Alaska and gelatin tentacles

[jethrien]

We've finally nailed down our vacation plans this year - we're going on a cruise to Alaska. This is after Mexico, the Caribbean, Egypt, and Italy didn't pan out. But cruise is booked, and vacation time is requested, and we're finally definitely going somewhere.

There was a horrifying experience involving gelatin last night. I was making pumpkin whoopie pies, and the icing recipe for the centers called for gelatin, I guess to hold the texture. I've never actually worked with unflavored gelatin before. I followed the directions in the recipe pretty explicitly - it repeatedly told me to do a step with the gelatin, then set aside and do a different recipe step, and then come back to the gelatin. First I was supposed to add water to the gelatin and let it sit. Well, I came back, and the stuff had hardened to a texture similar to rubber cement. Then it was supposed to go in the microwave under low power. It came out and was liquid again...but now had a horrific smell which made it clear that it really did originate with hooves. It was set aside again, and started to recongeal. I rushed through the next step, and added the gelatin to the icing, with grave misgivings. (But I had enough cream cheese to start over, so I figured if it came out terribly, I'd chuck it and start fresh.) As soon as the gelatin hit the icing, it solidified completely, forming long tentacles that tried to warp themselves around the mixer and gum up the works. It was really incredibily disgusting. I ended up spooning through the icing and pulling out oall the strands of solidified gelatin. De-tentacled, the icing was fine, and I just used it as is. I have no idea what was supposed to happen there, but surely that wasn't it.

Comments

[fyrna.livejournal.com]

Strange, we always used unflavored (Knox-brand) gelatin to make jello when I was little. It never came out disgusting. Using unflavored gelatin meant it was flavored with real fruit juice as opposed to the artificial stuff you get in Jello.

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

It was Knox-brand. It tried to eat my mixer!

[fyrna.livejournal.com]

Well, I never did try using it with a mixer. :P Only need a spoon for jello...

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

I think the problem may have been the number of "set aside"s in the recipe. I think maybe if I'd dumped it in right after it came out of the microwave, it would have been ok. But the recipe explicitly said to set aside, beat in the sugar, and then add the gelatin.

[jeths-mom.livejournal.com]

I think the problem arises when you try to use it in any recipe other than making "jello". I assume these recipes work out for someone, or they wouldn't be in a book (?) but for me, it has always set too hard, or not at all. I've wasted a lot of good ingredients that I've either thrown away or served frozen.