The best way to avoid trouble is to hop online and buy the exact sort of gelatin a recipe calls for. The Danger: Without taking into account differences of bloom, your recipe may be doomed from the start.
(Imagine a stretchy panna cotta, or a gummy bear that breaks like Jell-O.) So, while you can use more of one type or less of another to create a similar strength, you can’t always re-create the mouthfeel of a particular gelatin. I’m not quite ready to start unpacking the mechanics of molecular density and interlinking protein chains, but high-bloom gelatins result in a tender gel, while low-bloom gelatins produce one that’s gooey. As you might expect, the higher the number, the stronger the gelatin, but textural differences come into play as well. Its behavior is expressed in terms of bloom-an obscure measurement of gel strength ranked on a scale of 0 to 325. Gram for gram, gelatin’s mostly protein to be sure, but by blending different grades, manufacturers create a mix of proteins that behaves in a very specific way. The Scenario: A recipe calls for a specific type of gelatin, but it’s not what you have on hand. Here are six of the most pernicious, and what to look out for. Beyond that, there are a number of other variables that can provoke gelatin to behave in unexpected ways. It’s also the reason why a seemingly innocent switch from one gelatin to another might be the source of all your woes. In and of itself, that’s enough to explain why an American might have trouble adapting a French recipe (or vice versa), and why fancy restaurant desserts don’t always turn out so well at home. All those variables mean that gelatin’s color, flavor, aroma, and strength can differ considerably from country to country or even brand to brand. As a general rule of thumb, porcine gelatin tends to be lighter in color but more aromatic, while bovine gelatin is darker but less fragrant.Īfter extraction, these various grades of porcine and bovine gelatin can be blended individually or with each other in exponential ways, then processed into granules or sheets. With each subsequent extraction, the resulting gelatin is darker, meatier, and less dense (i.e., weaker). This sort of gelatin is valued for its light color, mild flavor, and high molecular density, a measure of its strength. An acid treatment for hides, and an alkali treatment for bones.Īs with olive oil, multiple rounds of processing can extract several different grades, the first being the finest. While gelatin can be made in a number of ways, from a commercial standpoint, we’re talking mostly about pork hides and cattle bones-disparate sources that require different processing techniques.
Contrary to urban legends, gelatin doesn’t come from hooves (which are made of keratin) but from collagen-rich hides and bones.
Many of gelatin’s most surprising quirks are side effects of its manufacture. That reduces a dessert’s ability to flow, giving mousse or panna cotta a relatively firm texture despite a high proportion of liquid ingredients. As the gelatin cools to below 100☏, those molecules begin to interlink, reorganizing themselves into a three-dimensional net, with water caught inside.
Bloomed gelatin is melted and incorporated into a dessert, dispersing little molecules of protein throughout. Gelatin is a protein extracted from animal sources. Let’s make sure we’re all on the same page here first. That has led me to realize that these failures aren’t random, and that some pretty benign circumstances may create problems for gelatin. Having worked with sheet gelatin in restaurant kitchens and powdered gelatin at home for the better part of my life, I’ve witnessed more of those trials and tribulations than most. It’s absolutely maddening to stare at a recipe and have no idea what went wrong, especially if it seems you followed the directions to a T. Say, a rubbery panna cotta, sticky marshmallows, or a droopy chiffon pie. But the more you bake, the more likely you are to venture outside the box and experience some sort of mishap. And, for the most part, that’s a-okay when used exactly as directed, gelatin’s a pretty straightforward thing. Chances are, unflavored gelatin isn’t something you think about very often, except when grabbing some Knox powder at the store.
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