Jell-O Salad Recipes | Taste of Home (2024)

FAQs

What happened to Jello salads? ›

Jell-O even introduced savory flavors, like celery, mixed vegetable, and "Italian salad," during the 1960s. By the mid-1970s, though, their popularity had declined so much that they were pulled from shelves.

Dissolve red jello in 1 cup boiling water and stir in half the can of pineapple and all of the can of whole berry cranberry sauce. Spread in bottom of 9x13 glass dish and chill until partially set. Combine sour cream and cream cheese and spread over red jello layer.

Jello salads are a common feature of US communal meals such as potlucks, most probably because they are inexpensive and easy to prepare. The salad has a strong regional presence in Utah and surrounding states (the Mormon Corridor), especially among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Fresh fruits like strawberries, blueberries, bananas, kiwis, or peaches are great additions. Other fruits have enzymes in them that make them unsuitable for adding to jello.

Bromolain in pineapple, papain in papaya and actinidin in kiwi are all enzymes capable of breaking down proteins, hence the warning that these fruits cannot be used in Jell-O. But canned fruits are fine because the pasteurization process they undergo destroys the proteolytic enzymes.

A lack of nutritional value does not stop other products from being popular, but the fact that Jell-O is regularly marketed toward children as a snack food rather than as a dessert means that some parents choose to stick with healthier options.

Pineapple, kiwi, papaya, mango, and guava are examples of fruits that cause a problem. Heat inactivates proteases, so cooking fruit before adding it to gelatin prevents any issue.

The enzymes in bromelain are inactivated once they have been heated to about 158° F (70° Celsius), so while fresh pineapple prevents Jell-O from gelling, gelatin made using canned pineapple (which was heated during the canning process) won't ruin the dessert.

Why do hospitals serve so much Jell-O? There are a few reasons: Jell-O is easy to swallow and digest, making it suitable for patients who have difficulty eating solid foods or have digestive issues.

Jello has 3 main ingredients: water, sugar, and protein (in the form of gelatin). As such, it hydrates you, is easy to digest, and gives your body energy and resources for healing. Jello is being used in some nursing homes as a way to hydrate patients who may have trouble drinking liquid water.

Why did people in the 50s eat so much Jell-O? ›

After World War II, when food shortages and rationing ended, gelatin became a creative kitchen tool, as well as a shortcut. Congealed molded dishes quickly earned a place at the table as impressive salads. According to Clark, mid-century meals had more courses than we serve at home today.

If you like making gelatin for dessert, the box often recommends not adding certain kinds of fruit, including pineapple, kiwi, mango, ginger root, papaya, figs or guava. People have a hard time getting the gelatin to solidify when they add these fruits.

(Until alomost set). Drain whatever kind of canned, or fresh fruit you have and just stir it around until it is all through the jello mixture. (It should be set enough not to sink to the bottom).

The first popular Jell-O salad was Perfection Salad, invented in 1904 by Mrs. John E. Cook of Pennsylvania (via Recipe Curio). While Mrs.

Why do hospitals serve so much Jell-O? There are a few reasons: Jell-O is easy to swallow and digest, making it suitable for patients who have difficulty eating solid foods or have digestive issues.

“Jell-O salads first became popular in the 1930s but reached their highest expression as part of the processed food school of cooking that sprang up after the war,” said Wyman. This was an era of packaged foods and TV dinners, and it was the golden age of gelatin desserts.

Jell-O 1-2-3 was a Jell-O gelatin product introduced in 1969 and discontinued in 1996. The product was one 4.3 ounce (121 g) powdered mix that, when properly prepared, separated and solidified into three distinct layers: a creamy top, a mousse-like middle, and regular Jell-O bottom.