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Guar Gum A Thickening Agent

7/14/2015

12 Comments

 
Most folks when they need to thicken gravy or pudding reach for flour or cornstarch to do the job. I have use both products to thicken the gravy at many holiday meals with much success. There are some tricks when adding the cornstarch or flour or you will have lumps.

There is a new thickener on the market you may not of heard of, Guar Gum. It definitely has some advantages over flour and cornstarch in certain applications. Guar gum is a stabilizer and thickener derived from the guar or clusterbean plant, which is native to India. It's often used as a gluten substitute in gluten-free baked goods, to give the product some structure. Guar Gum is used in many commercial products, but has not been discovered by many home cooks.

Advantages

Guar gum has almost 8 times the thickening power of corn starch and corn starch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you use 2 T. flour per cup of liquid, that would translate into about 3/8 teaspoon Guar Gum.

Guar Gum doesn't break down like cornstarch when heated. Technically, it requires no heat to thicken, but it takes a few minutes to hydrate, so heat is generally recommended.

Guar Gum does tend to clump when added to  a liquid. Since the amounts of Guar Gum are so small, sprinkle it over the liquid and whisk vigorously. That works pretty well for me. If the lumps aren't too big, letting the sauce sit for a while should also help.

Applications
Salad Dressings
Pies

Adding the Right Amount for Thickening
  • Use guar gum in place of flour or cornstarch in recipes to act as a thickening agent. When using guar gum in place of flour, use a sixteenth of what is called for in the recipe.
     
  • Guar gum Substituted for Flour
    For example, if your recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of flour, use 3/8 teaspoon of guar gum. If the recipe calls for 1/4 cup of flour, use 3/4 teaspoon of guar gum. Measure exactly, as even small changes in the amount of guar gum can result in a changed consistency.
  • Guar gum Substituted for Cornstarch
    If you are replacing cornstarch in a recipe for thickening, use an eighth of what is called for. If the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, use 3/4 teaspoon of guar gum. If the recipe calls for 1/4 cup, use a 1 1/2 teaspoons of guar gum.

Techniques for Use
  • Since guar gum does not require heat for thickening, it is useful for thickening room temperature or cold dressings and sauces. Guar gum is relatively tasteless, especially since so little is used compared to the bulk of the recipe. Add the guar gum by 1/8- to 1/4-teaspoon increments and stir or shake well. Adding too much will give the food a gummy texture.


Clumping Prevention
  • Guar has a tendency to clump. To combat that, sprinkle the guar gum into the food evenly. Some people like to use clean spice shakers. Add the amount you want into the shaker and sprinkle it in, continuously stirring.



Read more : http://www.ehow.com/way_5296345_tips-use-guar-gum.html

12 Comments
Barb
3/14/2019 07:51:40 am

I use guar gum to make syrups without adding sugar. To keep it from clumping, add it to liquid in a vortex. I use my Vitamix to do this. Any blender should work. Add it by slowly sprinkling the powdered gum to the running blender. Run for 60 seconds longer. Then add your liquid to whatever you are cooking.

Reply
Ell link
5/26/2019 03:09:16 pm

Thank you for that idea!

Reply
Maike
9/18/2019 03:25:03 pm

Do you think I can successfully use Guar to thicken maple syrup?

Reply
Tamara Carl link
9/18/2019 03:54:01 pm

Yes, it would be fine to thicken the maple syrup. You don't have to heat the syrup to thicken it. Put a SMALL amount into a sieve so it does not clump. Sprinkle onto the syrup and stir it in. Let it sit for 5 minutes to see if that is enough. It is very powerful so use a very little at a time.

Patty
8/23/2019 12:55:57 pm

I am looking for guar gum to make super bubble solution for my grandkids.....I only need 1 heaping TBSP ...... what is the cheapest package and easiest brand to find and if I can get it at Wal-Mart that would be nice...Thank you !

Reply
iraj
3/7/2020 03:40:53 am

how much&how do i have to use in making yogurt

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Tamara link
3/7/2020 07:00:53 am

Start with 1/8 tsp. sprinkle it on the finished yogurt and stir it in. Wait for about 5 minutes and see if you need more. Once you get the consistency of the finished product that you like you can add it when you are making it. A little goes a long way and sprinkle with a sieve so it does not clump up.

Reply
Adefunmi
5/20/2020 04:05:09 am

Please I need the right direction and measurent to add guar gum to black soap shampoo to increase consistency. Do I need to mix with water before adding it.

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Ahmad
6/11/2020 11:35:09 am

Can i add guar gum to butter

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Tamara link
6/11/2020 12:28:16 pm

I see no reason, I add it to a sugar, butter mixture I use for my cinnamon rolls and it works fine. Remember a little goes a long way. Add it then give it about 5 minutes and see if you need more.

Reply
Rishathra
1/15/2022 08:05:13 pm

I've been looking, before finding this page, for ways to thicken red wine vinegar without it being a reduction. A big problem with trying to snack on carrots, celery, etc... is that the dip most people use negates the lower calories of the vegetables, and I do love vinegar.
So taking the information provided by Barb, I placed a cup of room temperature vinegar into my blender on low and slowly sprinkled in 1/8 tsp guar gum. It did of course immediately start turning into a foam. :) That started to dissipate as soon as I turned it off. After letting it sit a while I decided it wasn't thick enough, and ultimately ended up adding 3/8 tsp in 1/8 increments. In the end, it took several hours for the foam to finally go the way of the Dodo.
Thanks for this page, and thanks to Barb for the information on spinning the liquid that way!

Reply
Judy
7/10/2022 04:37:54 pm

I make soymilk in a SoyJoy pot which makes nearly 5 quarts. The milk is very watery, like skim milk. To thicken it a bit and give it a mouth feel more like whole milk, I mix together about a tablespoon of granulated sugar and a teaspoon of salt. To this, I and about 1/8 teaspoon of guar gum and mix. I slowly add the granulated mixture to the soymilk while whisking like mad. There is always a little clumping on the whisk, but it is pretty well distributed in the milk.

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