February 11, 2013 - Jell-O Week

 This whole week is devoted to Jell-O, the flavored gelatin treat introduced to America and the world in 1897.







For a brief history of Jell-O, see this earlier post. I also talk about the chemistry of gelatin, and I link to recipes.


Did you know...?

  • Some of the flavors of Jell-o that have been discontinued include Bubble Gum, Maple Syrup, Coffee, Root Beer, and Cola.
  • Jell-o is the official state snack food of Utah. (Wow, there are official state snack foods? Why?)
  • In the 1950s, Jell-o molds were apparently way too popular. Now most of us look at tuna jello ring, flaked fish jello, turkey jello ring, jellied tongue, and other molded foods with a delicate shudder. (Again, why?)



In this actual ad from the past,
people are urged to use up
their leftovers in a Jell-o salad!

And that, kiddies, is how we end
up with tuna-carrot-hard-boiled-
egg-turkey-pea-olive-celery jello!
My mom had one of these fish-
shaped jello molds! Luckily for
us, she never put flaked fish in
the jello!
  • Despite the fact that gelatin packages and recipes direct us to stir in hot water until the gelatin dissolves, and later tell us to chill the dish until the gelatin is solid, in actual fact, gelatin particles DON'T dissolve, and gelatin NEVER gets solid!

The sugar in a Jell-o package does dissolve in water, but the gelatin particles are suspended in the water/sugar solution. When it is “set,”   gelatin becomes a semi-solid—or, more properly, a semi-solid colloid.

Yummy Jell-o recipes

After the horror of seeing a fish-shaped mold of flaked-fish Jell-o, you deserve some Jell-o recipes that are actual treats!

Pretzel Crush Jell-o

2½ cups crushed pretzels
1 cup melted butter
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip
2 cups pineapple juice
6 oz. raspberry or strawberry Jell-o
2 pkgs. Frozen raspberries or strawberries

Combine pretzels and melted butter. Press into 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, and then cool completely.

Combine cream cheese and sugar. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over the cooled crust.

Boil pineapple juice. Stir the jello into the juice until “dissolved.” Add the frozen fruit to cool the jello. Pour over the cream cheese layer, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.









Also on this date:

 













National Foundation Day in Japan

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