Xanthan Gum
[oyster Jell-O, anyone?]
Want to make stiff gelatin balls out of anything? Then this stabilizer should be in your spice cabinet. The chemical tools of the modern cook can turn olive juice into a sphere, like they do at the Bazaar, and make foams and shards à la Michael Voltaggio. Surfas carries all manner of futuristic powders, from guar gum to calcium chloride. If you skipped chem class, the shop offers courses on molecular gastronomy.
Illustration by John Burgoyne
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