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Not only does gelatin have the cool ability to gel, thicken or set liquids, it has a number of health benefits we outlined in the introduction to one of our recipes!
You’ll find all the gelatin recipes we’ve published in our archive of that category.
What follows are some tips and tricks on how to use powered gelatin written by Perfect Supplements. Enjoy 10% off your entire cart with the coupon code “nourish.” Other brands we’d recommend include Bernard Jenson sold by Radiant Life and Vital Proteins sold by Radiant Life.
GELATIN – LIQUID IN HOT, GEL IN COLD
The most important thing to understand about gelatin is that it gels and thickens in cold temperatures. When gelatin is mixed into something warm, it will not gel or set. Once you chill that warm liquid – that is when the gelatin thickens and creates its magical gel-like substance.
ALWAYS MIX OUR GELATIN IN A COLD LIQUID FIRST
Flowers bloom, so why not gelatin? The grains of gelatin need to hydrate or “bloom” before being used in most recipes. By simply mixing the gelatin in cold water, you will bloom the gelatin (doesn’t that just sound like something you would want to do?) and it will then mix better into your recipe.
AVOID THE PILE, KEEP IT EVEN
When you are blooming the gelatin (admit it, that is fun to say) you want to evenly sprinkle the gelatin into the water. If you pour the full scoop into one big pile in the middle, some of the gelatin grains in the middle may not mix with the water and thus, will not hydrate.
COLD THEN HOT, BUT NOT BOILING
Mixing gelatin in a cold liquid first, to hydrate (or bloom) is definitely the way the cool kids do it. You can then mix it into warm or hot liquids, once gelatin is hydrated it gets along really well with hot liquids.
You do want to avoid boiling gelatin as that can cause it to lose its efficacy.
DON’T LEAVE YOUR GELATIN BASE HANGING
If your recipe calls for you to mix gelatin and cold liquid and then add to the rest of the mix – just do it! Don’t get distracted and start watching cat videos on YouTube after you have mixed your gelatin into a cold liquid. If you leave that gelatin base hanging too long it will start to gel up, which can make it hard to mix into the rest of the recipe.
Don’t worry, if you were distracted by cat videos, there is an easy fix. Place your gelatin base in a bowl in a saucepan. Simply add about an inch of water to the saucepan and put over medium-high heat. The heat will cause the gelatin base to turn back into a liquid and then you can mix it into your recipe.
PINEAPPLES, KIWIS, AND GINGER – GELATIN’S KRYPTONITE
All super heroes have their weakness and for gelatin (yes, of course it is a super hero) it is the enzyme bromelin. Bromelin is found in pineapples, kiwifruit and ginger and it can prevent gelatin from gelling.
If you really want some pineapple, kiwi or ginger jello, you will need to heat the fruits to destroy the bromelin. On the flip side, if you want to make a gelatin fruit smoothie, and keep the gelatin from turning your smoothie into a gel, you can add pineapples or kiwifruit.
TO SOLIDIFY THINGS, KEEP IT COOL OR BUMP UP THE GELATIN
Gummy treats not gummy enough? Healthy Fruit Jello not, well “jello-y” (yep, we just made up a word) enough? Marshmallows too flimsy?
If whatever you are making is just not gelling and setting right, you have two easy ways to make things right. First you can add a little more Gelatin. The more gelatin in a recipe, the more solid or set the recipes becomes.
The second way to fix things… just chill out. Throw your recipe in the freezer for a short while, really cold temperatures will help gelatin set and become firm in a much quicker manner.
THAT’S IT, HIT THE KITCHEN AND HAVE FUN…
Gelatin is not only healthy, it’s fun. Who doesn’t love making gummy treats in all types of wacky shapes. Working with gelatin is so much fun you can almost forget it is also incredibly healthy and packed with collagen protein and other nutrients.
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