Which water to use for reverse spherification?

[dgrogandesign]

Hi all. I would like to experiment with the 'Reverse spherification' cooking technique. I am aware that one requires water without calcium in it so distilled water is a good one to use. This is a tricky ingredient because unless it has been treated (with chlorine or some other anti-microbial agent) there is the possibility of the water becoming contaminated in time. so this means that you have to use it quite quickly to minimise that risk. i thought of maybe treating it with chlorine myself(to eliminate this problem) but it just seemed a bit over the top. does anyone have any tips on this process? thanks, Danny.

[gfron1]

How long are you planning on holding the spheres? Typically they would be used within an hour or so if not immediately. Maybe I'm not understanding the concern.

[Tri2Cook]

I think you're overthinking this one. In my area, I can use tap water without trouble but if calcium is a problem where you live and you want/need to use distilled, just go to a store, buy some and use it. You'll be fine and so will your spheres.

[tdatta]

Distilled water is cheap (usually less than 1 USD per gallon). It is safe to drink in reasonable quantities, the only reason I say this is because it doesn't have minerals and fluoride so you will be missing those, and its likely hypotonic.

 

Regarding chlorine in tap water. Usually chlorine leaves tap water over time, so distilled water should not present a serious issue. In fact distillation is used to provide drinkable water when other water treatment methods are not available.

[shadowjack]

I believe most minerals come from food, not water so there is no concern on that front. If it bothers you, drink a glass of mineral water.

I use water for cooking and drinking from my reverse osmosis filter, which has very low TDS (total dissolved solids) and is the same to distilled water in that respect.

BTW rain water is effectively distilled water (but has nasties from polluted atmosphere, so I would not use it if you live in city).

If you concern is microbial contamination, store opened bottle in fridge and boil before/after use.

[jameswo]

Living in London, I've found that tap water to be high in Calcium. When I mix in Sodium Alginate, I find that it begins to gel within a few hours. I've found that filtered water from a filter jug etc will yield better results for the SA bath. Remember to mix in the SA much more than you'd think and ideally leave it overnight in a covered tuppaware. I usually keep the same bath for a week or so in the fridge.

[dgrogandesign]

Living in London, I've found that tap water to be high in Calcium. When I mix in Sodium Alginate, I find that it begins to gel within a few hours. I've found that filtered water from a filter jug etc will yield better results for the SA bath. Remember to mix in the SA much more than you'd think and ideally leave it overnight in a covered tuppaware. I usually keep the same bath for a week or so in the fridge.

Yes i live in Brighton and the calcium content is extremely high here. I shall give the water filter a go. i have been using evian mineral water with success as it has a low calcium content. is it ok to leave the alginate bath in the fridge for a while then? i have read that it should be used within 24 hours of mixing. ps. thanks for the reply's

[tdatta]

I have used filtered tap water and it has been fine. I also used the alginate bath after 24 hours. If there are any bits left over from previous spheres you can strain the bath. 

 

Also you can use a chelator to reduce the number of calcium ions in your water if you are having issues. I believe sodium citrate can be used for this.