You know it. You probably love it. Jello has been one of the most popular treats for decades now.
It comes in various colors and fruity flavors, and it’s universally enjoyed by kids and grownups alike. Personally, if I’m to choose between a Chocolate Fountain, a Teapot, a Ramekin and Souffle Dish, or a jello plate for my Gift Basket, I’d go with the last option every single time. That statement is not to be taken lightly because I adore all of the other options.
So because of how great of a dessert it makes. You may be wondering if you can store it somehow for multiple uses, specifically in a freezer or a Compact Refrigerator. So, can you freeze jello? Let’s find out!
So, What Is It Exactly?
Here’s a little fun fact to start things with: The name “Jello” is actually owned by a company known as Kraft Foods. Nowadays, jello can refer to a variety of snacks and desserts. That can even extend to foods made of gelatin, besides other stuff, and characterized by different vibrant colors and fruit flavors. Some people mistake the term gelatin for Ice Cream, which is a common misconception.
Gelatin is basically a structure connecting multiple gelatin molecules through bonds. You might be thinking about ionic or covalent bonds if you studied some chemistry. But the fact of the matter is that gelatin bonds are different. They’re more of a random entanglement of strings. Other gels may be made up of more familiar bonds, but not jello.
You might’ve heard in the past that horse or cow hooves are where we get gelatin from, but it’s isn’t exactly correct.
In reality, we get it from mainly from boiling animal hides and bones (animals we eat like cows and pigs). Sadly, it’s not something that you can make in your Double Boiler Pot. On the other hand, if we’re to extract anything from hooves, it won’t be anything that can give us gelatin.
People around the world enjoy jello in a variety of ways. If you’re in no mood to spice things up, you can just consume it as it is. Adding fruit is a common thing to do (maybe it’s time to get your Grapefruit Spoon), or maybe take some whip cream and lay it on top using your Whipped Cream Dispenser. Of course, jello can be homemade, or if you’re not much of a cook, you can get some at the store.
Can It Become Inedible?
Well, jello is food. So yes, you can expect it to go bad after a while. Seeing that it has a high concentration of water and Sugar, there’s nothing that can deter it from being spoiled with time.
So here’s the deal, if you have some jello that you’ve prepared and you decide to put it in the fridge or the Chest Freezer, it’ll last for probably 7 to 10 days.
Jello cups, on the other hand, might higher risk of going bad faster, and that’s because of having fruit in them. So that will give you a period of 2 or 3 days in the fridge to consume the jello before it becomes inconsumable.
Now there’re the prepackaged cups that we need to address. They can be sealed and kept in even room temperature, and they won’t get spoiled for up to 4 months. Keep them in the fridge, and you’ve got yourself a snack that can even last for more than a year. Just make sure to seal them up, preferably using a Vacuum Sealer.
How Do You Know It Has Gone Bad?
There are a few techniques that can help you identify spoiled food to keep yourself safe
- One of the most obvious signs is the presence of water bodies and the change in flavor. Instead of having a sweet taste, you’ll notice a sharp bitterness. Also, if you notice some signs of bacteria or mold on the surface then obviously you shouldn’t eat it.
- Food that has any sign of mold should not be ingested. There are a number of health hazards related to bad food. Always make sure that you’re paying attention to what’s in your kitchen to know when the lifespan of your different foods is over.
How About Freezing It?
Let’s cut to the chase. Can you freeze jello? Would be the most viable option for elongating the lifespan of jello? That’s an excellent question to ask. So, what’s the answer?
From a technical standpoint, yes, of course, you can freeze jello. But that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll have the same eating experience after you do so.
The cold temperature won’t solidify the dessert as if it were frozen water because of the gelatin structure. Even more so, the jello’s texture will be lost when it’s in the freezer.
Here’s what’s going on. The gelatin is bonded together by polymers and colloids. These things get damaged by the by the freezing. The water becomes crystallized when frozen, and that’s what causes the bonds to break, and the damage wouldn’t be repairable. Because of that, upon thawing, the jello will break down. Keep in mind that the physical appearance may not be so nice to look at, but it seems that the freezing does not affect the taste.
The same can be expected to happen to jello with alcohol. Jello shots are popular among people during parties. So, now that you know that, keep your Beer Glass away from your jello.
Alcohol does not freeze at the same temperature as water. While water freezes at 0°C, alcohol does so at -97°C. The issue here is that most freezers have a temperature of about -20°C. So, don’t expect jello shots to be entirely frozen. As we’ve said before, maybe the taste will remain the same, but the taste and the feeling won’t be so appealing.
How Should Jello Be Stored?
If we’re talking about the dry mix jello, prepared or packaged jello, then it should be placed in a low temperature and low humidity. Make sure it’s a place with no temperature fluctuations. Cover the prepared jello in any kind of wrap to keep it from coming in contact with moisture or air. Those are bad.
A fluctuation in temperature will change the physical state of water inside the jello and lead to the formation of liquid and air pockets within the package. That makes it favorable for mold to form. You don’t need to keep prepared jello in the fridge, even though it is recommended. But if you purchased the package from the refrigerator in the store, then you probably would want to stick with the fridge. Otherwise, and f you haven’t opened it yet, there’s no need.
As for homemade jello, put it in a tightly-sealed Food Storage Container and place it immediately in the fridge upon usage to make sure it lasts as long as possible. When serving, it’s advised that you use clean tools and Kitchen Gadgets for Healthy Cooking and to reduce the risk of spoilage to a minimum.
Try to maintain a temperature of less than 23°C if you’re planning to use a cupboard to store unopened jello cups. Heat and moisture are your worst enemy so stay away from those. The same goes for dry jello mix: Keep it tightly sealed, no humidity, light or heat if you’re storing it at room temperature.
If we were to add anything else, you should generally just care for the environment by reducing waste, eat healthier foods and try decreasing food expenses. And to wrap things up, if we were to give advice on the matter, you probably shouldn’t freeze jello as it doesn’t remain the same physically. If you want something that can stay frozen and not deteriorate, think about getting yourself some jello pudding pops as they’re sold in a frozen state.
In Conclusion
So the answer is that you can freeze jello if that’s what you want to do, but it won’t help much with anything. It’ll make it look and feel worse. Your best bet is keeping it in the fridge and trying to consume it in no more than a week.
While you’re here, be sure to check out our kitchen product reviews!
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