1,459 easy and fully explained recipes, with +66K photos and 78 videos

The gelling agent in a cream

If you start making a Bavarian cream for example, or any other that contains a gelling agent such as gelatin or agar-agar, you will sooner or later be confronted with the problem: How to properly incorporate this gelling agent into my cream? (and we will focus on gelatin)

10 K 4.9/5 (19 reviews)

Keywords for this post:Gelling agent Incorporation Dispersion Cream Gelatin Blender

Last modified on: June 18^th 2022

For this post: Comment Follow Send to a friend User-friendly URL

The gelling agent in a cream

"Well" means regularly, evenly, so that the consistency of the cream is well homogeneous, and it is not so easy as that.

What is the problem?

First of all, it's a question of temperature: gelatin is soluble at 37°C, so it is imperative that your cream is above that temperature, otherwise it will not dissolve.
Well it is often the case in fact, we heat a first mixture for a cooking (like custard) and then we incorporate the gelatin, but it is necessary to remember it anyway.

Then it's a question of structure, the gelatin is in a different form from your cream, which is rather liquid.
The gelatin is either sheets (of 2 gr) or powder, and incorporating it into the structure of your future cream involves some precautions.

Sheets and powder

If you use gelatin sheets, you will first have to soften them for 5 minutes in a bowl of cold water, then wring them out (squeeze them in your hand over the sink), pour them into your hot cream and immediately mix them well, we say "disperse", with a whisk for example or with a maryse.

ajout de gélatine

If you use powdered gelatin, it's easier: you pour the powder directly into your hot cream, whisking at the same time to disperse immediately.

Is this enough?

In theory yes, if you did it quickly and well, no problem for your cream.
In practice, you may have some concerns about the homogeneity of your cream, with some areas a little more set than others, especially if your cream was a little low in temperature (< 50°C).

Is there a way to ensure a perfect dispersion?

Yes, just give your cream a quick blast with a mixer (less than 10 seconds) once the gelatin is incorporated.
Not only will you disperse the gelatin perfectly, but you will also smooth your cream, which will be even smoother once it has cooled.

dispersion gélatine au mixeur

This dispersal of gelatin, and of gelifiers in general, in a mixer is a common practice among professional pastry chefs.
Don't hesitate to use this professional trick to obtain very nice and creamy creams at home.

To sum up: To properly incorporate a gelling agent into a cream, you must make it "hot cream" and then disperse it with a mixer for a homogeneous result.

Lasts posts

Your oven in "proofer" mode

In the bakery, proofing is a crucial stage in the process of making light, plump breads and pastries. During proofing, the yeast ferments the sugars present in the dough, releasing carbon dioxide which forms bubbles. This process allows the dough to swell and aerate, guaranteeing a soft, light...
September 27^th 20243,1445

The right size of zucchini

When you buy zucchini at the market, you're often offered a wide variety of sizes, from very small to very large. But which ones to choose? Here are a few tips.
September 9^th 20243,4835

The (small) miracle of béchamel sauce

Making a béchamel sauce is going to confront you with a little miracle that happens every time: You pour milk over a roux, it's very liquid, you stir over a low heat, and then all of a sudden, miracle, the sauce sets, it thickens, you've got your béchamel. Let's see what happened.
August 27^th 20243,9434

Pastry doughs

To make a classic tart, you'll need a pastry of course, and if you don't use puff pastry (normally reserved for "fine", in french, tarts), you'll have a choice of shortcrust, shortbread, sweetcrust or "à foncer". Let's take a look at the differences between these four.
August 16^th 20244,0184.4

A few tips on homemade ice cream

If you make ice cream at home, which is a very, very good idea, you'll find a few tips and tricks in this article that should make your life easier. Combined with the site's ice cream recipes, they'll help you improve your production, to the delight of everyone around you, children first.
August 11^th 20244,0615

See all posts Random post RSS feeds

Other pages you may also like

The golden-brown finish on puff pastry

Let's take a look at the tricky matter of producing puff pastry with an attractive, golden-brown finish. French pastry chefs call this "dorure" (literally, "gilding"). Behind this quirky term there lurks a real problem (and the solution): when using puff pastry (pâte feuilletée) for a pie, or...
February 8^th 201842 K 24.6

Remove bones from fish

Let's talk about fish: It's not a scoop, it's much more pleasant to eat fish from which all the bones have been carefully removed, even if it's a rather painful and time-consuming job, the result is worthy of your efforts. Here are some important points to keep in mind.
October 16^th 20219,4095

The return of the "Norman hole"

You maybe know the "trou normand", this old gastronomic custom typically French which consists in taking a (small) glass of calvados, generally between the last course and the dessert? It's something that seems a bit anachronistic nowadays, having a glass of an alcohol of more than 60° in the...
December 18^th 20219,2914.8

The super powers of cornstarch

I start this new year by evoking an old product, that you most probably have in your cupboards, a white powder, often in a small cardboard package with a slightly outdated look, only the "gluten free" is relatively recent, it is simply cornstarch, hence its name of maïzena. It's used for a lot...
January 14^th 20229,705

Sugar syrups

In cooking, and especially in pastry, we often use sugar syrups, a simple mixture of water and sugar in varying proportions. Here is a presentation of their differences. .
January 17^th 20237,4604.8