubes (Nordic countries): Provides vibrant color and concentrated flavor
The Science
Primary Reaction
Gelation, Emulsification, Foamification