What are lecithins?
They are natural vegetable emulsifiers extracted from sunflower seeds and soy beans.
We can buy them at organic food stores, health food stores, supermarkets, online shops. Always prefer organic products.
How are lecithins presented?
The lecithin ofsunflower We find it in the form of:
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The lecithin of soy you can buy in:
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What qualities do lecithins have?
They are emulsifiers, solubilizers, humectants, anti-crystallizers, anti-cooling, thickeners … so many big words to explain that they allow us to prepare:
- fresh pasta, gluten-free flours, to knead, spread and work easily
- breads with soft, alveolar crumb and crunchy and not thick, hard crust to look stale
- crumbly dough without gluten crispy, not dry
- creams and ice creams, free of dairy products and eggs, frothy with a velvety texture
- stable butters.
How to choose which lecithin to use?
| Flavor |
The flavor of sunflower lecithin is more delicate than that of soy lecithin.
Neither of the two lecithins influences the final taste of our recipes because the doses that are used in the recipes are really low compared to the characteristic ingredients of our dishes.
| Color |
The most suitable sunflower lecithin has a darker color, especially in the liquid version, compared to soy lecithin. Let’s use it where its dark color does not negatively affect the presentation of our recipes, for example those with:
- fflour or other ingredients of the recipe as oily seeds or dark oily fruits
- chocolate
- coffee
- licorice.
| Doses |
Sunflower lecithin is slightly less active and doses should be slightly higher than those used for soy lecithin.
How is it used in the kitchen?
One part of the liquid ingredients in the recipe we are preparing is diluted, for example: water, milk, eggs. Liquids should not be hot, the heat reduces the emulsifying quality of lecithins.
Here are some examples:
| In the air or foam sweet or savory |
| We take advantage of the emulsified characteristic of lecithin which, blended with a blender in a liquid, creates a cloud of foam.
It is very simple in the immersion blender jug to blend 250 ml of the liquid we choose with 1/2 teaspoon lecithin (1.75 grams of soy lecithin or 2 grams of sunflower lecithin) |
| To replace 1 egg |
| Soy lecithin can replace eggs in doughs or creams:
28 g of powdered soy lecithin(2 table spoons) + 2 tablespoons of oil + 6 tablespoons of water |
| In the dough friable, leavened, mounted with gluten-free flours |
| On 100 g of flour add:
1.5 grams of soy lecithin ♦ or ♦ 2 grams of sunflower lecithin |
| In the dough of fresh pasta with gluten-free flours |
| On 100 g of flour add:
0,7 grams of soy lecithin ♦ or ♦ 0,8 grams of sunflower lecithin |
| In vegan and raw creams, mousses, sauces sweet or savory |
The dose of lecithin is calculated on the total weight of the ingredients that make up the cream, add on 100 g of total volume:
1.6 grams of soy lecithin ♦ or ♦ 2.7 grams of sunflower lecithin
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