Gelatin food and its use in cooking

The name of this product - "gelatin" - came to us from the Latin language, in translation it means "frozen, frozen." In principle, the gelatin of food is a natural biopolymer. On the labels, this food supplement is designated by the code E 441.

Natural gelatin food is produced when processing the bones and tendons of animals, as well as scales and bones of fish. The composition of this additive includes proteins, fats, starch, certain types of vitamins and amino acids.

Especially valuable is the fact that gelatin food contains glycine, this amino acid is needed by the human body to ensure life. In other protein products glycine is negligible, so the use of gelatin for cooking is very useful for the body.

In addition, the food gelatin contains certain amino acids of proteins, in particular, hydroxyproline and proline. Therefore, dishes with gelatin are very useful for those who have joints and bones diseases, for example, osteochondrosis. Gelatin is also beneficial for improving the condition of nails, hair and skin. This product is used not only as a food additive, but also make of it cosmetic masks and baths.

But people who are prone to allergies, as well as those who have malfunctioned in the cardiovascular system, should refrain from the constant use of dishes with gelatin.

Gelatin is widely used in food industry. It is used for the production of canned food, jelly, as well as a variety of desserts. Quite often, this additive is also used in home cooking.

Since gelatin has no smell and distinct taste, it is used to make a variety of dishes - from snacks to desserts. But that the culinary experience turned out to be successful, it is necessary to observe certain rules. And the first thing you need to know for the successful preparation of foods, which contain gelatin food, is how to grow this supplement.

Gelatine is released as a powder or leaflets. For each type of product has its own subtleties. If powder gelatin is used, then a metered amount of powder should be poured with boiled chilled water. Gelatin has a property of swelling, increasing in volume approximately 6 times. This circumstance should be taken into account in order to determine the required amount of water. Allow the mixture to swell for about 30-40 minutes. Now you need to prepare a water bath, where the dishes with swollen gelatin are placed, and heat the mass until the lumps dissolve, in no case allowing boiling. The resulting solution is added to the prepared products, mixed well and the dish is put in the refrigerator for congealing. It should be taken into account that if you take 20 grams of gelatin per liter of liquid, the jelly will turn out to be weak, "trembling." To get a strong jelly, which can be cut with a knife, you need to take about 40-60 grams of gelatin per liter of syrup or broth.

When using sheet gelatin, the process of preparing the dish will go faster, since the plates are sufficiently soaked in water for only 5 minutes. Then the technology is the same: gelatin is dissolved in a water bath and added to the basis of the dish.

It should be noted that there are a lot of dishes in the culinary department, including gelatin food. Recipes for snacks and desserts can be found in large quantities in culinary magazines or on the web on relevant websites. It is a variety of jellies, mousses, jellies, creams, sweet and snack foods, and much more.

For those who for some reason do not want or can not eat foods that have animal origin, you can replace gelatin with agar-agar. This product has excellent gelling properties and is produced when processing seaweed.