Understanding Gelatin

Gelatin is a nearly colorless, nearly flavorless water-soluble substance derived from collagen, an animal protein found in bones, cartilage, connective tissue, and hides. Collagen is extracted from these products by simmering them in water. When collagen combines with water in the correct way, it forms a protein net that captures the water and forms a protein gel. When chilled, this gel appears as a solid, translucent, jelly-like mass. When heated, it is a thick, syrup-consistency liquid.

In the early twentieth century, industrial food producers perfected a way to remove the water from liquid gelatin and purify it of most of its meat flavor and odor. This product is called unflavored dry gelatin. (There are also sweetened, flavored gelatin powder products, the best-known of which is Jell-O™. However, in this text when we refer to gelatin, we always mean “unflavored dry gelatin.”)