Pectin Conversion: Liquid to Powder

[gfron1]

How do I do it? What is the ratio?

[gfron1]

I found this somewhere on the web:

Substitutes

It is generally best not to swap liquid pectin for powdered. Use whatever kind your recipe tells you.

Equivalents

1 tablespoon liquid Pectin = 2 teaspoons of powdered

[Tri2Cook]

If Kerry pops in she may be able to point you in the right direction. Based on some PM conversations we've had, I'd say she has a pretty extensive knowledge of pectins. I know she's helped me out a time or three.

[Pephemie]

Heh, I had a little disaster when I tried to swap powdered pectin for liquid pectin in a pomegranate jelly recipe. It clumped up and I ended up having to strain it out . Apparently I'm not a very good jelly maker!

[Kerry Beal]

Might be better to say I have an extensive collection of pectins rather than a great knowledge of them. I've been watching this thread to see if anyone came up with anything.

I've never had any success substituting dry for liquid.

I recall the pates de fruit I tried to make years ago using recipes from the old Barron's Lenotre that called for liquid pectin - never worked.

[alanamoana]

Heh, I had a little disaster when I tried to swap powdered pectin for liquid pectin in a pomegranate jelly recipe. It clumped up and I ended up having to strain it out . Apparently I'm not a very good jelly maker!

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anytime you use powdered pectin, you have to whisk it with the sugar that gets added to the recipe before adding it to the liquid ingredients (fruit, puree, whatever)...otherwise it will lump up. sort of like when you make pastry cream and you whisk the corn starch with the sugar before adding the eggs and tempering in the liquid.

edited to add: sorry a bit off topic!

Edited December 17, 2007 by alanamoana (log)

[Nathan Kurz]

How do I do it? What is the ratio?

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I've been using straight dry pectin as a stabilizer for sorbets, and I think I can tell you that there is not going to be a set ratio for substituting. There are lots of different kinds of pectins, and depending on what you buy the amount you'll need will change drastically. For example, I'm finding the FNX Citrus pectin to gel much more strongly than the FNX Apple.

Also, realize that realize that the grocery store pectins some sugar(s) and lots of (bad tasting) citric acid, whereas the commercial types are pure pectin. So you'll need to modify around that as well. High-methoxy pectins (the 'normal' kind) require low pH and high sugar to gel. The low-methoxy's gel based on ionic reactions, often with Calcium, and will gel without regard to sweetness. Obviously, which one of these you have will affect how you substitute.

And as alanamoana says, you'll probably want to mix the pectin powder with some quantity of sugar before trying to blend it in with the cold liquid. Alternatively, I've read that you can disperse it in a very high sugar solution, and then add that solution to the cold liquid. In both cases, hitting it with a high speed mixer is going to help.

CP Kelco has some good background information on their site:

http://www.cpkelco.com/pectin/index.html

And Le Sanctuaire has started carrying their stabilizers:

http://cookingbuddies.com/osc/index.php?cPath=34_37_48

Apologies if this wasn't the direction you were looking!

[chiantiglace]

Rob, the ratio depends on who is making it and how they made it. Liquid pectin can be easier than dry pectin because you dont have to worry about it clumping into the solution. If you do it properly it wont clump anyways.

Whatever product you have probably gives a percentage of active hydrocolloid units in the solution. That will let you know how much you need to use.

Now if you cant get a percentage, and you made your own or just can't find it, then you can work a trial and error to see what range is working for you. I would choose a neutral fruit like cherries to be able to adjust up to passion fruit or down to peach.

remember yellow/jaune/citrus pectin is better for jellies than apple pectin, because its less likely to dry out.

[gfron1]

Thanks for the tips everyone...this little experiment is on hold til after the holidays

[Nathan Kurz]

remember yellow/jaune/citrus pectin is better for jellies than apple pectin, because its less likely to dry out.

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Hey Dean ---

So that's what European recipe books mean when the call for 'yellow' pectin. I hadn't caught on that it referred to citrus pectin. I'd presumed it was some particular brand that happened

to come in yellow packaging. Thanks!

Do you happen to know what the NH in the phrase "Pectin NH" stands for?

[Kerry Beal]

remember yellow/jaune/citrus pectin is better for jellies than apple pectin, because its less likely to dry out.

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Hey Dean ---

So that's what European recipe books mean when the call for 'yellow' pectin. I hadn't caught on that it referred to citrus pectin. I'd presumed it was some particular brand that happened

to come in yellow packaging. Thanks!

Do you happen to know what the NH in the phrase "Pectin NH" stands for?

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I think it stands for Nitrogen and Hydrogen - used to change the properties of the pectin.

The bottle says Pectin NH nappage pectin, no more helpful than that.

[Nathan Kurz]

Do you happen to know what the NH in the phrase "Pectin NH" stands for?

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I think it stands for Nitrogen and Hydrogen - used to change the properties of the pectin.

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Thanks! That makes more sense now. Ammonia is NH3, and amidated pectins are de-esterified with ammonia: http://www.cpkelco.com/pectin/product_information.html

I was trying unsuccessfully to coerce it into some abbreviation in French or Spanish, since that those were the cookbooks I was seeing it appear in.

This means that Pomona Pectin, which is widely available at Health Food stores in the US should substitute for Pectin NH, seeing as it is also an amidated low-methoxyl pectin: http://www.pomonapectin.com/

My experiences using Pomona Pectin as a sorbet stabilizer haven't been great though, as it had a distinctly soapy flavor when I tried it. It's likely this may have come from the monocalcium phosphate activator rather than the pectin itself, though.

Edited December 24, 2007 by Nathan Kurz (log)