Gelatin is a baking ingredient that comes in solid, translucent sheet or powder. Both forms must be rehydrated in water before being incorporated into a preparation. Food gelatin is used to stabilise preparations such as entremets, creams, jellies, etc.
Gelatin is made from animal by-products, mainly bones and skin of pigs, cattle or fish. Gelatin sheets are prepared through various processes that extract collagen. They are used as a gelling agent in baking and confectionery, desserts, mousses and frostings. To use it, you need to soak the sheets in cold water to soften them and squeeze out the excess water. Then heat it so that it dissolves and can be incorporated into your preparation. Finally, put the mixture in the fridge for about an hour to set and the result will appear as a jelly.
In the same way as gelatin sheets, the powdered one must be rehydrated in five to six times its weight in cold water to be used. In contrast, powdered gelatin can be of animal or vegetable origin. The gelling power is measured in "bloom", the higher the number, the stronger the power. Fish, bovine or porcine gelatin is produced in the same way, but reduced to a powder at the end. The vegetable version is similar to Agar Agar, a natural gelling agent and made from algae, among other things. Its use does not differ from other food gelatins. It is advisable to follow the indicated dosage carefully to keep the final result of your recipe.
