meatloaf-flavored caviar using the imperial sphericator!

I got the Imperial Sphericator for my birthday(from myself. In other words, I bought it for me) and I had plans of using this machine for New Year's 2016 but plans fell through that year. But I knew I had to make this video to celebrate the new year! Because what's more fancy than caviar sitting on top of a glass of champagne(rhetortical question but maybe a Lamborghini)?

The product is great and by no means am I sponsored by the makers of this machine but I do have two criticisms to make: 

1. It was supposed to come with sodium citrate but it didn't, so I had to order that myself on Amazon. 
2. It was also supposed to come with a manual but it didn't, so I downloaded one. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the original link to it, though I did luckily save it to iBooks as a PDF. The PDF to the manual is at the bottom of this post. 

Why am I even sharing a PDF file? Because there are a lot of things that can go wrong when using the Sphericator, like your liquid mixture being too thick or too thin for the Sphericator. The manual has all the troubleshooting tips for these problems and any others you may have. 

When I told my dad my idea, he was a bit skeptical the machine would work, but work it did, and when he saw the meatloaf liquid being turned into pearls, he was amazed and impressed(and this is coming from a STEM professor!). 

I was kind of amazed myself also, but the liquid being dropped into the calcium chloride bath and instantly turning into pearls reminded me of pooping on the toilet for some reason! So I said it was pooping caviar! I told you I make food weird! 

I was a little disappointed the taste of the pearls resembled more like tomato than beef- I should've use more beef broth and less tomato juice. Other than that, the pearls tasted delicious. 

It's best to top foods with the pearls rather than eating the pearls on their own, so I used some New Year's stalwarts- oysters, crackers, and "champagne"(white sparkling grape juice), as well as American cheese, since meatloaf is an American dish. 

Note to self: use fresh oysters instead of the one found in a can. Canned oysters taste like tuna. 

HELPFUL LINKS: 

Imperial Sphericator: http://spherificator.com/
Manual for Imperial Sphericator(in case it's missing): on the bottom of this post

You will need: 

For the cooking equipment: 

3 small bowls
A blender
A sieve
A mesh strainer
A medium bowl
A glass bowl
Imperial Sphericator(see HELPFUL LINK above)

For the caviar: 

1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. sodium citrate
3/8 cup low sodium tomato juice
3/8 cup fat free, low sodium beef broth
2 tbsp. breadcrumbs
Pinch of paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of onion powder
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. sodium alginate

2 cups water 
1 tbsp. calcium chloride

​Serve with: 

Oysters
American cheese
Crackers
Champagne or white sparkling grape juice

1. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup water with the sodium citrate until the sodium citrate is dissolved. Pour the sodium citrate mixture into the blender. 
2. Pour the next 6 ingredients into the blender as well. 
3. In another small bowl, mix the sugar and sodium alginate together. Sprinkle the sodium alginate mixture onto the surface of the mixture in the blender. 
4. Put the cover on the blender and blend on low speed until the powders dissolve. The mixture should be bubbling immediately after blender. 
5. Remove the lid from the blender and let the mixture rest for 30-45 minutes to let the air escape. You want the mixture afterwards to have the consistency of a sugary syrup.
6. Pour the mixture into a mesh strainer with a medium bowl underneath to collect the liquid. The mesh strainer will filter out the solids and powders. 
7. In a glass bowl, mix the calcium chloride and 2 cups water until the former dissolves into the latter. Mix for at least 30 seconds. 
8. Screw the nozzle of your choice into the bottom of the Sphericator(it should come with 2 nozzles). 
9. Connect the plug to the Sphericator and undo the top lid.
10. Pour the liquid into the top of the Sphericator. 
11. Put the lid back onto the Sphericator. 
12. Plug the Sphericator into a socket and hold the Sphericator 6 inches above the calcium chloride bath. 
13. Hold down the button of the Sphericator to let the liquids drop into the calcium chloride bath. The liquids will instantly turn into pearls. Rotate the Sphericator in a circular motion above the bath as you're making the pearls. 
14. Once all of the pearls have been formed, let them sit in the bath for 1 minute.
15. Scoop the pearls with a sieve to remove the liquids. Place the pearls into a small bowl. 
16. Run the pearls under running water(like a sink) to remove the calcium chloride bitterness. 
17. Serve the pearls on top of oysters, American cheese, crackers, and/or champagne(or white sparkling grape juice). Bon appetit! 

Note: The pearls only last for 24 hours before congealing! 

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16clc-spherificator_manual_web.pdf
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