Gelatin

Preparation

1. Stuck in mold

   Step 1

   Loosen the gelatin around the edges with the tip of a knife. Dip the mold in hot water (not so far that the water runs onto the gelatin) for a few seconds, invert it onto a plate, and shake the mold off slowly. If it is still stuck, repeat. If it is still stuck, give up. Perhaps you used library paste instead of gelatin powder. (Next time, lightly oil the mold before adding the gelatin.)

2. Time is short

   Step 2

   If you don’t even have time to follow the “quick method” given on most boxes, try this “even quicker” method, which may be up to 50 percent faster. Add just enough hot water to the powder to dissolve it. A few tablespoons should be enough. Then use ice water for the rest of the liquid. If you add fruits, they should be very cold.

3. Too thick

   Step 3

   If you let your gelatin set too long and you wanted to stir in fruits or marbles or something and now you can’t, warm it up by any convenient means (the oven, stove, or setting it in a bowl of warm water) and it will thinnen (which is the opposite of thicken). Then let it set again to the right consistency for stirring stuff in.

4. Too thin

   Step 4

   If a gelatin dessert or salad won’t thicken at all, or it isn’t setting fast enough for you, set it in an ice bath. An ice bath is a big bowl full of ice cubes and water. Next time, be sure you let the gelatin soak in cold liquid for 5 minutes before using it.