Jell-O Salad Recipes | Taste of Home (2024)

FAQs

What happened to Jello salads? ›

Jell-O even introduced savory flavors, like celery, mixed vegetable, and "Italian salad," during the 1960s. By the mid-1970s, though, their popularity had declined so much that they were pulled from shelves.

Jello salad is an American salad made with flavored gelatin, fruit, and sometimes grated carrots or (more rarely) other vegetables. Other ingredients may include cottage cheese, cream cheese, marshmallows, nuts, or pretzels.

Jell-O shifted to single-serve cups and more convenient options as competition for snacks and desserts grew. Kraft in the early 2000's shifted the focus of Jell-O's advertising away from kids and toward adults. It pitched sugar-free Jell-O, for example, as a treat for Atkins dieters.

Raw pineapple and raw papaya should never be added to a gelatin (Jello) salad or mold. Enzymes in the fruit prevent the gelatin from setting up (getting firm). Loose salad greens should be stored between 36F and 41F. This keeps them crisp and fresh, but prevents freezing.

Too much sugar in the recipe can weaken or inhibit the gel so never add more than the recipe states. Likewise, an enzyme called bromelain, found in fresh or frozen pineapple, kiwi, and papaya can cause the gelatin to break. Use only canned versions, since the enzyme is deactivated during cooking.

Do not add raw pineapple and papaya to gelatin salads because these fruits contain enzymes which dissolves gelatin. Canned fruits and other juicy items must be well drained before adding because they will watered down the gelatin.

Proteases are enzymes that break chemical bonds in proteins, such as collagen in gelatin. Pineapple, kiwi, papaya, mango, and guava are examples of fruits that cause a problem. Heat inactivates proteases, so cooking fruit before adding it to gelatin prevents any issue.

Jello molds are collectables for some folks, but you actually don't need any special mold for molded desserts. You can use a Bundt pan, a loaf pan, or even a mixing bowl to set large molded desserts, or small cups, ramekins, or even espresso cups for individual servings.

Kitchen Curio also recommends rinsing the mold with cold water before filling it with Jell-O to make it easier to unmold. Spraying the mold with Pam or some other cooking spray is another common trick, but one that may leave a residue and flavor on the Jell-O, which you may not want depending on what you are making.

Runny gelatin desserts may as well just be sugar soup, so first let's cover what you did wrong. Chances are you didn't follow the directions exactly, adding too much water or watery fruit (via Butter With A Side Of Bread). Jell-O also won't set if left on the counter; it needs to chill in your refrigerator.

Can I use a cake mold for Jello? ›

All you need is a fun shaped vessel – I like decorative cake pans (Nordicware makes great ones) but you could totally just use a regular glass or stainless mixing bowl, gelatin, juice, and some time. Have fun!

People were still eating colorful gelatin, but they were no longer serving it as a main course as frequently as they used to. These days, it's more of a quirky novelty snack than an accepted meal option.

But in the decades after World War II ended, the problems that JELL-O had initially solved went away. Cheap food items did not impress a wealth-building American society, and wartime staples became repellant. In the 1970s, JELL-O languished as a children's snack and hospital dessert.

Bromolain in pineapple, papain in papaya and actinidin in kiwi are all enzymes capable of breaking down proteins, hence the warning that these fruits cannot be used in Jell-O. But canned fruits are fine because the pasteurization process they undergo destroys the proteolytic enzymes.

The first popular Jell-O salad was Perfection Salad, invented in 1904 by Mrs. John E. Cook of Pennsylvania (via Recipe Curio). While Mrs.