What is sheet gelatin? Product use and description

Those who like to spend their free time preparing different dishes, of course, know what sheet gelatin is. This product is often used in cooking.

Detailed description

If you use a literal translation from Latin, then the word "gelatin" sounds like "frozen." This definition expresses the essence of the product itself. Connecting to any liquid medium, it gradually changes its aggregate state. After a while, the mixture becomes solid, while remaining quite plastic. In the sale of such a substance comes in the form of small granules, but there is also sheet gelatin.

On the shelves of stores it can be found in the form of a set of plates, each of which is packed in a separate film. Few people know that sheet gelatin has a rather complex chemical composition. In addition to useful minerals (calcium, zinc, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, copper, phosphorus and manganese), it contains many different vitamins (PP, C, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9 and E). In addition, gelatin is rich in collagen, which is so necessary for a person to strengthen bone tissue and joints. It is important to eat it not only for young children during the formation of the body, but also for adults as a guarantor of strength. Leaf gelatin is also rich in amino acids. The main one is glycine. This substance is a kind of energy source and induces an active life. And proline and hydroxyproline help to cope with the deposition of salts and restore the bones after fractures.

Application area

Having dealt with the composition, it is necessary to understand where sheet gelatin is used. How to use this substance for cooking?

Basically, it is an obligatory component in the recipe of various desserts (jellies, puddings), as well as cold meat and vegetable snacks. When you mention this product in memory immediately pops up familiar to everyone since childhood jelly or, as it is called, a cold. By the way, very few people know that this dish is considered useful at the expense of gelatin. After all, meat is a storehouse of protein, and it contains very few useful amino acids. With the help of this gelatinous additive, it is possible to fill the missing quantity. The dish immediately becomes a real life energy accumulator. Sometimes boiled meat or fish is simply poured with a layer of gelatin. It looks very impressive and in addition it turns out quite tasty. In the confectionery industry, the gelling agent is used to prepare various creams, yoghurts, mousses and candied fruits. A useful ingredient not only changes their consistency, but is also a good food additive.

Finished product

Experienced cooks and housewives are well acquainted with gelatine sheet Ewald. It can often be found in stores in packages of a very different weight.

The product is produced by the well-known company Ewald-Gelatine GMBH from Germany. It looks like thin wafer sheets, which in the box can be from 10 to 200 pieces. A distinctive feature is that it practically does not have any taste or smell. It is very convenient and does not limit its scope. The technological process of production of a sheet product is not particularly complicated. Prepared in advance, the liquid mass is formed in the form of thin plates, and then dried them in such a way that the mass of one article becomes equal to about 5 grams. Each unit is wrapped in a food film and placed in a cardboard box. After that, it can be safely stored in a dry room for up to three years. Such gelatin is very convenient to use, which determines its customer demand.

Preliminary preparation

To start the process of working on any dish, the product must first be prepared. For this you need to know how to grow sheet gelatin. Doing this is not difficult.

The procedure is fairly simple and takes quite a bit of time:

1. The plate needs to be removed from the package, separated from the film, and then laid on the bottom of clean dishes and pour necessarily with cold water. After about 5 minutes, the sheet will become more transparent and elastic.
2. After that, the product must be wrung out, removing excess moisture, and then transfer it into a pot of boiling water. The container should be put on a small fire. There, with constant stirring, the substance must dissolve, changing the viscosity of the liquid.
3. Now the finished composition must first be slightly cooled, bringing the temperature to 45 degrees. After that, it can be mixed with the main product. After spending some time in the fridge, the dish will look like jelly.

Sometimes another option is used. With it, the dissolved hot gelatin is separately poured into the mold. Then, after waiting for its full hardening, carefully with a knife, separate it from the dishes and lay out on the surface of the ready-made dish. More often this option is used in the confectionery industry.

Cooking method

To have a complete picture of the product, you need to know how to make sheet gelatin. The photo gives only a general picture of the finished product. The raw material for its production is the case of tendons and cartilage left after the cutting of carcasses. First they are well washed, and then subjected to a long heat treatment. Within a few hours, the fibers are boiled in large amounts of water. The result is a clear and slightly viscous liquid. After that, it is given a certain shape in the form of plates, and then dried to a relative humidity of less than 15 percent. Such sheets can be used both as an ingredient for the main mixture, and as a semi-finished product. For example, a cake or other dessert should be decorated with green leaves or make butterfly wings. It is not difficult to make them out of gelatin. For this you need:

1. First hold the plate in cold water.
2. Then, when it swells, use a special shape to print a pattern on the surface.
3. After this, apply a brush with food paint.
4. Cut the products with ordinary scissors.

Decorated with such details, the dessert will look very nice, appetizing and natural.