403358 Sun May 20 12:56:10 -0700 2007 17 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2586320 Message Sun May 20 12:56:10 -0700 2007 99981 hungryman0930 1 2586391 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/379016 Sun May 20 13:30:45 -0700 2007 2586320 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 2588242 Ferran Adria actually has his own line of (pricey) molecular gastronomy ingredients called Texturas. I'm not sure if you can find them at La Sanctuaire, but you can purchase them on La Tienda -- do a search on "texturas" and the products they carry will appear. http://www.tienda.com La Sanctuaire sounds really cool though, and may be a better resource. Mon May 21 09:37:31 -0700 2007 2586320 13179 PekoePeony 2 2588249 I'm pretty sure I've seen agar agar at the Berkeley Bowl. Mon May 21 09:38:46 -0700 2007 2588242 25012 chemchef 2 2597560 thanks man i'll check la sanctuarie Thu May 24 00:33:48 -0700 2007 2588242 99981 hungryman0930 1 2588258 Agar-agar is widely available and cheap at Chinese grocery stores. A 2 ounce package I have on hand was $1.49, in long strands. A quarter of a strand is enough to gel 4 cups of liquid. At this rate, this is enough for a few hundred gallons. Mon May 21 09:41:23 -0700 2007 2586320 10039 Melanie Wong 2 2588583 Raley's has agar-agar. Mon May 21 11:13:19 -0700 2007 2588258 10264 rworange 2 2599628 The Agar-agar @ Le Sanctuaire is $40/lb. And one pound is the least you can buy. Thu May 24 15:08:15 -0700 2007 2588258 11277 Paul H 3 2599657 The 2 ounces I bought is going to last me several years . . . and I've been using some every day or two this month. It took some experimenting. My first trial using a whole strand (or 4x what turned out to be optimal) of it was so firm, I could barely cut into it. I wish I'd tried dropping the mass on the floor, probably would have bounced! Do you know if what Le Sanctuaire sells is pure agar-agar? Maybe not and more is needed for the same gelling strength. Thu May 24 15:17:48 -0700 2007 2599628 10039 Melanie Wong 4 2599767 I would suspect that the Le Sanctuaire agar-agar is quite pure. The large amount is likely not due to reduced strength, but to the target audience of restaurants chefs who are likely to use far more of this stuff than you and I. Thu May 24 15:53:05 -0700 2007 2599657 11277 Paul H 1 2601833 There is a new store somewhere in the city that sells all of that, but I can't remember the name. Until someone jars my memory for me, go to www.chefrubber.com They have all the chemical goodies you're looking for. Fri May 25 10:50:06 -0700 2007 2586320 20470 LarryW 2 2601905 The new local store is Le Sanctuaire, see the link in my post above. Fri May 25 11:05:52 -0700 2007 2601833 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 3268358 Whole Foods (4th Street) sells bulk powdered agar agar for $4.55 per oz. A Chinese grocery at 1199 Stockton has the Asian stranded agar agar (Hang Loon Marine Products Co.) for $1.35 for 1.5 oz. Also, as mentioned above, Le Santuaire sells powdered agar agar for $40/lb ($2.5/oz) in 1-lb. increments only. Sun Jan 06 20:35:16 -0800 2008 2586320 11277 Paul H 1 3268404 I get mine from MOM for about a buck. (Telephone brand powder, 0.88oz, made in Thailand) Sun Jan 06 20:51:27 -0800 2008 2586320 28704 twinpeaks 1 3268729 What about Rainbow? Don't they have a large selection of choice in their bulk section? I am pretty sure I saw agar-agar over there.... Mon Jan 07 01:19:59 -0800 2008 2586320 155117 janel a. 1 3270404 Now that we've tracked down supplies of agar agar, does anyone know where small quantities of xanthan gum can be procured? Mon Jan 07 12:46:14 -0800 2008 2586320 11277 Paul H 2 3270419 Le Sanctuaire. Mon Jan 07 12:49:09 -0800 2008 3270404 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 3270446 Le Santuaire only offers these bulk chemicals in 1 lb increments. I am hoping for a source of smaller amounts. Thanks. Mon Jan 07 12:52:48 -0800 2008 3270419 11277 Paul H