This ever so popular technique in modernized cuisine can add a punch to your presentation, flavor and texture.

If you’ve ever seen high end plating before, you’ve probably seen Spherification.

Spherification is a culinary process that employs sodium alginate and either calcium chloride or calcium glucate lactate to shape a liquid into squishy spheres, which visually and texturally resemble roe (fish eggs).

You can use a number of oils, juices and purees to create delicious little spheres of tantalizing goodness.

Spherification can add pizzazz and intrigue to your dishes

At its most basic, spherification is the process of creating a gel around a liquid, forming a gelled sphere with a liquid center. It is one of the hallmarks of modernist cooking and one of the most attention grabbing techniques.

It uses an interesting property of some gelling ingredients. These ingredients only gel in the presence of certain molecules, like calcium or potassium. I personally use sodium alginate, an algae extract, in combination with calcium lactate, though there are many ingredients that will work.

Check out this handy tutorial via ChefSteps on Youtube.

Watch this handy tutorial on Spherification

If you’re interested in trying spherification for yourself, you can purchase a basic kit on amazon.com by clicking below.

Click here to check out spherification kits on Amazon.com