Jell-O Salad Recipes | Taste of Home (2024)

FAQs

What happened to Jello salads? ›

Savory Jell-O salads fell out of fashion, replaced by tossed salads and a fad for sun-dried tomatoes. This was also when the efforts of the women's movement began to bear fruit: Women were entering the workforce in unprecedented numbers, and more and more women were heads of households.

The reason gelatin needs cold water has to do with its gel-forming properties. When gelatin is mixed with hot water, the proteins can clump together, forming lumps that are difficult to dissolve. This is because the heat causes the proteins to denature, or change shape, which can prevent them from forming a smooth gel.

Jell-O shifted to single-serve cups and more convenient options as competition for snacks and desserts grew. Kraft in the early 2000's shifted the focus of Jell-O's advertising away from kids and toward adults. It pitched sugar-free Jell-O, for example, as a treat for Atkins dieters.

The rise of Julia Child and the popularization of French cooking in the United States made the jello salad appear less elegant, and dieting trends eventually turned against sugary food like Jell-O. Jello salad is now most popular in rural areas of the upper Midwest and in Utah, where Jell-O is the official state snack.

Fresh raw pineapple shouldn't be used in Jello salad because it contains protease enzymes. These will prevent the gelatin from gelling and will leave you with a liquid jello salad.

Raw pineapple and raw papaya should never be added to a gelatin (Jello) salad or mold. Enzymes in the fruit prevent the gelatin from setting up (getting firm). Loose salad greens should be stored between 36F and 41F. This keeps them crisp and fresh, but prevents freezing.

Likewise, some plants contain protein-digesting enzymes that can destroy gelatin as well. These include fresh pineapple, papaya, kiwi, mango, and fresh ginger, so it pays to do a little bit of research before making any substitutions.

Chances are you didn't follow the directions exactly, adding too much water or watery fruit (via Butter With A Side Of Bread). Jell-O also won't set if left on the counter; it needs to chill in your refrigerator.

Jello molds are collectables for some folks, but you actually don't need any special mold for molded desserts. You can use a Bundt pan, a loaf pan, or even a mixing bowl to set large molded desserts, or small cups, ramekins, or even espresso cups for individual servings.

I use water because it's easy to boil in a tea kettle. Alternatively, you can boil an extra 1/2 cup of fruit juice in a small saucepan, for a more concentrated and slightly sweeter flavor. In this case, you'd use 4 cups of fruit juice in total. Whisk well until the mixture is liquid, with no visible chunks.

How to make jello taste better? ›

It's important to use the right amount of water, as using too much or too little can affect the taste and texture of the Jell-O. Additionally, you can add fruit, whipped cream, or other ingredients to enhance the flavor.

Dissolve the jello, then use the milk instead of water for the added cold water. The milk jello will set on top making a foamy layer. I use to do this to make dessert look fancy for my kids when I only had a budget for jello.

But in the decades after World War II ended, the problems that JELL-O had initially solved went away. Cheap food items did not impress a wealth-building American society, and wartime staples became repellant. In the 1970s, JELL-O languished as a children's snack and hospital dessert.

Bromolain in pineapple, papain in papaya and actinidin in kiwi are all enzymes capable of breaking down proteins, hence the warning that these fruits cannot be used in Jell-O. But canned fruits are fine because the pasteurization process they undergo destroys the proteolytic enzymes.

Why do hospitals serve so much Jell-O? There are a few reasons: Jell-O is easy to swallow and digest, making it suitable for patients who have difficulty eating solid foods or have digestive issues.