The CookingBites recipe challenge: gelatine (or plant based alternative)

Well, I guess I will have to dig into Mom's old recipe file (complete on hand written index cards as befits the pre-computer era) and see what I can dig up.

Meanwhile I can also post the head cheese recipe I made a few years back; checking first to make sure I have not already put it on the site.

I will note one of her old recipes I really really liked. If I can find it in the parental box, I'm making it. There was also a tomato aspic which was decent enough.

But I refuse to buy food colorings that I know went into some of these - I still have the color set Mom gave me 40 years ago - I wouldn't consume them after this amount of time (I never did, frankly), but they've been handy over the years for various non-edible projects.... (Halloween costume paraphernalia, photography shoots...)
 
Mountain Cat said:
Well, I guess I will have to dig into Mom's old recipe file (complete on hand written index cards as befits the pre-computer era) and see what I can dig up.

Meanwhile I can also post the head cheese recipe I made a few years back; checking first to make sure I have not already put it on the site.

I will note one of her old recipes I really really liked. If I can find it in the parental box, I'm making it. There was also a tomato aspic which was decent enough.
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Wow, that's wonderful you still have those. My mom's recipe file with index cards disappeared when she passed away. She wasn't a great cook but she did have a few recipes, and I imagine that there were some really cool retro recipes in there I had never seen or tasted before. Just a cool part of history.

I and two of my older siblings (neither of whom can cook) cleaned out her house after she died and they were throwing things away left and right. I imagine that her recipes went into the trash bin 😣
 
Curious, what are some wholly-plant or vegan options for gelatine? (I absolutely refuse to use that term "plant based" as it totally disregards the meaning of the term, "based". Personal decision, but there you have it. And yes, years and years ago I lost the battle over the term "organic", which after taking Organic Chemistry in college presented an entirely different meaning to that adjective... And still fighting the good fight about "chemicals" in our food... gawds, I certainly HOPE so!)
 
Mountain Cat said:
Curious, what are some wholly-plant or vegan options for gelatine? (I absolutely refuse to use that term "plant based" as it totally disregards the meaning of the term, "based". Personal decision, but there you have it. And yes, years and years ago I lost the battle over the term "organic", which after taking Organic Chemistry in college presented an entirely different meaning to that adjective... And still fighting the good fight about "chemicals" in our food... gawds, I certainly HOPE so!)
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I am not sure if it qualifies as a gelatin, but I know that tapioca starch is used as a thickener. So maybe it's things like that.
 
Morning Glory said:
I like the idea of that.
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Hoping that recipe is in there!

JAS_OH1 said:
Wow, that's wonderful you still have those. My mom's recipe file with index cards disappeared when she passed away. She wasn't a great cook but she did have a few recipes, and I imagine that there were some really cool retro recipes in there I had never seen or tasted before. Just a cool part of history.

I and two of my older siblings (neither of whom can cook) cleaned out her house after she died and they were throwing things away left and right. I imagine that her recipes went into the trash bin 😣
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I had lost the box (and even forgot I had it) but found it when cleaning up and tossing trash to come move to where I am now. It is a treasure of recipes. I've started transcribing some I liked onto computer, but need to do more of that.
 
Mountain Cat said:
Curious, what are some wholly-plant or vegan options for gelatine? (I absolutely refuse to use that term "plant based" as it totally disregards the meaning of the term, "based"
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Not sure what you mean by it disregarding the meaning of the term 'based'.

But I did add offer alternatives in the top post. Carrageen, agar agar and mung bean powder are common plant alternatives.
 
It just occurred to me that American style pudding might require gelatin (vegan or not) to thicken them? So even though I don't like gelatine, maybe a pudding would be allowed? I don't know what they might call this in the UK...

American style pudding (vanilla):
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JAS_OH1 said:
It just occurred to me that American style pudding might require gelatin (vegan or not) to thicken them? So even though I don't like gelatine, maybe a pudding would be allowed?
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If it has gelatin (or one of the non-animal alternatives), it's allowed.

I do have a packet of Jell-O pistachio pudding in my cupboard, and I have absolutely no idea how it go there, so I was intrigued by that, but the ingredients list didn't show any gelatin. I think if it says "Jell-O" on the box, it should have gelatin in it! Otherwise, just call it Pud-O. :laugh:
 
TastyReuben said:
If it has gelatin (or one of the non-animal alternatives), it's allowed.

I do have a packet of Jell-O pistachio pudding in my cupboard, and I have absolutely no idea how it go there, so I was intrigued by that, but the ingredients list didn't show any gelatin. I think if it says "Jell-O" on the box, it should have gelatin in it! Otherwise, just call it Pud-O. :laugh:
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I read this (not sure if it is true or not):
Is Jello brand chocolate pudding vegan?
Is Pudding Vegetarian friendly?
Not only is pudding vegan, but Jell-O has also made pie vegan. … Vegan flavors are: Vanilla, Chocolate, Chocolate Fudge, French Vanilla, Banana Cream, Butterscotch, Cheesecake, Coconut Cream, Devil’s Food, Lemon, Oreo Cookies ‘n Creme, Pistachio, Pumpkin Spice, and White Chocolate.

I am afraid that the only thickeners I have on hand are tapioca starch and xanthum gum (and cornstarch). I have made puddings using those before. I have no carageen or agar agar...

I don't want to make anything that comes out of a box.
 
Morning Glory said:
Not sure what you mean by it disregarding the meaning of the term 'based'.

But I did add offer alternatives in the top post. Carrageen, agar agar and mung bean powder are common plant alternatives.
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Thanks - I missed that but will look into the carageenan, agar agar and mung bean powder. Actually, agar has long been used for a substrate in microbiology labs, and it does have that gelatine texture. Carageenan can do a similiar behavior. Mung bean powder? Hmmm, will have to investigate!

Well, keeping it in the food realm, if I have a tomato-based pasta sauce, it will have other things besides tomatoes in it. The tomato is the BASE, not the entirety.

The base of the old US food pyramid was grains (good or bad, the gov't didn't care). But there were other foods in that pyramid.

Yeah, I know this old dog (cat?) is railing against futility, and the Borg may assimilate me. As the descriptor "organic" since has. But not going down without alternatives.
 
JAS_OH1 said:
It just occurred to me that American style pudding might require gelatin (vegan or not) to thicken them? So even though I don't like gelatine, maybe a pudding would be allowed? I don't know what they might call this in the UK...
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A pudding to us in anything served as dessert. But that is the generic word. The old school meaning of a pudding involves steamed sponges. The photo looks like a set cream dessert. There are many names for such desserts/puddings in the UK. Of course its allowed! Anything with gelatine, carrageen, agar agar etc. is allowed.

Mountain Cat said:
Well, keeping it in the food realm, if I have a tomato-based pasta sauce, it will have other things besides tomatoes in it. The tomato is the BASE, not the entirety.
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I get that. In my defence, I used the term 'plant based' because its currently used in the media regarding vegan/vegetarian food and we need as a forum, to be using the terms which search engines will pick up on. Maybe its not the same in the US, but here, 'plant based' cuisine is big. There are supermarket sections devoted to it and meal kit deliveries too. I could have said vegan/vegetarian instead.
 
Speaking of retro...I think I posted this one on this site already. Retro Asian. Another from Charmaine Solomon's "The Complete Asian Cookbook". Translated from Burmese it was "seaweed jelly"....but the only seaweed was the agar agar used to set the sweetened coconut milk. Will try and find something different to use up the remaining agar agar which was quite expensive ( had to source it from a health supply shop).

80547
 
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