Gellan gum vs Ultratex

Martin_212020

Chefsteps have a bunch of fluid gel recipes with gellan gum where you basically make the liquid, then disperse/hydrate/chill/blend. Is that better than just whisking in some Ultratex? If so, why? No idea how the results differ/if the gellan method is better enough to justify the increased work. I ask after seeing this video ( https://youtu.be/cAOsdUVvPL0?t=1m5s ) - start at 1.05.

Find more posts tagged with

All About Ingredients

Comments

brian_martin2001

It really depends on what you're looking for. Ultratex is a thickener. Gellan gum is a gelling agent. Ultratex seems to do very well in acidic conditions. Gellan gum is good over a wide pH range. They give a different mouthfeel and texture. With ultratex, syneresis is possible, not so much with gellan gum. It really just depends on what you're looking for in an end product to dictate what product you should use

Martin_212020

But what mouthfeel and texture with each? And I get one's a thickener and one's a gelling agent... but with the gellan, if you're making a gel and then blitzing it in a blender, the end result is like a thickened liquid rather than a gel, no?

brian_martin2001

the texture of the ultratex (depending on what kind of ultratex you get) will give you smooth and creamy texture, thicknesses dependent on what kind of utratex you're using. the gellan gum will give you either a brittle or elastic gel, again depending on what kind you use. ultratex gives you a smooth, creamy, velvety mouthfeel. gellan gum will give you a clean mouthfeel; creamy can also be used to describe the low acyl gellan.

"the end result is like a thickened liquid rather than a gel, no?" no. it doesn't give you a thickened liquid. what it gives you a millions of tiny little gelled particles. think giant pile of tiny jello globes. it will act like a fluid in certain circumstances, but it is not a fluid.

gabor.szeder

A few more points to brian's:

- Ultratex is opaque while LA gellan is clear, though you'll need clear liquid (e.g. clarified juice) to take advantage of that.

- Ultratex disperses, hydrates and thickens at any temperature. LA Gellan normally has to be heated close to boiling to hydrate, which means you have to cook either all or part of your juice, thereby altering flavors, or hydrate gellan separately in water, thereby diluting flavors. It depends on the application which compromise is preferable, see the different procedures in the beet and orange fluid gel recipes.

BTW, love the comments below the video: "Q: I know there're 3 kinds of ultratex : 3,4 and 8. Which kind was used in this clip?" A: "None of the above..." Who the hell does name these things?! Nonsense.

naithaddi

I lived in the UK and MSK is where I was buying my modernist ingredients. Their Ultratex is actually fantastic. I use it to thicken sauces and also to create fluid get from things I don't want to cook. I also used it for non food related purpose. My girlfriend was sick and cold once and I thickened water with Ultratex and vacuum packed it and

eated the bag in the microwave and hey presto I had a nice heat pack. I was a hero that day ;-) Thanks Ultratex!

Martin_212020

Thanks - I'll play with both and see what happens.