The Secret
I've been making a bit of jelly lately (the awesome wobbly gelatin kind, not your weird american "actually called jam" kind) and no matter how enthusiastically I stir it, or how slowly I pour the jelly powder in, I still get annoying, disgusting undissolved jelly crystals on the bottom of my jelly. I don't want to add significantly more water because that would destabilise my jelly and subsequently destroy my care-free attitude to the world.
Last night, however, I struck upon a potential answer. After you've poured in the jelly and stirred it to hell and back, <i>pour it into another container</i>. I'm pretty damn sure that this will solve my jelly powder problems once and for all.
So, yeah, that's my Secret and I thought I'd do the philanthropical thing and share it with the world.
Last night, however, I struck upon a potential answer. After you've poured in the jelly and stirred it to hell and back, <i>pour it into another container</i>. I'm pretty damn sure that this will solve my jelly powder problems once and for all.
So, yeah, that's my Secret and I thought I'd do the philanthropical thing and share it with the world.
Comments
This however is much, much better.
<img src="http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1999/biblepicsry6.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
yeah!
--Scythe--
--Scythe--<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
indeed, aren't you supposed to stir it into boiling water?
My jelly has been known to make men fall to their knees and weep in awe of it's glory.
<i>Yes.</i>
Oh, it does. But the spontaneously oiled up bikini women then find me surrounded by men on their knees, weeping.
So they walk away.
The man might be on to something. There might be something in your water that's causing the common ion effect.
Try boiling a jug of bottled water, see if that improves matters. Also, have you tried with different bowls? The one you're using might provide precipitation points for the sugar to form out of the supersaturated solution. Try the smoothest bowl you can find, preferably glass.
--Scythe--
As Scythe said in a way more sciency way than I did, I'm not talking about things the utility company adds on purpose and tells you about. I just mean the naturally occurring non-h2o substances in your water that they don't deem necessary to filter out.
Most of them are basically the following: Pour powder in bowl, add 200ml boiling water, stir thoroughly, add 250ml cold water, stir, refridgerate.
I've tried adding powder in before and afterwards and at different volume rates (i.e slower to allow time to mix) but I always get bloody powder crystals stuck on the sides and the bottom. Even if I'd added 450ml of boiling water it'd happen the same way.
Do I buy inferior jelly crystals, am I doing something fundamentally wrong or are you lying on the internet to impress me?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Never used the powder, I use those little chunks of concentrated jelly that come in packs that look like a bar of red, rubbery chocolate.
Wonder if you can flavour them?
Sorry, never done jelly and never will most likely, despite all the pressure from this men-suddenly-and-mysteriously-synced jelly thread.
Jellyfish.
Last night, however, I struck upon a potential answer. After you've poured in the jelly and stirred it to hell and back, <i>pour it into another container</i>. I'm pretty damn sure that this will solve my jelly powder problems once and for all.
So, yeah, that's my Secret and I thought I'd do the philanthropical thing and share it with the world.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Actually, the real secret is to pour the water into the gelatin, and don't use super hot water either. Then, after all the powder has dissolved, add the rest of the hot water.
The problem you're experiencing is when some of the powder on the outside forms a kind of coat, protecting dry power on the inside, making the crystals. So, by adding water to the powder, you prevent the powder from floating on the top, thus creating a melted and non-melted layer, and by pouring only a little to begin with prevent any crystal that do form from being suspended in liquid, thus making them impossible to squash. Also, by using hot water, you encourage the powder it first contacts with to dissolve. By using merely warm water, the power tends to not dissolve as quickly and thus can't form the sticky coat around other granules of powder.
After you've dissolved it all (adding a little more water if needed) adding the rest of the hot water to bring the goo to the proper proportions of gelatin to water and you're good to go.
Powder?!
What arcane world do you nether folk live in?
In my country, we use *chunks*. Big rubbery chunks of jelly that you melt into hot water and then it makes bigger jelly.
We use chunks of concentrated jelly. What is this "powder" you speak of.
*gasp-clap*
If you have the water as a constant heat source (instead of having only so much energy in it), you should be able to just keep mixing the crap.
BTW:
Unless you are making trifle, the stuff is nasty <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> (and even there, trifle is still nasty unless it is the Italian stuff that doesn't use gelatin)
If you have the water as a constant heat source (instead of having only so much energy in it), you should be able to just keep mixing the crap.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Hey, I make gelatin goodness without the annoying crystals. Screw the directions, I get this stuff done.
The problem with powder into hot water is the granules often get stuck and float at the top, if only briefly. However, this causes one layer of grains to form a layer of stickiness, and the other dry ones on top to stay unmelted. When you try to break this up, the sticky layer forms protective shells around the remaining dry ones, forming the annoying crystals.
This is also why all good cooking directions have you mix liquids and solids in two different bowls, then add the liquid slowly to the dry, especially when flour is involved since flour also likes to form sticky annoying lumps. Certain exceptions of course.
This would be my new sig quote if I didn't like the one I have so much.
If you have the water as a constant heat source (instead of having only so much energy in it), you should be able to just keep mixing the crap.
BTW:
Unless you are making trifle, the stuff is nasty <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> (and even there, trifle is still nasty unless it is the Italian stuff that doesn't use gelatin)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Not exactly my New York friend... quoted from a box of JELL-O,
<ol type='1'><li><b>STIR</b> 1 cup boiling water into gelatin in medium bowl at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved.</li><li><b>STIR</b> in 1 cup cold water.</li><li><b>REFRIGERATE</b> 4 hours or until firm. Makes 4 (1/2 cup) servings.</li></ol>This should work for you eediot. <img src="http://www.nsmod.org/forums/style_emoticons/default/hairpull.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" />
And I'm off to making crude anime music videos.
(jk, neruto is for noobs)
Also, don't use powder, it is way messy - use beans.
So, clearly the best solution is to post a youtube video
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIF0i-WPeWo" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIF0i-WPeWo</a><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Best video. Ever!
Powder?!
What arcane world do you nether folk live in?
In my country, we use *chunks*. Big rubbery chunks of jelly that you melt into hot water and then it makes bigger jelly.
We use chunks of concentrated jelly. What is this "powder" you speak of.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I used to just eat the concentrated jelly chunks sometimes. Mmm, additives.