Alginic Acid is a jelly-like, commercial thickening agent derived from brown seaweeds such as Kelp. In its powdered form, it can be light or yellowish-beige. Alginic Acid thickens and stabilizes an emulsification by holding particles in suspension. Consequently, you’ll find it in bottles of salad dressings, cans of gravies and bottles of milk shakes. Alginic…
Thickeners
Cassava Flour
Cassava flour is a flour made from ground cassava roots. It is used for unleavened baking, or as a thickener. To make cassava flour, cassava roots are fermented or boiled, then dried and ground into a flour. No insects, not even cockroaches, will eat cassava flour. Substitutes When a recipe calls for cassava flour as…
Filé
Filé is dried, ground Sassafras leaves. It is used as a thickening agent that adds flavour at the same time. Filé is used in Cajun cooking, in particular in making gumbo. That being said, it’s important to note that there are roughly two main types of gumbo: one which uses okra, and the other which…
Genugel
Genugel is a trademarked name for a jelling agent made of Carrageen (Irish Moss.) It is used, for instance, in making maple jelly. The product name is owned by the The Copenhagen Pectin Factory Ltd.
Lecithin
Lecithin © Denzil Green Lecithin is an emulsifier that also helps a product to retain moisture. It used to be made from egg yolk but is now almost always made from soybean. Sometimes this is said to be healthier: it seems to depend on whether eggs are good or bad for us in that particular…
Lotus Root Flour
Lotus Root Flour is a granular, off-white or slightly greyish starch made from the roots (technically, rhizomes) of lotus water lilies (“Nelumbo nucifera”.) It is expensive. An instant lotus root starch is also made. Hangzhou area in Jiangsu province in Eastern China particularly known for its production. Substitutes Water chestnut starch, Cornstarch Nutrition Gluten-free. Chinese…
Marshmallow Powder
Marshmallow Powder can be used to describe two relatively different powders. Both are thickeners, though one is real and the other artificial. It can be a powder from the actual root of the mallow plant. It is used rarely in modern cooking, though it was certainly used a great deal more in cooking as a…
Panade à la frangipane
Panade à la frangipane is a thick sauce made from egg yolk, butter, flour and milk. It is used to bind and thicken ground poultry and fish mixtures. It is also sometimes used as a filling. Unlike Crème Frangipane (almond pastry cream), no sugar is added — nor are there any almonds. Cooking Tips ½…
Pectin
Pectin is a naturally occurring carbohydrate in fruit that is concentrated in the fruit’s skin and the core. When cooked, Pectin solidifies to a gel, causing fruit preserves to set. Fruit uses Pectin to build cell walls with. Generally, unripe fruit will have more Pectin than ripe fruit. Fruits that are high in Pectin include…
Water Chestnut Flour
Water Chestnut Flour is made from dried, ground water chestnuts. The nuts are boiled, peeled, dried then ground into flour. The flour, which is actually a starch rather than a flour, is bright white fine powder. It’s primary use is as a thickener. It is also used in Asian recipes to make batters for deep-frying….
Wild Mango
Wild Mango is a fruit that grows in tropical rain-forests along the African Atlantic coast. The kernels of its seeds are used as a thickener. Called “Ugiri” in Nigeria where the kernels are used a great deal, the tree is not actually related to the Mango at all, but Wild Mango is the most common…
Xanthan Gum
Xanthan Gum is a dry, white powder that is used as a stabilizer, thickener, and as a “suspension” agent to keep things from settling in liquid mixtures. It is stable at high temperatures and dissolves easily in liquid, whether hot or cold. It will create a thickened, viscous solution, but not a gel. It’s not…