Can I add body to vegan stock with carrageenan?

Question

Carrageenan, a seaweed extract, is used frequently in vegan cheese and other vegan and vegetarian preparations as a thickening agent.
However, I have never seen it recommended as a way to add "body" and texture to a vegan stock, as a replacement for the collagen in meat stocks.  Particularly, I'd like to experiment with it for vegetable stocks intended to be thickened into a sauce.
Is this because it works poorly for that purpose, or just because few cooks have tried it? Or some other reason?

rumtscho · Accepted Answer

Carrageenan is not suitable for the application you propose.
First, you need iota carrageenan, since the kappa variety is inhibited by salt.
Second, you need a source of calcium ions for the iota carrageenan to form a gel (kappa needs potassium). I doubt that it will be sufficient to chuck a piece of kale in there, you will probably need something more. I don't know for sure how it is done in vegan cheeses, but this type of preparation is frequently firmed up with inorganic salts. If you were to add calcium sulfate to a stock, you would end up with something rather unpleasant, I imagine.
Third, the carrageenan action is also inhibited by long heating at low pH. A stock is usually not too low in pH, but it is lower than neutral.
In short, my suggestion is to pick a better suited thickener.

Pat Sommer · Answer

At such a low dose as in stock, guar and xanthan will suspend fat better and give a silkier feel that carrageenan.
However, Guar and Xanthan are harder to mix in without clumping and can easily be over used ie slimy.
If clarity is not an issue, a puree of sauteed onion is silky addition to add body.

Can I add body to vegan stock with carrageenan?

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