Food Science

One of my most favorite things. I was researching guar gum tonight (it is magical!) and found this story about a physics class at Harvard where the lab is a kitchen.

Anyway, guar gum - 8 times the thickening power of cornstarch and doesn't have to be made into a slurry to use. Heat stable! Freezer stable! Cheap! Good for you! I marinated a pound of boneless skinless chicken breast in a lemon ginger sesame dressing for 30 min, then baked at 325 F in a covered dutch oven with 3/4 cup of the marinade. When the chicken was at 160 F, I took it out of the sauce and whisked in 1/4 tsp of guar gum powder - it made a fantastic medium thick sauce.

Food science!

Guar is used a lot in processed foods for that reason, right? I didnt know it was readily available, is it a powder or a goo, or...?

It's a powder, like flour, made from guar beans.

The ideal gift for food science nerds: molecular gastronomy starter kit

Also, Harold McGee has a new book out at the end of the month.

Gotta get me some guar gum.

If you can't find it locally, I got the Bob's Red Mill brand from Amazon. But I also didn't realize how little you actually use, so I could send you one of the 8 bags I've got in the pantry.

lolol posts very much in character

heh :) I was speculating with Mr. Jaq last night about what it would take to open a grocery - now that the pantry is a huge section of the basement, I've got a lot of stock on hand.

I would love one of the bags of guar gum, Jaq! If there's anything from around here that you can't get there, just let me know!

I would swap you for some tomato seeds, if you're still holding those over year to year. Especially if you have heritage cherry tomato ones.

Can do! There's one last vine full of Matts Wild Cherry tomatoes, and after today I'll have time to gather, clean and dry the seed.

Gathered several hundred Matt's Wild Cherry tomato seeds this morning. These have an extra generation of proven hardiness bred into them — they volunteered this spring and summer from tomatoes that were pulled up in fall '09 and left to rot back in a corner of the yard. Also, these vines grew about 75 feet away from all my other tomatoes, so less chance of x-pollenation, and thrived in poor soil with no watering during a hot dry summer. Tough bastards.

Awesome - that's one thing I really love about cherry tomatoes, they volunteer like mad. Getting the guar gum packed up so I can drop it at the post office on Saturday.

I also just bought an enormous amount of agar-agar strips, trying to figure out what I can make vegan jello out of this weekend.

These seeds will take a few days of fermentation before cleaning, then a couple of weeks of drying, so be on the lookout for them I guess around Thanksgiving.

Like I say, I got a few hundred, so if any other ILCers want some of these, say howdy. They're the most intensely tomato-ey tomato I've ever eaten, esp if you eat them about 4-5 days underripe.

You guys are making me wish I had a place to grow plants! Basically the highlight of my year was hanging out in my husband's stepdad's garden last month & going all Pac-Man on his cherry tomato patch.

I'll take a few WmC!

I'd love some, but I suspect they'd never ever get past customs, sadly (Aus customs v strict on seeds/plant matter)

Also, tomato plantin' time is NOW, here, in fact I've already put in some romas.

Yeah, I'm not too sure about customs issues re: mailing any of them out of the country. (Or into California.) Dayo, would you want these sent to HK, or aren't your parents big gardeners in PA or NJ or somewhere like that?

Like I say, I got a few hundred, so if any other ILCers want some of these, say howdy.

hahaha, more like 3500-4000. Dayo, did you want seeds sent to HK or in the US?

I would like some!!!!

My initial boxing of the guar was decidedly flimsy and the post office lady convinced me to put it in a sturdier box - don't want that fine white powder gumming up the works. So I expect to get it on its way this weekend.

I might throw in some agar-agar too - it's amazing in a different way, and what they make those lychee and mango jelly cups out of.

quincie, no problem, just ilxmail me an address to send them to.

yay for agar-agar!

WmC, US! can I webmail you?

send me an ilxmail -- I'll get it immediately if not sooner

done and done

got it, I'll send 1/4 teaspoon of the good stuff

I would like some!!!!

― quincie, Thursday, November 11, 2010 12:08 PM (5 days ago)

quincie, send me an address to mail you a few hundred of these things.

hey, got the seeds wmc! thanks again and I'll post pics when they're sprouted

I hope they do well! This is their pedigree, btw -- http://store.tomatofest.com/Matt_s_Wild_Cherry_Tomato_Seeds_p/tf-0313a.htm

Package received, Jaq -- thank you! I'm going to open the unlabeled jar this evening and see if I can guess what it is.

Ha! forgot to label it - 100% durian free!

btw, thanks for the seeds! Arrived in Wednesday's mail - I got two of those upside down tomato planters to try, and also think I might stake some along the back fence.