/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Is anyone here familiar with molecular gastronomy techniques? I'm currently looking into alginate. You can make spheres of stock, juices, literally any kind of culinary liquid by dissolving a small amount of alginate and dripping it into a clacium chloride solution. It occurs naturally in algae and is widely produced yet very hard to come by, I've found an online store that sells 300g containers for €15. Are there alternative, cheaper sources of alginate around?

I think it would work great with desserts, for instance a reduced fruit juice (I was thinking of pear) with a generous amount of sugar and after solidification put in the freezer to harden.

Anything related, experiences, I'm eager to hear them