1955 Pineapple Jello Rings (part 1:2)
So I am sure that by now many of you have seen that old advertisement from Ladies Home Journal for a nifty dessert made by pouring Jello into a can of ringed pineapple slices and 4-6 hours later you can slice the rings apart for a cool green and yellow dessert. Seems simple, right?!
Well, thanks to the speed of Pinterest and other social networks there are more pictures and videos of things like this... slimy unformed and frankly unappealing... failed attempts then there are successful attempts.
So some folks are quick to say that it just can’t be done thanks to the volume of these “fail” photos or that they “read somewhere” that pineapple has an enzyme that prevents Jello from gelling, or that “the box says not to use pineapple”. Some of that is true and some of it is a fallacy simply because the person making the dessert doesn't understand the chemistry of cooking! Check this video, his reaction to the flop is pretty good natured and funny!
I know firsthand, it can be done, as pictured below, a dessert that I used to eat at practically every wedding or wake especially after my Oma & Opa moved to a retirement community in Florida! Though they lived in NY during the 70s-80s and it was the WASPy dessert to make then too. LOL
And here is someone's successful image of their attempt at canned pineapple jello rings (2009)
Yes, there is an enzyme in FRESH PINEAPPLE that will prevent gelatin from setting, read more here! However, in the canning process the pineapple is heated and that particular enzyme is rendered harmless against gelatin gelling.
So what is the secret?!
Well according to some bloggers they suggest starting with a chilled can of pineapple, drain off the juice, and eliminate the cold water you would normally use. Some suggest reducing the water amounts used like you would do for a molded Jello or “jelly blocks.” Others suggest adding a package or two of unflavored Knox gelatin to the following mix: 1 C hot water (or boiled pineapple juice) to dissolve Jell-o & Knox, then add the cold water and pour back into the can. Good thing is that all of those suggestions have proven to work in some form or another.
So why am I writing about this? Because I thought to myself... why not follow a bartender's trick for making alcoholic jigglers? So I am making my first attempt tonight! I won't know if it worked until tomorrow morning but I figured why not since I have everything on hand?!
1 large box of strawberry banana (sugar free) Jello ---> I was thinking colada type drinks can you tell???
1 pkg of Knox unflavored gelatin
1 C boiled water
1 C chilled light rum
1 meatloaf pan, or some other silicone mold
1 can of strained jello rings (I reserved the juice for a mixed drink)
unflavored non-stick spray
I chilled the measured out 1 C of rum in a larger (4 C.) liquid measuring cup (to help with pouring & whisking later). I then mixed the boiling water and all gelatin pkgs together until well dissolved and for an extra 1 min after it appeared dissolved. I then set it aside and sprayed the silicone mold/meatloaf pan and the inside of the pineapple can with a light mist of non-stick spray. I gently piled the pineapple back in the can and used a chopstick to line everything up and give some space to the inside walls of the can. Finally, I poured the warm gel into the cold measuring cup with the rum in it and mix for 1 min. (NOTE: I didn't want the gel hot when it mixed with the rum otherwise it would denature some of the alcoholic content.) Then I carefully poured into the can and the remaining gel should go into molds or a meatloaf pan (for jello cubes). They smelled super good when I put them in the fridge to chill, we will see in the morning how they turned out?!
More to come tomorrow!!!
Well, thanks to the speed of Pinterest and other social networks there are more pictures and videos of things like this... slimy unformed and frankly unappealing... failed attempts then there are successful attempts.
So some folks are quick to say that it just can’t be done thanks to the volume of these “fail” photos or that they “read somewhere” that pineapple has an enzyme that prevents Jello from gelling, or that “the box says not to use pineapple”. Some of that is true and some of it is a fallacy simply because the person making the dessert doesn't understand the chemistry of cooking! Check this video, his reaction to the flop is pretty good natured and funny!
Click to viewI know firsthand, it can be done, as pictured below, a dessert that I used to eat at practically every wedding or wake especially after my Oma & Opa moved to a retirement community in Florida! Though they lived in NY during the 70s-80s and it was the WASPy dessert to make then too. LOL
And here is someone's successful image of their attempt at canned pineapple jello rings (2009)
Yes, there is an enzyme in FRESH PINEAPPLE that will prevent gelatin from setting, read more here! However, in the canning process the pineapple is heated and that particular enzyme is rendered harmless against gelatin gelling.
So what is the secret?!
Well according to some bloggers they suggest starting with a chilled can of pineapple, drain off the juice, and eliminate the cold water you would normally use. Some suggest reducing the water amounts used like you would do for a molded Jello or “jelly blocks.” Others suggest adding a package or two of unflavored Knox gelatin to the following mix: 1 C hot water (or boiled pineapple juice) to dissolve Jell-o & Knox, then add the cold water and pour back into the can. Good thing is that all of those suggestions have proven to work in some form or another.
So why am I writing about this? Because I thought to myself... why not follow a bartender's trick for making alcoholic jigglers? So I am making my first attempt tonight! I won't know if it worked until tomorrow morning but I figured why not since I have everything on hand?!
1 large box of strawberry banana (sugar free) Jello ---> I was thinking colada type drinks can you tell???
1 pkg of Knox unflavored gelatin
1 C boiled water
1 C chilled light rum
1 meatloaf pan, or some other silicone mold
1 can of strained jello rings (I reserved the juice for a mixed drink)
unflavored non-stick spray
I chilled the measured out 1 C of rum in a larger (4 C.) liquid measuring cup (to help with pouring & whisking later). I then mixed the boiling water and all gelatin pkgs together until well dissolved and for an extra 1 min after it appeared dissolved. I then set it aside and sprayed the silicone mold/meatloaf pan and the inside of the pineapple can with a light mist of non-stick spray. I gently piled the pineapple back in the can and used a chopstick to line everything up and give some space to the inside walls of the can. Finally, I poured the warm gel into the cold measuring cup with the rum in it and mix for 1 min. (NOTE: I didn't want the gel hot when it mixed with the rum otherwise it would denature some of the alcoholic content.) Then I carefully poured into the can and the remaining gel should go into molds or a meatloaf pan (for jello cubes). They smelled super good when I put them in the fridge to chill, we will see in the morning how they turned out?!
More to come tomorrow!!!