I have been gifted a 13 Oz bottle of

[flamin lib]

Lecithin powder. What's it good for?

It's supposed to be an emulsifier but for what? Gravys, soups?

I'm also cooking for a Keto diet and it might fit in there too.

[PJMcK]

1. An interesting gift

From WebMD:

Lecithin is a fat that is essential in the cells of the body. It can be found in many foods, including soybeans and egg yolks. Lecithin is taken as a medicine and is also used in the manufacturing of medicines.

Lecithin is used for treating memory disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It is also used for treating gallbladder disease, liver disease, certain types of depression, high cholesterol, anxiety, and a skin disease called eczema.

Some people apply lecithin to the skin as a moisturizer.

You will often see lecithin as a food additive. It is used to keep certain ingredients from separating out.

There's more on WebMD:

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-966/lecithin

[donkeypoofed]

2. If you have a fatty liver, take 1 tbsp a day !

People on Earthclinic swear by it ! Better than a Big Pharma pill any day.

[Major Nikon]

3. An emulsifier is something that allows water and oil to mix and hopefully not separate

You probably use them all the time without realizing it.

When I make a vinaigrette I use a small amount of prepared mustard to start the emulsion and to help stabilize it. When I make hollandaise sauce the lecithin in the egg yolks helps to emulsify the liquid parts of the yolks to the butter.

As far as using lecithin powder by itself, I've never used it or seen any recipes that called for it. I suspect it's more useful for commercial products that demand a better shelf life. It might be useful as a stabilizer if you have problems with separation during storage.

[handmade34]

4. baking...

"An unfamiliar ingredient to most home bakers, lecithin is widely used in commercial baking. It's an emulsifier, an ingredient that helps other ingredients to mix more easily and remain mixed. Bakeries add lecithin to bread and other baked goods to improve doughs and batters, or to keep them from staling. It's also used in eggless baking, where it can replace the naturally occurring lecithin in egg yolks."

-from Livestrong

[Major Nikon]

6. It's used in commercial baking quite a bit

However, the application is designed to produce very light enriched bread products with reduced proofing times. So think of what Americans think of a normal loaf of sliced sandwich bread or things like hamburger or hotdog buns.

I'm not sure how much use it would be for the home cook, but there's probably folks out there who have figured out how to use it in creative ways.

[sweetloukillbot]

5. I think it's used in molecular gastronomy

At least that's what I remember from watching Top Chef obsessively for several years.

[Sentath]

7. Modernist Pantry has recipes

on their blog

https://blog.modernistpantry.com/?s=lecithin

[flamin lib]

8. Thanks! NT

[spinbaby]

9. I don't know about cooking with it

But about 30 years ago, I had some kind of scaly skin condition and the doctor recommended lecithin. It worked.