Mikes easy agar
Do you hate trying to pour hot agar? After the first time I swore I would never do it again.
Well I figured it was time to give back. I want to start off by saying that just because this method is super easy and makes excellent dishes it doesn't mean that there aren't drawbacks to it. In my situation however the benefits and ease make it far better than the hot pour method and I have made over 300 dishes this way so far.
I also can't take credit for this method as I know there are others who do this but I may have some tips and tricks to offer. - Here goes:
Supplies
- 125ml canning jars - I usually do about 30 dishes at a time
- Plastic lids (optional)
- Agar Agar (from a health food store)
- Light malt extract (from a brew store)
- Scale for weighing ingredients
- One quart jar with lid (for mixing)
Procedure
STEP 1: 
Combine 9 grams of Agar Agar and 10 grams of light malt extract with 500ml of hot tap water in your quart jar. Secure the lid and swirl to mix. Shaking creates alot of bubbles and should be avoided. It takes maybe 2 minutes to dissolve completely.
STEP 2:
Poor a 1/4 inch into each 125mL jar and keep swirling the mix between each pour because it likes to settle. Once its all poured screw your lids on, cover with foil if using plastic lids (they warp slightly otherwise) and stack as efficiently as possible in the pressure cooker. Sterilize at 15 psi for 30 to 45 minutes and then turn off the stove.
STEP 3:
Heres where timing comes into play. I wait until the pressure cooker is warm to the touch but not too hot to handle with bare hands.
I remove the jars from the PC, tighten the lids and set them out on a cool counter. Give each jar a very gentle swirl to remix the ingredients before it solidifies. Leave them for 15 minutes or so to cool completely and package them up!

But Mike! how do you keep the agar from boiling up and making a thin film on the glass increasing the chance of a contamination taking hold?
I dont. All my agar work is done in a glove box and I have absolutely no agar contamination issues. Works great for me?
A few notes:
STORAGE - I keep all my premade agar jars in ziplock bags in a cupboard at room temp for months without problems (I usually go through more dishes than that though)
AGAR RECIPES: This recipe is all I ever use, save for some tweaks here and there (I use around 600mL of water if im germinating spores but these dishes are still good for any purpose)
CONDENSATION: Usually not much of a problem but not all dishes are the same. I really don't mind a little condensation, it helps spores to germinate and doesn't seem to slow down mycelial growth at all)
EEEEEAAAAASSSYYY: This batch of agar was actually cooked twice, which is why its a little darker in colour. I was lazy, turned off the pressure cooker after sterilization and went over to a buddys. The agar had solidified but wasn't mixed properly so I threw em back in for a few minutes to warm them up again and gave em a swirl before cooling. Perfect every time.
I will add and edit this as I go so feel free to ask any questions if you feel they would clarify things.
Keep on keeping on!
- Mike