Agar agar is a great alternative to gelatin when it comes to making jelly and other set desserts. But, what if you’ve made a few too many agar agar jellies? What do you do with the leftovers?
Can You Freeze Agar Agar?
Yes, you can freeze agar agar for up to 1 month. Construct the jelly and allow it to set within the container youāll use to freeze it. Once set and cooled, seal the container and freeze.
Do Does Agar Agar freeze well? No
Can you refreeze Agar Agar? No
How to Freeze Agar Agar
Our method for freezing agar agar focuses on freezing jelly made with the gelling agent as opposed to the powdered form before it has been turned into anything.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Make Jelly: The first step is to make the jelly with agar. Ensure there are as few contaminants in the jelly as possible, as that will likely lead to damage in the freezer.
- Cool and Set: Allow the agar to cool so that no condensation forms within the container youāll be freezing. Condensation would begin to dissolve some of the jelly, so freezing it should be avoided.
- Seal: Seal the container tightly, ensuring itās as airtight as possible. Double-check the seals, as the humid atmosphere of the freezer could damage the agar if the seal isnāt total.
- Freeze: Freeze the agar in the centre of the freezer for up to 1 month. If you have made different flavours, ensure you include this on the label.
3 Tips for Freezing Agar Agar
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing agar agar to have the best results:
Expect Textural Changes
The science of agar is based on the plant cells within the agar itself. To that end, the texture can be affected by freezing, as ice crystals can break down the cell walls. You can expect the frozen and thawed jelly to be slightly less smooth.Ā
Be Wary of Moisture
The moisture in the jelly is enough to begin the process of dissolving the plant cells over time. If you allow additional moisture into the container, the jelly will likely dissolve more rapidly. Avoid this by ensuring that you freeze the agar jelly with as little additional water as possible.
Consider Mix-Ins
Mix-ins might make the jelly maintain its structure a little better. For instance, small pieces of orange within an orange-flavoured jelly might allow fewer ice crystals within the agar jelly itself.
How Long Can You Freeze Agar Agar?
We wouldnāt recommend freezing agar jelly for longer than a month. The main reason for this is that the chewiness and texture of the jelly are based on plant cells, which can become damaged when frozen for not very long.
To ensure that the agar isnāt damaged, it’s wise to thaw and eat it quickly.
Once turned into a jelly, agar agar jelly will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
How Do You Defrost Agar Agar?
The best way to defrost agar is to do so slowly.
Therefore, place the agar jelly into the fridge overnight, and allow it to slowly come to fridge temperature. That should allow the jelly to thaw slowly enough that the weight of the still-frozen jelly doesnāt damage the texture of the thawed jelly.
Can You Refreeze Agar Agar?
Technically, yes, you can refreeze agar.
However, we wouldnāt advise doing this – the jelly is quite likely to become less and less textured over time, eventually becoming, essentially, a paste.
Does Agar Agar Freeze Well?
No, agar doesnāt freeze very well.
The main reason for this is that the texture of the agar depends upon plant cells, which can quickly become damaged over time.
Avoid this by only making as much agar jelly as youāll use or by not freezing the agar jelly for an extended period.
Related FAQs
If youāve still got questions about freezing agar agar or agar agar in general, then these may help:
There is no point! Powdered or dried agar agar will keep in the cupboard for an extended period. In fact, it will keep better in a cupboard than it would in the freezer.
Sources
We have verified the information on this page using the following resources:
