synergy

Although we fight to keep up with understanding hydrocolloids, we are years behind the innovators in this area.  With all other things culinary, it is necessary to motivate ourselves into studying these methods.  Just like sous-vide and other forms of controlling the flavors and textures in food, hydrocolloids play a major role in this endeavor.  It's important to push ourselves to learn about this.  Our knowledge here is very limited, but the internet and the help of others have helped us tremendously.

Dana on tastingmenu.com once posted a quote from Alex Stupak in reference to the use of additive powders by stating that it was all about controlling water.  This is true whether you are into hydrocolloids or not.  All food ingredients contain water and their texture is directly influenced by how much of it there is and how it is dispersed throughout the whole of the ingredient.  That's what hydrocolloid means... a suspension in water.

Given that introduction of my ignorances, I have only recently become tuned into synergies of different hydrocolloids.  The first awareness came through a simple combination of xanthan and a food starch.  I was making a version of a pea puree that we use on the line everyday, and because of a catering menu wording mistake added a few cubes of cooked potato to it.  The addition of natural potato starch upon blending in the xanthan yielded an incredibly stable puree that could be made to stand up much higher than its width but was incredibly palatable.  Although this may seem like an ultimately simple thing, it was sort of an epiphany for me.  After reading so much about it, I guess I just needed some clear visual affirmation.

Now our focus is on traditional synergies.  They are not hard to find if you scourge the internet enough or read any books on the subject.  A primary example is through the 3 types of carrageenans (kappa, iota, lambda).  These are all derived from red seaweed.  Kappa is amazing on its own, but does leach out water (syneresis) after sitting if used alone.  Here it is in varying percentages with whole milk... note that although the 1.5% kappa does not have the unwanted side effect, it is too rubbery to be of culinary use.  (Also note that the .1% is very weak and not a full gel... and this is in a milk system which has calcium and potassium present.)

Kappa carrageenan is often paired with iota because of their magic together.  Lambda is not called upon that often.  One of the things that iota carrageenan does for kappa is eliminate the syneresis... all of the benefit of kappa with none of the ill effect.

This is a side by side of a 1% iota/milk solution and a .5% iota and .5% kappa in milk solution.

The iota alone has a spongey texture.  The 1% iota/kappa mix has a much nicer texture, but is strengthened into a solid rubbery gel.

This is a solution of the same combination on the right above, but with the carrageenan mix cut down to .5% (.25% iota and .25% kappa).  It is much softer and palatable with no syneresis.

Again, all of these solutions involve milk which has its own synergistic effect with carrageenan.  It should also be noted that iota/kappa gels will have melting points 5 to 10 degrees Celsius higher than the temperatures at which they set.

Comments

[Nicholas Santos]

I recently made ginger pudding (ginger juice, milk, sugar) and it set up fine but I noticed a fair amount of syneresis. Do you think using iota carrageenan would help in this situation?

[chadzilla]

Are you still using eggs?
My guess at this time would be an iota/kappa blend or try iota/starch (which is said to increase the gelling capacity by 4 times) which I have not yet tried. Use only tiny amounts starting at .50%.
The texture will be that of a soft flan. You did say pudding, so I want to be sure you are shooting for this kind of gel.

[Nicholas Santos]

No eggs at all, the ginger juice actually does the thickening (about 1-2 tsp per cup of milk). A soft flan texture would be most desirable. I want to try this but I'm wondering where you bought the carrageenan, or if you know of an online source.

[Richie]

I asked Alex at Ideas in Food about synerysis regarding gellan--he said to add gelatin at 1%. I wonder if this would also help with carrageenan.

[chadzilla]

I purchased both from le-sanctuaire.com. The kappa I have is labelled only as 'food grade carrageenan' and the iota is called 'genuvisco j.'
Carrageenan is also used in adhesives and book binding, so make sure it is from a reputable food source.

[Orges]

There is a world of possibilities in synergies, complicated but promising. We are also doing experiments...I'll keep you informed