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I rarely eat the stuff (and when I do, it is not "Jell-o" brand, but a kosher variety called "Ko-jel"). The only time I feel like eating it is if I have a sore throat.
What am I missing? What do you put in your jello that makes it such a treat?
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I'm with you, Tante. I only eat it when I'm sick, and even then, only if there aren't any other choices.
I used to eat it occasionally, and then I had the misfortunate of having an unhappy gallbladder, and while I waited for surgery (6 month waiting list), I had to go on a no-fat diet, and that included only applesauce and jello for the last month or two or so. And I still had gallbladder attacks.
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Fruit! Or that strange milky layer that I always see at parties but can never recreate at home.
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quote:Originally posted by Synesthesia: Does kosher jello have konnyaku in it?
Konnyaku? Don't know what that is. Kojel is made of agar, sugar, color and flavor. Except the diet version, which is artificially sweetened. Or the plain, which has nothing but the agar. There are kashrut problems with gelatin, since it is made out of animal, um, parts. Agar is made out of a kind of seaweed, and is totally vegetarian. Some vegan types who wouldn't touch Jell-o eat Kojel.
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Facinating. Konnyaku is this Japanese jam that is supposed to be extremely good for people, but jelly made out of it is banned here which is very depressing.
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quote: Konnyaku is this Japanese jam that is supposed to be extremely good for people
Except of course when they die of choking on it.
Tante, you do know there is now (has been for a number of years) kosher gelatin, neh? Including kosher "jello" made with actual gelatin. While it's still not my favorite dessert, it is SO much better than the agar stuff! And it's far more useful for cooking (especially the unflavored that Telma sells).
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Is that the one made from fish? I don't love jelly desserts enough to have pursued that. But if someone here could tempt me with a good suggestion, I might give it a try.
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Yup. There are lots of gelatin-containing desserts that are not jelly-like. Many mousses, for instance. I have recipes . . . somewhere . . .
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Kosher jello is awful, Esther. It never gels enough. But there are some things you can do to improve it.
One is to take cherry jello and get a can of pitted black cherries and dump them in. Use the juice from the can as part of the water.
Or put canned mandarin oranges in orange jello.
But my absolute favorite, and I have to admit that I haven't tried it with kosher jello, but my Mom used to make it when I was a kid, is to take lemon jello (or whatever flavor you like) and beat in cool whip or Rich's whip. You get this frothy mousse-like result that you can put in a jello mold or just a bowl. It is absoutely amazing.
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Not even with clotted baby's blood, porter? I think it's *delicious* that way, and I'm not even Mormon!
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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My mom, who is a Ko-jel master, makes these layered things where each layer is a different color. She'll put fruit in a bunch of the layers (if you are going to use pineapple, you need to cook it first).
I think to get that creamy layer on top, you need to put ice cream in.
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Honestly, a current favorite of mine is jello with pears, cream cheese, and coolwhip.
I usually enjoy jello, but I chalk that up to my childishness rather than my Mormonism. After all, I am the girl who chose to have a bubble-gum ice cream sundae with marshmallow sauce.
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Do any of you frummies know of a way to stiffen up kosher jello? And can you make Rice Krispy cookies with Fluff?
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They make a Kosher Jello? I didn't even know normal Jello wasn't Kosher. I must be missing out on something.
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My mom makes this cream cheese Jello mold thingy. I'll have to ask her for the recipe as it's REALLY REALLY GOOD.
I made Jello cake for Christmas! I loooooooooove Jello cake. Bake a white cake mix following directions on package, and cool. Stab it with a fork a couple dozen times. Dissolve a packet of Jello in one cup boiling water, and pour over cake. Stick in fridge until set, and top it with Cool Whip. YUM! We do a two-layer cake: one layer with Cherry, and one with Lime. It freezes very well.
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One of my friends once made a three-layer Jello mold. It didn't taste very tasty. I think he had Cherry, Lime, and Orange. But it got all mixed up.
Posts: 6026 | Registered: Dec 2004
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Jello can be... cold and slimy and makes me think of the hospital. I haven't had kosher jello before, but would like to use unflavoured if I ever make chocolate mousse.
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Has anyone ever had the Kool-Aid that they have at Lutheran churches? The little old ladies usually make it. And it always tastes like Cherry Jello.
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I've never heard of this Jello drinking when sick. Mayhaps I should try this next time I'm sick. What is it alleged that this Jello will do?
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I love the jello cake like xnera described, especially in the summer time. It's cold and light and tasty. It's fun to experiment with different cake/jello flavor combinations.
I rarely eat straight jello. I like adding fruit - oranges, crushed pinapple, etc. or applesauce (makes for a weird grainy texture that I think is neat).
If I'm going to eat jello without adding anything to it, I like to beat it in my mixer until it is a foam. I think it's the "heaviness" of jello that bugs me, so I like the lighter foamy version.
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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I have a friend at work who is an observant Muslim. He keeps Hallal, so when he brings munchies in to eat, they're almost always kosher.
The other day, I was by his cubicle, and he had this large tub of Planters dry roasted peanuts, which is probably one of my favorite foods in the world. He motioned for me to take, and I said I couldn't, so naturally, he asked me why. I had to explain that Planters uses gelatin to fix the spices on the peanuts, which is why they don't have the usual OU (a U in a circle) certification. They put a K on the package anyway, which I find upsetting and a little dishonest, but that doesn't make it kosher.
He had to stop eating them as well, because he's also not allowed to eat the bones of potentially unacceptable animals. I felt kinda bad about it, but he thanked me for letting him know.
Apparently, the only kosher dry roasted peanuts out there are Fisher's, and unless my memory has completely deceived me, they just aren't the same.
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Drinking hot jello when you're sick can sooth your throat, because of the high sugar content. If there's another reason, I don't know it.
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Lisa, buy kosher gelatin -- there are at least three brands, which get their gelatin from the one of two sources: the Kolatin plant, in Mexico, which is under Lakewood supervision; and gelatin made from fish skins, which has various sources.
Rice crispy treats made with marshmallow fluff come out just as well as those made with marshmallows -- I like to melt in a handful of chocolate chips with the fluff and margarine.
Also, many Planters products have the O-K again, and have for a number of years. Others have the O-U, including many of the plain nut varieties. But not all.
There are also quite a number of other brands of kosher dry-roasted peanuts. Including a number of store brands (which likely all have the same source).
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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"Drinking hot jello when you're sick can sooth your throat, because of the high sugar content. If there's another reason, I don't know it."
We used to take it when we went backpacking in winter. I was twelve. It tasted soooo good. Then again, so did sardines. many things taste good in the woods that do not taste good at home, or when you are 42.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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I'm with Porter. Jello is gross, with or without additions. I don't have any objection to using it as an ingredient in something else, but by itself...yuck.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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Strawberry jello is, as far as I'm concerned, one of the proofs of the existence of God.
Around here, we sometimes make a jello salad with strawberry jello, crushed pineapple or pineapple chunks*, and sour cream. You jell half the jello with the pineapple in it in the bottom of a 9 x 13 in. pan. When that has set, you spread a layer of sour cream on that, then put the other half of the jello (with no fruit in it) on top of that and let it set. It's sooooo good.
*Traditionally, this is made with fruit cocktail, but since I became allergic to both the grapes and the peaches in the fruit cocktail, we've taken to making it with pineapple instead. I like it with the pineapple only better than I ever did with the fruit cocktail, when I used to be able to eat that.
EDIT: for spelling.
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I know not of any special medical properties of hot jello for the ill. It just reminds me of my childhood.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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Around here, we sometimes make a jello salad with strawberry jello, crushed pineapple or pineapple chunks*, and sour cream. You jell half the jello with the pineapple in it in the bottom of a 9 x 13 in. pan. When that has set, you spread a layer of sour cream on that, then put the other half of the jello (with no fruit in it) on top of that and let it set. It's sooooo good.
OHhhhh, I've seen that done with mangoes and a crust on the bottom of the pan and it is SO so Soooo good!!!
Posts: 308 | Registered: Sep 2005
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Gnome jello wrestling.... now THAT'S a vivid picture.
I was at a catered workshop once that served champagne jello. It was wonderful. I found a recipe for it but I haven't tried it yet so I can't vouch for how tasty this particular one is but it sounds pretty good. Recipe
I guess you could substitute anything sparkling and non-alcoholic for the non-drinkers out there.
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