I've had great success making 'caviar' with sodium alginate and calcium chloride. I've used both an eye dropper and a Parmesan shaker (when I needed a whole lot of spheres). But I've never been able to make the larger spheres, sometimes referred to as ravioli. I've had them in restaurants as big or slightly bigger than a grape. What's the technique to get them this large? Anything in particular I need to watch out for?
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Could you drop a link to your process?– mfgMar 29, 2011 at 21:29
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@mfg, The process of spherification or how I've tried to make the larger ones?– yossarianMar 29, 2011 at 22:17
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Larger ones. Normally you just use a spoon. What happens when you pop them into the bath?– AaronutMar 30, 2011 at 0:24
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@aaronut, They don't come out as a nice sphere. They end up funny shapes. What kind of spoon should I use? What quantity of liquid?– yossarianMar 30, 2011 at 14:14
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2 Answers
All you need to do is put the liquid on a spoon and slowly lower it into the bath while tipping so it falls off. It may take a few tries but it isn't difficult to master. Naturally, larger spheres are a bit more delicate so will require gentle handling to remove from bath, rinse, and plate.
answered Mar 30, 2011 at 15:51
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Does it matter what kind of spoon? Are there curvatures, lips, or depth that make it easier / harder? Mar 30, 2011 at 16:25
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Michael's answer is good, but I have an even simpler one.
Make your liquid. Now freeze it--ideally in spherical molds, but whatever works well for you.
Bring your alginate solution up to just below the boil--96-98C is perfect. Remove from heat, drop your frozen proto-spheres in one by one.
Note that this was our process for approximately tablespoon-sized spheres, and we used a silicone mold for freezing that was hemispherical. Larger spheres may not melt fast enough to react.
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Cool. If you use a non spherical mold, will you end up with a more sphere sized shape when the interior melts? Is there any change in this spherification process due to the temperatures involved (freezing and boiling) vs room temp? Mar 30, 2011 at 22:29
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When you say "alginate solution", do you mean calcium solution (i.e. the bath)? I think we're talking about normal spherification here and not reverse.– AaronutMar 31, 2011 at 0:28
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@aaronut, Daniel must mean reverse. However, I don't think there's any real difference between the two in terms of process. It's just a question of which liquid is dropped into which liquid and whether the shell forms out or in. Mar 31, 2011 at 18:23
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The difference is with the reverse the reaction stops as soon as the sphere is dunked into the rinsing bath.– user35673May 20, 2015 at 23:05