Calcium chloride
A very soluble calcium salt with a bitter, salty edge. It's the setting bath for direct spherification — about 0.5–1% in water, rinsed off afterwards — and cheesemakers add a little to pasteurised milk to help it set a firm curd.
bitter · salty · firming
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Modernist suppliers as a powder; cheesemaking and homebrew shops sell it as a solution, usually around 30% — check before you measure.
- Worth knowing
- Keep it out of the food itself; it tastes bitter. Keep the tub tightly shut — it pulls water from the air and turns to slush — and expect the water to warm up as it dissolves.