Similar to our previously mentioned foams, the gels we made today are a type of colloid. They occur when a solid is dispersed within a liquid. We used gelatin as our basic gelling agent, a tricky convenience because gelatin is lyophilic. This means it can be made easily by simply warming the substances, so we could use the same base and ingredients to make multiple different types of gels. Adding differing amounts of gelatin was what allowed us to make different textured gels- candy-like gummies, jelly, and a jell-o somewhere in between the two.
We began by making a fruit base as the flavoring for our gels. We blended up some berries, sugar, juice, and corn syrup to make a deliciously sweet concoction.
We then separated the syrupy flavoring into three 1/3 cup measures, one for each type of gel we intended to make. Each was heated to a boil, at which point the corresponding amount of gelatin was added. Incidentally, the gelatin had to be sprinkled evenly over the hot liquid to avoid clumps of unflavored gelatin granules in the final product.
A brief explanation of what happened at this point of the cooking process: The gelatin began at room temperature, organized into a structure by intermolecular forces. Upon heating, these forces were broken, allowing the gelatin to take in the water molecules. As the gels cooled, the intermolecular forces were reinstated, but this time with the water molecules interspersed evenly.
We let the gels cool until they had reached room temperature, and the consistency we were searching for. In the end, we had fruit gummies, fruit jelly, and real fruit jell-o. So many gels, so little time...
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