Gelatin experts: What say you?

[MarkIsCooking]

I made a mushroom terrine and there's something about the temp that I'm not loving (i.e. cold out of the refrigerator). I assume the gelatin would still hold just fine at room temp. Would it? Would any warming at all result in the whole thing coming apart?

Suggestions?

-mark-

Edited May 19, 2007 by MarkIsCooking (log)

[annecros]

It would depend upon how you prepared it. I think that Agar remains firm at room temp, if I am remembering correctly.

[LB Howes]

Agar has a different texture, and one needs to consider how that would affect the dish.

[MarkIsCooking]

The dish is already done and made with gelatin. I'm going to try for room temp and we'll see what happens.

[mkayahara]

Per Harold McGee, the melting point of gelatin is around 100F/40C, so you should be fine at room temperature. In theory, the stability of your terrine will also depend in part on the gelatin concentration and how you cooled it (i.e., it's more stable if you let it set slowly at room temperature and then put it in the fridge, rather than chilling it rapidly in the fridge).

In any case, there's only one way to find out! And it's probably worth it, if you're not happy with the flavour of it cold.

I'm curious to know from others, though: are there any food safety issues with storing gelatin at room temperature? It strikes me as the sort of thing bacteria would love!

[CalumC]

When gelatin sets, it is basically a jelly, or at least has that same texture. When using things like Agar, which i prefer, you get a more bitty texture, it can be peculiar at first, but has the benefit of withstanding temperatures up to around 80 degrees C or so, as i remember it.

One idea is to use a combination or agar and gelatine, which is something that Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham do with one of their recipes (Langoustine jelly, goes with some langoustine tails and something else, can't remember of the top of my head). The agar allows it to be heated up to a high temperature, and gives a very agreeable mouth coating feeling with the heat. The gelatin gives the jelly like texture, which some people prefer.

Basically, the gelatin will be fine at room temperature, it won't melt or anything. But you have the option of using agar instead, which would mean you can heat up the terrine, which may be a nice thing to have. Never seen it done before.