WTF is Xanthan Gum?

[guitar man]

and where do I get it? I have a recipe that calls for it, is it something I can get at my local grocery store :shrug:

[Shakespeare]

1. Ask this guy:

:rofl:

(Marcel was very fond of xanthum gum)

Seriously, though, you can buy it through Amazon or any nunber of high-end cooking stores (most online, unless you're in a major city).

[guitar man]

4. lol, thanks

So living in Tulsa, I bet I won't be able to find any in town (you did say major city after all)

I wonder if I can do without it, the recipe just calls for a small amount as a thickening agent...

[IntravenousDemilo]

10. Marcel would look a lot better without the lip-mullet.

I thought he should have won, by the way. Ilan kind of gave me the creeps for some reason.

[Shakespeare]

11. "lip mullet"

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I was a fan of Sam's--thought he should've beaten them both. And I agree with you--Ilan's a whiny little weasel.

[IntravenousDemilo]

13. Ah, you like!

It just popped into my head one day. Feel free to spread "lip mullet" around liberally. I'd be very proud to have coined a term that people use.

Maybe one of the reasons I wanted Marcel to win is that everyone was ganging up on him from the start for what appeared to be no reason. Plus he's really cute, even with the lip mullet.

[AlCzervik]

2. answer is here

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-xanthan-gum.htm

[guitar man]

5. thanks!

:hi:

[Momgonepostal]

7. That's a cool site, lots of good information nt

[MrScorpio]

3. The Gum That Kept the great XANTHAN EMPIRE together

Until it was defeated and the gum stolen by the Ancient Greeks in 338 BC.

[Momgonepostal]

6. I used to get it at a health food store

We bought it for gluten-free baking. What do you need it for?

Also, it's expensive! If you just need a little, guar gum is an OK substitute sometimes, but in larger amounts it can have a laxative effect.

[guitar man]

8. It is listed in a recipe for BBQ sauce

My favorite BBQ sauce for grilling/smoking meat with is out of production now, it was called "Woody's Cook-In Sauce", made in New Orleans. I guess they gave it up after Katrina. :(

Anyway, I found a recipe on a website of like minded BBQ gurus that is supposed to be a pretty close "make your own" version of the sauce, so I thought I'd give it a try. In the recipe, it calls for 1/4 tsp as a thickening agent. Hell, I may be able to just use corn starch instead?

[murphymom]

14. Another Woody's fan here

Do you have a link for the recipe? A while back I think I found the last four jars in captivity in a local market here and have been rationing it out ever since.

[guitar man]

15. here is a link to a big thread

on a forum of BBQ fanatics that are trying to replicate Woody's Cook-in Sauce. The recipe pops up modified again and again as they try to get it "just right". I hope they do, it is the best sauce I've ever cooked with.

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=102609&messages=309&page=1




I'm using this one as a "base" recipe to start from

2 Tbsp Water
3 6oz cans Tomato Paste
2 Tbsp Canola Oil (Soybean Oil)
2 Tbsp White Vinegar
2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
3 Tbsp Liquid Hickory Smoke Flavor (Hickory Smoke)
1/2 tsp onion powder (Spices)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (Spices)
1/2 tsp black pepper (Spices)
1/2 tsp paprika (Spices)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Dark Molasses (Sugar, Carmel Color)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce (Soy Sauce, Carmel Color, Anchovies, Onions, Tamarinds, Flavoring, etc)
1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum (thickening agent)

Mix all ingredients and simmer until flavors combine and consistency is right.

Good luck :hi:

[murphymom]

20. Thanks! (n/t)

[Kali]

18. I would just skip it

[Momgonepostal]

21. I'd be tempted to try the corn starch

I've only seen Xanthan gum in larger packages, for about $12.00. I think the brand name is Bob's Red Mill. If you were in my area, I'd give you the rest of my package. My daughter doesn't need wheat-free stuff anymore.

Actually, if you can find out if the stuff does NOT need to be refridgerated after opening, I'd mail you the rest of my package. It's been opened and used though, just not abused. :-)

[guitar man]

22. I think corn starch

Is the way I'm going to go for now. If it is just for thickening and since it is such a small amount, I think it will work just fine. If I don't replicate the sauce exactly, that's ok, I'll probably fiddle with the recipe until I come up with my own version of it anyway.

thanks :hi:

[BreweryYardRat]

9. I've found guar gum in ANY amount has a laxative effect.

A really BAD one.

[guitar man]

12. thanks for the info

then I certainly won't use guar gum :hi:

I wonder about "GWAR" gum though :shrug:

:hide:

[AWESOM-O]

16. It was the official gum of the movie Xanadu.

The movie was expected to be huge, so they* orded a few million packs or so. When the movie bombed, so did the gum. They had only sold a few dozen of them and had a huge surplus going to waste. So in order to get rid of it all, they decided to slip it in as an ingredient in all sorts of foods and reap a portion of the profits.




* Who's 'they'? I don't know. I just made the whole thing up.

[Jamastiene]

17. It's the sap from a Xantham tree.

I think it grows somewhere in the rain forest somewhere or something. You could just use trident or Bubbalicious, I guess. :shrug:

[WinkyDink]

19. Didn't Adam Strange chew that on Rann?

[Orsino]

23. Beats the heck out of Mundy gum. n/t

[SoxFan]

24. Sounds like something Travolta or Cruise chew