Switching between Sheets and Powders

Which is better, gelatin sheets or gelatin powder? This question has no one right answer. Some bakers and pastry chefs favor sheet gelatin, others favor powder. Sheet gelatin is more popular in Europe than in the rest of the world.

Whichever they favor, versatile chefs know how to use either sheet or powdered gelatin, and they know how to substitute one for the other. Before discussing how to do this, it is helpful to first understand the advantages and disadvantages of each form of gelatin.

Sheet gelatin cannot spill, so it is less messy than powder. Sheets can be counted, and many find this easier than weighing, at least for small-scale production. For large-scale production, however, this is no longer an advantage; it is easier to weigh large quantities of sheets than to count them. When the sheets are added to excess water, the user must be careful that they do not dissolve and disappear completely in too-warm water.