Gelatin belongs to the coagulants. It is used in both confectionery and cooking to thicken aqueous mixtures such as ice cream, creams (bavaroises, panna cotta, caramel cream etc), hard candy and caramels, yogurt based desserts and sauces, while depending on the amount we use, it can give us a more stable mixtures such as fruit jellies and terrines. It is also found in many ready-to-eat foods.
Gelatin is an ingredient of animal origin, and as such it is a pure protein with valuable and important properties as it contains 18 amino acids that are essential for our body and are not produced by our body.
Edible gelatin is a great source of collagen, cares for bones and joints, gives strength and elasticity to tendons and ligaments, increases connective tissue growth and prevents osteoarthritis. It also helps digestion, heals injuries faster, tones the liver, beautifies skin, hair, nails and teeth and improves brain health.
Gelatin sheets are considered easier to use, because they dissolve easily, do not clump and in addition have the advantage that each sheet is a specific dose, to which many recipes have been adapted. The amount in the recipes is given in grams and not in sheets, as they do not all have the same weight.
A generic rule though is that per 1 liter of liquid mixture we use from 2 to 5 g. of gelatin, depending on the application we want to make and how thick we want our mixture to be. The more gelatin the more solid the mixture will become.
HOW TO USE GELATIN
• In sheets format
1. Put the gelatin leaves in a bowl of water. The water should be as cold as possible (even better if it contains ice).
2. Leave them for 3-5 minutes to soften and become like a film.
3. Squeeze them very well with our hands, to remove the water.
4. Add them to the mixture you want to thicken, stirring to dissolve completely. This mixture should be warm (above 40 ° C). If our recipe does not provide a hot mixture, put them in a bowl with a little hot water (about 1 cup of coffee) and stir to dissolve or melt them in a bain Marie (in a stainless steel bowl with water that we have fixed over a pot of boiling water).
Useful Information for sure success in your recipes:
• We never melt the gelatin on its own in a kettle, because if it burns, it acquires a bad taste.
• In order for our mixture to thicken, we must then leave it in the refrigerator for a while.
• The more sugar in the recipe, the tighter the gelatin will be
• Fresh pineapple, fig and papaya contain the enzyme bromelin, which "corrodes" gelatin and makes it lose its coagulant properties.
• Keep the pastry that contains gelatin covered in the refrigerator, so that their surface does not harden excessively.
• The amount of gelatin that we will use varies from individual to family size sweets. If a recipe is intended for a large form and we want to make it in individual glasses or bowls, we can reduce the listed amount of gelatin more than the corresponding ratio, in order to achieve a softer texture.
• On the contrary, during the summer months, it is customary to increase the amount of gelatin by 10 - 15%, for greater resistance to heat.
Credits: Christina Tzialla proionta-tis-fisis.com