Having read about the El Bulli faux caviar technique here a number of times, the urge to play with the technique has come over me. I've been googling up a storm and have had no luck finding a source of the sodium alginate.
I've tried health food stores and constantly get a funny look from the counterfolk there, though there are google indications that somebody or other used to make a pure sodium alginate dietary supplement at some point in time...
I'm wary about going to chemical supply houses because who knows whether the impurities that won't affect lab reactions will affect taste...
I'd rather not order from Texturas El Bulli because I don't read enough spanish to figure out what's what, or where on that website to place an order.
I've found a kids' science website that sells a kit for making "worms" that appears to use the alginate CaCl reaction, but their stuff appears to be pre-colored.
So, anybody found a source?
Anybody played with the technique with fun results? So many possibilities.
I want to play with Adria's faux caviars
in Cooking
Posted
I would go to a reputable chemical supply house like:
http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/Local/SA_Splash.html
They often have different "grades" from "utility" grade all the way up to "USP" which are use for pharmaceutical manufacture.