How to Use Gelatin

Flavorless gelatin is made from animal cplagen and can be used to thicken almost any liquid, including drinks, jams, jellies and fillings for dishes. By using powdered or foil gelatin available at the grocery store, you can customize the firmness of your dessert. This article will show you how to use powdered and foil gelatin. Besides, you also know some more ways to customize the gelatin texture.

Table of Contents

Ingredient

Gelatin powder

½ cup (about 115ml) cold water
1 tablespoon gelatin powder (equivalent to 1 packet)
1.5 cups (about 340ml) hot water

Gelatin leaves

4 leaves of gelatin
1 cup (about 225ml) cold water
2 cups (about 450ml) hot water

Stir in gelatin powder

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Buy several packets of gelatin powder. Each packet is equivalent to 1 tablespoon of gelatin. This amount is enough to thicken 2 cups (450ml) of water. ^{[1] X Research Source} If gelatin powder is not available, you can use gelatin leaves. Click here for how to use gelatin leaves.

Pour ½ cup (115ml) of cold water into a large bowl. You will continue to add 1.5 cups (340ml) of water to the bowl, so you need to choose a large enough bowl. Do not use hot or warm water in this step.

Tear off the packaging and pour the gelatin into the bowl of water. You need to sprinkle gelatin evenly into the water; The clumps are usually impermeable to water. After a few minutes, the gelatin will begin to bloom. This step is called “making the dough rise”. If the recipe asks you to wait for the gelatin to “bloom” here’s what you need to do. ^{[2] X Research Source} Gelatin takes about 5-10 minutes to fully hatch.

Boil 1.5 cups (340ml) of water until it comes to a simmer. Pour water into a small pot and put it on the stove. Heat the water over medium heat until it comes to a simmer.

Pour water into the gelatin. Do not use boiling water as the gelatin will spoil.

Stir until gelatin dissolves. You can use a spoon, fork or whisk. Stop stirring occasionally to check if the powder has dissolved. If you still see loose streaks, keep stirring until there are no particles left.

Pour gelatin into the mold. You can use molds, cups, or small bowls. It is recommended that you spread a little unflavored oil in each mold to easily remove the gelatin in the next step.

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Leave the gelatin in the refrigerator for about 4 hours before using. Once the gelatin has solidified, you can remove it from the mold, or use a whole cup or bowl.

Use gelatin leaves

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Buy a packet of gelatin leaves. You need about 4 leaves of gelatin. This is the equivalent of 1 tablespoon of gelatin powder. ^{[3] X Source of Research} Some products are also labeled in English as “leaf gelatin” or “gelatine.”

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Place the gelatin sheets in a large, flat plate. You can also use a baking tray or a cake pan. Make sure the gelatin sheets are lined up next to each other instead of on top of each other. The next step is to add water. If you do not separate the gelatin sheets, they will stick together and not dissolve completely.

Pour just enough water to cover the gelatin sheets. You need about 1 cup (225ml) of water. Don’t worry about measuring the exact amount of water; as you will discard the water in the next step.

Wait until the gelatin leaves “bloom”. You will notice the gelatin leaves appear larger and wrinkled. This process takes about 5-6 minutes.

Avoid soaking the gelatin leaves for too long or they will break.

Prepare 2 cups (450ml) of warm water in the meantime. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. You need to boil water and put it in a convenient place. Gelatin leaves after blooming will be added to this water.

Remove the gelatin leaves from the water and reduce the water. You can do this by gently squeezing the gelatin leaves. ^{[4] X Research Source} Be careful not to crush the gelatin leaves.

Add the gelatin leaves to the hot water and stir until dissolved. It is best to use a spoon at this step, as the gelatin leaves will stick to the fork or whisk.

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Pour gelatin into the mold. You can also pour the gelatin into a cup or small bowl. If using a mold, it is recommended that you apply a thin layer of unseasoned oil to the mold. This makes it easy to remove the gelatin from the mold.

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Place the gelatin in the refrigerator until frozen. It will take about 4 hours for the gelatin to set.

Making other types of gelatin

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Try Agar if you are a vegetarian or vegan. Stir 2 teaspoons of Agar powder with 2 cups (450ml) of water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Continue stirring with a whisk until the Agar powder dissolves. At this point, you can add 2 tablespoons of sugar for sweetness. Heat the mixture for about 2 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat and pour it into a mold, cup, or small bowl. The mixture will solidify in about an hour, but you can shorten the time by placing it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

You can also use 1 tablespoon of crushed Agar. First, soak the Agar crumbs in water for about 30 minutes. Next, discard the water and squeeze out all the water in the Agar crumbs. Add Agar crumbs to 2 cups (450ml) of water and cook for about 2 minutes.
Agar is made from seaweed. Some products are labeled Agar-Agar, China grass or kanten. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

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Make panna cotta with cream instead of water. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of gelatin powder into 6 tablespoons of cold water and wait for 5-10 minutes for the dough to rise. While waiting, heat 4 cups (1 quart) whole milk and ½ cup (100g) sugar in a small saucepan. When the sugar dissolves, stir in 2 tablespoons of vanilla essence. Pour the mixture into the bloomed gelatin, and stir with a spatula. Pour the panna cotta into a cup or mold, and refrigerate for about 4 hours to allow the mixture to harden. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

You can also use half-and-half milk instead of whole milk. That way, panna cotta will be less fat.
Note, gelatin combined with milk will take a long time to freeze.

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Make fruit-flavored gelatin with juice instead of water. Pour 2 packets of unflavored gelatin into 1 cup (225ml) of juice. Boil 3 cups (675ml) of juice, then pour in the juice and gelatin mixture. Stir until the gelatin dissolves. Pour gelatin into the mold. You can also use a small cup or bowl. Freeze the gelatin by placing it in the refrigerator for about 4 hours. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

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Make a lemon-flavored dessert with gelatin. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of gelatin in ½ cup (115 ml) of cold water and let it rise. Stir ⅓ cup (75g) of sugar with 1 cup (225ml) of hot water. Add the bloomed gelatin and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Stir until the gelatin powder dissolves. Pour the mixture into the mold and freeze by placing in the refrigerator.

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Try adding fruit. You can put some fruit in the bottom of the mold before pouring in the gelatin. Or, you would stir the fruit into the gelatin. To do this, put the gelatin in the refrigerator until it’s almost frozen. When the gelatin has a soft gel-like texture, simply stir in the chopped fruit. Place the gelatin in the refrigerator until completely frozen. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Be careful when adding tropical fruits like figs, ginger, kiwi, papaya, pineapple and prickly pear. The amount of enzymes in these fruits prevents gelatin from freezing. ^{[10] X Source of Research} If you want to combine these fruits (except kiwi) with gelatin, peel, cut, and boil for about 5 minutes before adding the gelatin.
Kiwi should not be added to gelatin. Even after you have peeled and boiled, the amount of enzymes in kiwi is not lost.

Make gelatin and panna cotta with different flavors to create layered desserts. Wait until each layer of gelatin has almost solidified before adding the next. The texture should now be soft and gel-like. If you add the next layer too late, they won’t stick together. If you add the next layer too soon, they will melt into each other. ^{[11] X Research Source}

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Pour gelatin into fun molds to create shaped gelatin. After you put the gelatin in the mold, put the mold in the refrigerator for about 4 hours to let the gelatin harden. To remove the gelatin from the mold, simply place the mold in a bowl of hot water. Take care that water does not spill over the gelatin. After a few seconds, remove the mold from the water and shake it gently. Place a plate on top of the mold and turn it upside down. Place the plate on the table and remove the mold. Now the gelatin is in the plate. If not, you will continue to soak the mold in hot water. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Place the mold in the fridge for a few hours until you need the gelatin; This helps the gelatin to solidify faster.

Advice

If you want to put gelatin in the mold, stir 1 tablespoon of gelatin with 2 cups (225ml) of water. If you want softer gelatin, you can mix 1 tablespoon of gelatin with 3 cups (675ml) of water; This type of gelatin is best placed in a cup or small bowl. ^{[13] X Research Source}
The more sugar the gelatin is added, the softer it will be. You need to keep this in mind when making desserts. Soft gelatin will have a hard time keeping its shape and is not effective when it comes to molding. ^{[14] X Research Source}
If you add cream or milk to the gelatin, the setting time of this gelatin will be longer than that of regular gelatin. ^{[15] X Research Source}
If you are a vegetarian or vegan, the way to enjoy gelatin is with Agar. Mix 1 teaspoon of Agar with 1 cup (225ml) of water.
Adults often prefer alcohol-flavored gelatin. Add a little alcohol to flavor the gelatin, but you need to use good wine. Poor quality alcohol will cause the gelatin to be substandard. ^{[16] X Research Source}
Adding gelatin is a simple way to thicken the syrup.

Warning

Always peel and heat tropical fruit before adding to gelatin. These fruits contain enzymes that prevent gelatin from freezing.
Do not heat other ingredients that you want to add to the gelatin, as this will cause the gelatin to lose its ability to solidify.

Things you need

Big bowl
Spoon
Cup, small bowl or mold
Kitchen
Fridge