WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 72 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2010-09-12 11:53:59 [post_date_gmt] => 2010-09-12 18:53:59 [post_content] => The spherification technique was introduced by el Bulli in 2003. It consists of a controlled jellification of a liquid which forms spheres when submerged in a bath. The spheres can be made of different sizes and have been given names like caviar when they are small, eggs, gnocchi and ravioli when they have larger size. The resulting spheres have a thin membrane and are filled with the flavored liquid. A slight pressure of the mouth on the sphere makes it burst and release an amazing explosion of flavor. The spheres are flexible and can be carefully manipulated. It is possible to introduce solid elements in the sphere which will remain in suspension in the liquid giving the possibility of introducing multiple flavors and textures in one preparation. (see spherification recipes).
It sounds complicated but the spherification technique can be easily mastered at home with one of our Molecular Gastronomy kits and the detailed instructions on our website. The Molecular Gastronomy Essentials Kit has all the ingredients and tools necessary to make any type of sphere. If you are also interested in exploring other techniques, you may want to consider the Molecular Gastronomy Premium Kit or the Molecular Gastronomy Ultimate Kit. There are two main kinds of spherification techniques and each of them has its advantages and disadvantages which make them more suitable for certain recipes. The Basic Spherification technique consists of submerging a liquid with sodium alginate in a bath of calcium. The Reverse Spherification technique consists of submerging a liquid with calcium content in a bath of sodium alginate. When the liquid drops into the bath, a thin coat of gel forms around the droplet as the calcium reacts with the sodium alginate. There are also a couple of other techniques to create spheres which consist of instant jelling by immersing the liquid in cold oil or liquid nitrogen, but these are made with a completely different process and the resulting spheres are solid and have no liquid inside. So these are usually not considered "spherification" techniques.