“Jelly and custard again, nana?” Jello is a staple dessert of the Seebregts family, to the point that it’s become a running joke. Of course, that doesn’t stop us from chowing down; why should it? This is especially true with fruity-flavored jello. Well, haven’t you ever wondered if you could dehydrate jello?
Yes, you can dehydrate Jello with a dehydrator or freeze dryer. A dehydrator is probably the only one yo’ll end up using at home, simply for the fact that freeze dryer machines are pretty expensive.
Jiggly Gelatin
Jello (or Jell-o, or gelatin dessert) is commonly available in a powdered form which you mix with water and chill until it’s solid. One of the key ingredients is gelatin, which is what gives this treat its jiggly texture.
Gelatin is commonly derived by hydrolyzing the collagen found in animal tissues (pig skin, cow hides, and the bones of various animals). You can find it in some gummy candies (i.e. gummy bears, jelly babies), marshmallows, ice creams, yogurt, cream cheese, etc.
Gelatin is used as a thickener to give food a nice texture and to clarify various juices. It’s also used as a fining agent in wines (to reduce the amount of tannins and other phenolic compounds that they have).
Freeze Dryer
If you want to have a crunchier jello treat, then you can put it into a pre-cooled freeze dryer. Once you’ve cranked it up a bit, you wait at least 20 hours and then check if it’s crunchy enough for you.
Dehydrator
Dehydrators are your go-to option for doing this. It’s quite simple, you place the pieces of jello on a fruit leather sheet on the rack in the dehydrator and turn it on – keeping the temperature at the lowest setting possible.
You then keep an eye on the jello while it dehydrates. Ideally, it should have a leathery texture when it’s done. You need to do this because otherwise, it could end up becoming rock hard – which won’t be very tasty.
Storing Dehydrated Jello
Now that we’ve talked about dehydrating jello, how do you store it? Dehydrated jello should be stored at room temperature, ideally in an airtight container and in a cool, dry place away from moisture and sunlight.
Shelf Life
The shelf life of Jell-o will vary depending on the storage environment – the cooler and drier it is the better. Opened, refrigerated gelatin dessert will only last for about 3 or 4 days in the fridge.
But store-bought jello powder has a shelf-life of at least a year – although we’ve had jello in our pantry for several years before eating it. If the package is one, it should last for a few months. Dehydrated jello will have a variable shelf life depending on what you dehydrate it into. If, for example, you dry jello into something like fruit leather, it’ll last around a month or so.
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Greg is a South African farmer and homesteader who’s been around animals ever since he can remember. He’s also an avid camper and hiker.
Have you tried dehydrating through the oven?
Once the jello is dehydrated can it be left out of the fridge ? If so, what is the shelf life?