1,504 easy and fully explained recipes, with +66K photos and 78 videos

This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...

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.

4,638 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

Always secure your cutting board

When using a cutting board, it's very important that it's stable and doesn't move while you're cutting, for safety's sake. Boards have a natural tendency to slide on the work surface, but here are 2 ways to block them effectively.
July 1^st 20252575

Cherry clafoutis, with or without pits?

When it comes to cherry clafoutis recipes, there's often a camp of those who argue that you absolutely have to leave the stones in because it tastes better, and the other camp (myself included) who prefer cherries without stones, which makes a much more pleasant clafoutis to eat. But is it true...
June 29^th 20256405

Should potatoes be washed twice?

Let's say you have to make a recipe that includes potatoes, let's say sliced, you'll most likely proceed as follows: Peel the potatoes, wash them, slice them, wash them again, pat them dry and add them to your recipe. But there's a "but": depending on the recipe, the second washing may be a bad...
May 19^th 20252,227 15

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 20252,0105

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 20252,3425

See all posts Random post RSS feeds

Other pages you may also like

What is the difference between bakery and patisserie?

This is a question that you may well have asked yourself and which I will attempt to answer. In France the two trades of "boulangerie" (bakery) and "pâtisserie" (patisserie and confectionery) have always been quite distinct, but where exactly do the boundaries lie? .
February 7^th 2017129 K 14.1

Fruits which can ruin your jelly

There are many ways of making a fruit mousse, but one of the simplest is to prepare a fruit jelly (basically a fresh fruit coulis with gelatine) and then mix this jelly before it sets completely with whipped cream. The result is perfect for filling a charlotte, for example. But do beware;...
March 6^th 201374 K4.0

Cherry clafoutis, with or without pits?

Candied fruits: don't get ripped off

Do you like candied fruit? You might like to nibble a handful or add it to a recipe, like a classic fruit cake or delicious Italian specialities like panettone or sicilian epiphany pie.
June 21^th 201762 K 24.2

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 202131 K4.5