— Laura Crabtree Hollenbeck

So if anyone here doesn't know the term aquafaba This what we're talking about is the liquid either in a can of chickpeas or the liquid that is created when you're cooking chickpeas from scratch and some years ago. A Frenchman named Goose wobit discovered that you could whip it and make meringue just like an egg white. Later on, we learned that it can also be an egg replacer. So we have a whole unit in essential vegan desserts as Laura knows because she is a graduate on using aquafaba many recipes say open a can of chickpeas preferably unsalted drain the liquid start beating and make meringue and you know, well, first of all, I didn't believe it when I first saw it, but I made it but the first time I drained a can I thought this is not Very reliable. I mean if you're a pastry chef you want formulas that are going to work as some cans had three quarters of a cup of liquid. aquafaba some had two-thirds of a cup. So I found by whipping the meringue by whipping the aquafaba using the same technique as you would when you're making egg white meringue in other words, you add some cream of tartar or an acid and cast your sugar that I was getting different results. I wanted to Standardized the result and I discovered by doing, you know, sometimes people say to me. Well, how do I so, sometimes you have to test I reduce the amount of liquid from a can a typical can By about between a half and a third until I have a half cup and I usually put a small amount in my refrigerator and it becomes more viscous like egg white. Then I cool it and I put it in the freezer Frozen aquafaba Frozen to frosted aquafaba Works a charm. It works great. I have a freezer full as a matter of fact right now because I like to eat chickpeas. So I cook chickpeas from dry chickpeas in my instant pot. That liquid has to be treated a bit differently. It's still you want to add a stick of kombu seaweed to that. I add kombu seaweed to all of my beans. Don't add any salt. Don't add any, you know, garlic if you're gonna be if you want to use the aquafaba for desserts. I did a live event early early on with Zsu Dever who wrote the book called aquafaba and you can look at that live event as well and it's used as It was you, just suggestion. I'm from here to add the combo but you get much more liquid when you're cooking chickpeas in a pressure cooker. Then in that case. I reduce the amount of liquid by at least a half sometimes more. I measure it up usually into one quarter cup containers because sometimes I just whip a quarter of a cup more often I whip a half cup. I label it. I date it and I put it in the coldest part of my freezer then Laura just defrost it when you're ready because you do want to use your reduced aquafaba. While it's cold, I just think that it works best. Now. There are people who disagree with me who say you don't have to reduce it. But if you want a reliable result every single time and don't we all want a reliable result. Well, then I would say do it.

Zsu Dever Aqua Faba Event