Sunday, July 8, 2012

Jello Molds

Yesterday Kristin, Elizabeth, and I went estate saling. Over the course of four hours, we managed to hit six estate sales, two antique marts, and IHOP, but we all came away somewhat empty handed because most of the good stuff had been picked over by the Friday shoppers.

I did pick up some vintage Jello molds, though, little aluminum ones that are about a half cup each. When I got home, I put them in the dishwasher and then fell into a sleepytime coma on the couch for a few hours, and then this morning I made Jello:

antique jello molds

Online, there were several tips on how to prep the molds to get Jello out of them without breaking when you unmolded it. I decided right away to skip running a knife around the inside edge of the mold, because those molds have fluted edges and I assumed that I would just slice the Jello to hell. I'm well aware of my own lacking knife skills.

Another tip said to spray the insides with cooking spray, tap out the extra, and then pour the Jello in. After it set, according the the internet, the Jello would "slide right out" when you inverted the mold and tapped it a little. This didn't happen. Or, more accurately, the spraying part happened, but it didn't work.

I tapped, and the Jello stayed put.

Given the failure of method number two and my lack of desire to try method number one, I opted to try the third method: Dipping the mold in hot water for "a few seconds" and then inverting it. When doing this, you have to be careful not to dip the mold in too far, or water will get into your Jello, but other than that, it seemed pretty easy, so I dipped:

warm water

and then inverted:

too warm

I dipped for too long, and my Jello got too hot and started melting. I ate the results, rinsed the plate, and tried again:

just right

Perfect!

From now on, all Jello in this household will be served in tiny molds.

2 comments:

Jeannie said...

You know, I realize it is not a popular thing to say, but I LOVE jello. I always have. I am therefore extremely excited about your molds. Please bring them to our next cookout!

Marcheline said...

I'm a Jell-O snob. I love the stuff, but I can't stand when people put things in it. I want my Jell-O unsullied by random floating bits of fruit and other pollutants. The only addition I enjoy is a dollop of whipped cream on the top - and even that is only sometimes. For me, it's all about the mouth feel. Jiggly, smooth, wonderful.