What does A mean in PRESCRIPTION

Agar is a gelatinous substance derived from seaweed. It is used for thickening and stabilizing food, making it useful in both commercial and home cooking. Agar has an almost zero calorie content and can be used in vegan or vegetarian recipes instead of gelatin.

Gelatin is made from animal products, such as collagen extracted from pork skins and beef bones, while agar comes from a red algae species. While they both thicken foods, they cannot be used interchangeably when baking due to their different properties.

No, agar and cornstarch have very different properties that make them incompatible for substitution in recipes. Cornstarch is considered as a thickener due to its ability to absorb liquid and expand when heated, whereas agar produces a gel-like consistency when cooled down.

Popular dishes that use agar include jams, puddings, fruit gels, ice creams, jellies/jello shots and even vegan cheesecakes! Agar can also be used to strengthen doughs like pie crusts for flakier results or even help combine doughs like pretzels.

Agar can generally be found in most health food stores or grocery stores that stock specialty ingredients. It also widely available online, just look for unflavored or flavored varieties depending on your needs!

Preparing agar only requires the addition of boiling water which makes it ideal as a no-fuss ingredient! To use it properly though you will need to measure the exact amount needed (usually 1 teaspoon of powdered per 1 cup of water) before adding the powder into the hot water while whisking continuously until completely dissolved.

You cannot dissolve Agar in cold liquids; you must boil it first until fully dissolved prior to adding any additional ingredients. Once the mixture has completely cooled down - then it will form into its gel-like state.