Gelatin Gels

Gelatin is what makes a chilled stock set to jelly — collagen dissolved by heat, cooled into a three-dimensional protein network that traps water. It is the only common food gel that melts at body temperature, which gives gelatin-based preparations their characteristic melt-in-the-mouth quality. Carbohydrate gelling agents (agar, carrageenan, alginate, gellan) produce gels with entirely different textures and melting points, each suited to different culinary purposes.

Gelatin formation

The path from collagen to gel has three stages: