Spherification bottles: making evenly sized pearls

A spherification bottle helps distribute drops evenly when preparing many small pearls. It cannot fix a poorly formulated base: viscosity, the bath and dispensing technique remain essential.

Before filling

Prepare a homogeneous, thoroughly dispersed base and let it rest to reduce bubbles. Fibres or particles can obstruct the channels. Check that the texture allows separate drops rather than threads or splashes.

In direct spherification, alginate is in the base and calcium in the bath. The bottle dispenses the mixture: it does not change the reaction or automatically make reverse spherification suitable for the same accessory.

Run a short trial

Dispense a few drops into the bath, observe their shape and adjust your technique before processing the whole batch. Excessive height or pressure can deform pearls. Follow the recipe timing and rinse after the bath.

Do not drill or cut nozzles without the manufacturer’s instructions. Modifications can make dispensing uneven and cleaning more difficult.

Cleaning and use

Dismantle and clean every channel according to the equipment instructions: residual gel can block the next use. For a complete application, see apple caviar using a spherification bottle.

When choosing equipment, also compare chef’s squeeze bottles and read the spherification guide to distinguish the equipment from the formulation.