Retro Jello Recipes That Are Actually Delicious and You Need to Try Today (2024)

FAQs

Why did people eat so much Jell-O? ›

It was economical: A housewife could stretch her family's leftovers by encasing them in gelatin. And, since sugar was already included in the flavored mixes, the new packaged gelatins didn't require cooks to use up their household stores of sugar.

Jello salads were popular in the 1960s and are now considered retro.

“Gelatin was very easy to prepare by mid-century cooking standards, and storing foods suspended within gelatin helped those foods stay fresh longer,” explains Ruth Clark, author and blogger at Mid Century Menu.

Two, molds were so popular, and featured in so many cookbooks, that many home cooks simply accepted that they were a desirable thing to make. They also were relatively fun to prepare, and were an inexpensive way to make a main dish by using primarily canned goods and leftovers.

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.

Jello has 3 main ingredients: water, sugar, and protein (in the form of gelatin). As such, it hydrates you, is easy to digest, and gives your body energy and resources for healing. Jello is being used in some nursing homes as a way to hydrate patients who may have trouble drinking liquid water.

The original gelatin dessert began in Le Roy, New York, in 1897, when Pearle Bixby Wait trademarked the name Jell-O. He and his wife May had made the product by adding strawberry, raspberry, orange, and lemon flavoring to sugar and granulated gelatin (which had been patented in 1845).

1897 – The original four Jell-O gelatin flavors were raspberry, strawberry, lemon, and orange. 1904 – Cherry and chocolate flavors are introduced. 1918 – Coffee flavor is introduced, but only in certain regions. 1930 – Lime flavor is introduced, accompanied by a recipe book.

Although the exact history of how Peter Cooper created the product is unknown to us today, we do know that in 1845 he secured a patent (US Patent 4084) for a gelatin dessert powder called “portable gelatin.” His invention was a basic edible gelatin that had no flavoring to it.

Why were people obsessed with Jell-O in the 50s? ›

These products made it easier for homemakers to store and prepare food, and Jello became a popular dessert option because it was simple to make and required minimal cooking or preparation. Originally Answered: What was up with the jello obsession the mid-20th century?

Yes, savory Jello molds were a popular dish in the mid-20th century in the United States, especially during the 1950s and 1960s. These dishes were made by combining savory ingredients, such as vegetables, meat, and cheese, with Jello gelatin, which would then be chilled until it set into a mold.

Nonetheless, I informed my mother that yes, Jell-O is indeed making a comeback. Today, Solid Wiggles — a business with a decidedly millennial aesthetic operating out of Kit in Brooklyn and online through Goldbelly — creates Jell-O cakes that are often boozy and always beautiful, selling for $100ish a pop.

It was originally created by Pearle Bixby Wait in 1897 and initially marketed as "Jell-O." The exact origin of the name "Jell-O" is not entirely clear, but it is believed to be a combination of "gelatin" and the word "Jell," which means to set or become firm.

Spray your mold: Make sure you spray your mold—no matter what type you use—with cooking spray before filling. This will make removing the gelatin easier. Take your time: Multi-layer molds take time to create. Each layer needs to set for about 45 minutes before adding the next.

Jell-O salads were born out of modern convenience.

Gelatin salads had been around long before that, but it was only after the extensive rationing and scarcity of World War II that Americans began to fully embrace the convenience of Jell-O and other pre-packaged foods.

Why were there so many Jello dishes in the 1950's? The post-war era was really big on packaged convenience foods and we virtually never gave a thought to whether anything was healthy. We wanted food to be cheap and convenient.

It's cheap, aesthetically pleasing (by the standards of the day), and relatively easy to prepare. This is when the still popular jellied salads began to appear.