# Need Help With Gelatin!!



## powers (Dec 7, 2006)

I am not a Pasrty Chef. I know a little about gelatin but not much. I am working with packaged JELLO. I made 2 batches, both by the instructions. I put one in the frig and the other in a blast chiller. The blast chiller one never set up, however the frig one did. Why is this?? Does it cool too fast? any advice will help. Thanks.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

That's a good one, I almost don't believe you.


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Powers,
I'm not quite sure. I'm curious if you use a soft chill or a hard chill.
It's sometimes better to use a soft chill that maintains a temp, especially with products that have a large water content.
This is a shot in the dark, but if you used a full/hard chill, ice crystals may have formed and keep the jello from tightening.
hmm?
Pan


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## powers (Dec 7, 2006)

So, here was the deal. I am lucky to work for a commercial kitchen equipment manufacturer with engineers. So what supposedly happened was although the JELLO in the blast chiller didn't cool to the specified temp as fast as in the frig. So it took longer to set. What the engineers told me was that the movement of air, being so fast inside the chiller, formed a insulating air curtain. Since that one pan was all that was in there, the air moved in a perfect convection without being broken up by any other pans. So I guess similar to an igloo, that air was an insulater. It actually, in this instance, took longer for the JELLO to set up, but it finally did. WEIRD!! The outer layer cooled faaster, but the inside took much longer. I'm stil kind of confused, but I guess I'll just keep trying it, now that it peeked my interest. I'm going to try to put other pans in to break up the convection. Anyway, thanks for your help. :crazy:


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