The blog of cooking-ez.com
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)
9,514 19 4.9
Last modified on: June 18th 2022
Keywords for this post:Gelling agentIncorporationDispersionCreamGelatinBlenderThe 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.
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.
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.
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).
Not only will you disperse the gelatin perfectly, but you will also smooth your cream, which will be even smoother once it has cooled.
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.
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.
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.
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
Wipe meats and fish before cooking
When you want to cook meat or fish, there's a very simple yet very important step to take before you even start: It's to dry, or wipe, each side of the meat or fish, sometimes called "dabbing" or "sponging". But why? And how? Let me explain.7565 April 14th 2024
Toss the salad
When you've finished preparing a salad, green or otherwise, it's usually time to add the dressing and toss. It's often said to "toss the salad", which means to season and mix. Is it easy? Not so easy...2,3805 March 8th 2024
Half milk, half cream
In a multitude of recipes, savoury or sweet, milk is used as the main ingredient, or at least as the main liquid ingredient. Milk is used instead of water, for example, because milk contains a proportion of fat, which adds roundness and softness to the recipe. This mellowness is very pleasant on...2,313 February 27th 2024
Cutting soft cheeses
As you may have already noticed, when you have to use a "soft" cheese in a recipe - their exact name is "soft cheese" - such as Camembert, Munster or Mont d'or, it's not easy to make anything other than thick slices.2,4555 February 20th 2024
It's spinning too fast!
When you need to grate or slice vegetables, you generally use an electric machine that does all the work: a food processor, a mixer with a "slicer" extension or similar. Are these machines really suitable? Generally speaking, yes of course, but there's one criterion that often poses a problem,...5,3525 November 12th 2023
Other pages you may also like
Candied fruits: don't get ripped off
Do you like candied fruit? You might like to nibble a handful or add it to a recipe, like a classic fruit cake or delicious Italian specialities like panettone or sicilian epiphany pie.53K 24.2 June 21th 2017
The right bread knife
We almost all have a bread knife in our kitchen, that is to say the knife we use almost exclusively to cut bread. Is this knife efficient, is it really the one you need? Here is some information to guide you in your choice. .7,389 September 15th 2022
Sausage broth
I've already talked to you about vegetable cooking water, which becomes a precious broth after cooking that would be a shame to throw away. Now let's look at the special case of meat cooking broth, and in particular sausages, which are often poached.5,1235 June 28th 2023
Different kinds of pastry and dough
When cooking in general, and particularly in baking, we can make and use many different kinds of pastry and dough. All built on the same "base": flour - a powder to which we add fat, liquid or both to produce the dough which is then cooked. .104K 14.0 November 6th 2012
Making the most of seeds: Dry roasting
In cooking, and particularly in baking, there are a lot of seeds we can use, such as linseed, sesame, poppy, etc. Usually, recipes simply say to add them just as they are to the mixture or dough. To make a seeded loaf, for example, prepare a plain bread dough as usual, then, towards the end of...55K4.0 January 30th 2015
Post your comment or question
Follow this page (as 2 people already do)
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.