1,489 easy and fully explained recipes, with +66K photos and 78 videos

No need to boil gelatin

Gelatin is a magical ingredient for making light, creamy, structured desserts, yet it's often misused in the kitchen.
A common mistake in some recipes is the idea that it needs to be boiled for it to work properly, but this is a mistake indeed: gelatin melts at a much lower temperature, around 40°C.

Find out why this precision is essential, and how you can easily incorporate it into your preparations.

3,787 5/5 (1 reviews)

Keywords for this post:Gelatin Temperature Melting Melt Gelling agent

Last modified on: November 21^th 2024

For this post: Comment Follow Send to a friend

No need to boil gelatin

What is gelatin?

Gelatin is a protein derived from collagen, widely used for its gelling properties in desserts such as mousses, entremets, panna cotta and bavarois. When used correctly, it provides a delicate, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
But its effectiveness depends on one golden rule: don't boil it. Indeed, gelatin dissolves perfectly in a hot liquid from 40°C, but if heated above 60°C, its gel-forming properties begin to break down.
Bringing the preparation that will contain it to the boil is therefore a rather bad idea, risking compromising the final texture of your desserts.

How do I use it?

Drain the gelatin sheets, softened by soaking in cold water, and add them directly to a warm-hot mixture (40-50°C).
If your recipe calls for a hotter mixture, add the gelatine off the heat to prevent overheating.
Once the gelatine has been incorporated, leave your dessert to cool in the fridge for the magic to happen (the gelatine sets).
Setting time varies according to recipe, but generally allow 2 to 4 hours.

Mistakes to avoid

Boiling gelatin: As explained, this reduces its gelling capacity.
Adding it directly to a cold mixture: It will not dissolve properly and may form lumps.
Using the wrong quantity: Each recipe specifies the optimum dose, often around 2 g gelatin per 100 ml liquid for a classic texture.

In short: Forget recipes that require you to bring gelatin to the boil, a reasonable hot temperature is enough to reveal its potential, for perfect desserts and a consistently successful texture.

Lasts posts

Grilled bacon is much better in the oven

Some recipes call for thin slices of bacon to be cooked and added to the recipe, or to prepare one of those delicious breakfasts known as "à l'Anglaise".
April 25^th 20255865

The thermometer is your friend

There are many recipes or foods that require a (very) precise cooking temperature: foie gras, sugar for caramel, meats and fish, and not forgetting pastries. For these few examples, getting the cooking temperature wrong can spoil the whole recipe or dish: undercooked, it's no good or misses the...
April 10^th 20251,4655

Travel cakes

You may have come across the term "travel cakes" ("gateaux de voyage" in french) for certain pastries, so let's take a look at what they're all about.
January 27^th 20252,990

The aromatic power of sugar

In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors. Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas. By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making...
December 25^th 20243,4215

The little trap of thick cream

When you need to add cream to a recipe, you might be wondering: thick (heavy) cream or liquid cream? In most cases, there's no big difference: you can use either. But there is one exception, and that's when the cream needs to be cooked, for a sauce for example, and here the difference between...
December 13^th 20243,5525

See all posts Random post RSS feeds

Other pages you may also like

The so-called "nervous" meats

You've probably heard this before, we're talking about "nervous" meat, or meat with nerves, to describe what is indicated by the blue arrow on the left. This is a piece of beef, and what we call a nerve is not a nerve, it is in fact collagen (chemists sometimes call it a "collagen sink"), a...
April 16^th 202130 K4.5

Sugar syrups

In cooking, and especially in pastry, we often use sugar syrups, a simple mixture of water and sugar in varying proportions. Here is a presentation of their differences. .
January 17^th 20238,6264.8

The 3 kinds of meringue

Meringue – what could be simpler? Just beaten egg whites with sugar added. This makes a fairly stiff mixture which can then be cooked in a cool oven to create those lovely, light confections. But in the world of professional patisserie, meringue comes in three different kinds. Even if the...
June 14^th 201360 K4.5

Drawing a pattern in pastry

Often in the kitchen, in pastry-making, or in baking, we need to trace a pattern on a pastry. It's just a question of aesthetics but it has its effect after baking on a galette, pithiviers, pâté en croute (terrine in a pie crust), etc.
May 23^th 201930 K4.1

Kitchen ovens

You certainly have one in your kitchen, an oven, the essential tool for all kinds of cooking, whether in the kitchen of course, but also in pastry, bakery, pizza, and many others. Here is some information on its structure and operation.
May 16^th 202029 K4.4