Grandma's Lime Green Jello Salad Recipe (with Cottage Cheese & Pineapple) (2024)

FAQs

Why was Jello salad a failed product? ›

The problem was, the new processed substitutes couldn't be sold on taste alone, as Shapiro makes clear in her book Something From the Oven: They just weren't as good as the real thing. But American palates had been adjusting to industrial flavors for the entire 20th century.

Bromolain in pineapple, papain in papaya and actinidin in kiwi are all enzymes capable of breaking down proteins, hence the warning that these fruits cannot be used in Jell-O. But canned fruits are fine because the pasteurization process they undergo destroys the proteolytic enzymes.

Jello salad fell out of fashion in the 1960s and 70s. The rise of Julia Child and the popularization of French cooking in the United States made the jello salad appear less elegant, and dieting trends eventually turned against sugary food like Jell-O.

There are a few reasons: Jell-O is easy to swallow and digest, making it suitable for patients who have difficulty eating solid foods or have digestive issues. It's smooth texture and mild flavor make it more tolerable for those with sensitive stomachs or who are recovering from surgery.

Some fresh fruits prevent Jell-O and other types of gelatin from gelling. These are fruits that contain high levels of proteases. Proteases are enzymes that break chemical bonds in proteins, such as collagen in gelatin. Pineapple, kiwi, papaya, mango, and guava are examples of fruits that cause a problem.

Fresh pineapple prevents gelatin from setting up because it contains a protease called bromelain that digests the links formed between collagen molecules that make the liquid turn into a gel. Canned pineapple doesn't have the same effect because heat from canning inactivates bromelain.

Some people are allergic to pineapple, which can cause a rash, hives, or breathing difficulties. Avoid pineapple juice if you experience these symptoms when eating pineapple. High amounts of vitamin C can cause nausea, diarrhea, or heartburn.

Your Jell-O dessert will look gorgeous if you choose types of fruit that have different colors, like green grapes, raspberries, and banana slices. Avoid fresh pineapple, kiwi, mango, ginger root, papaya, figs or guava.

Utah residents also eat twice as much lime Jell-O as anyone else on the planet. Locals attribute their high Jell-O consumption to the large population of teetotaling Mormons and their compensating love of sweets.

What ruins Jell-O? ›

If you like making gelatin for dessert, the box often recommends not adding certain kinds of fruit, including pineapple, kiwi, mango, ginger root, papaya, figs or guava. People have a hard time getting the gelatin to solidify when they add these fruits.

Jell-O shifted to single-serve cups and more convenient options as competition for snacks and desserts grew. Kraft in the early 2000's shifted the focus of Jell-O's advertising away from kids and toward adults. It pitched sugar-free Jell-O, for example, as a treat for Atkins dieters.

Jelly contains gelatine which sets the jelly when added to hot water. Gelatine is derived from the protein collagen. The enzyme in fresh* pineapple, bromelin, breaks down collagen and this prevents the jelly from setting.

However, what got lost in the media attention was the fact that the Utahns' apparent love of Jell-O was less a reflection of the values of Mormon subculture than of the ascendance of processed foods—a process that had been taking place nationwide since the beginning of the 20^th century.

Kraft in the early 2000's shifted the focus of Jell-O's advertising away from kids and toward adults. It pitched sugar-free Jell-O, for example, as a treat for Atkins dieters. But as the Atkins diet slipped in popularity, it took Jell-O down with it.

After World War II, when food shortages and rationing ended, gelatin became a creative kitchen tool, as well as a shortcut. Congealed molded dishes quickly earned a place at the table as impressive salads. According to Clark, mid-century meals had more courses than we serve at home today.

Soldiers came back from the war with a newly acquired taste for their products, and women were integrating the workplace in droves. Cheap and quick to prepare, products offered by companies like Heinz, Jell-O and Hi-Liner were perfectly adapted to this new reality.