# Properties of Jello manipulation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 17, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/properties-of-jello-manipulation/510475 "2009-09-17T18:56:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/properties-of-jello-manipulation/510475/1 "2009-09-17T18:56:01Z")
i am wanting to spike my jello flavoring. I want to cut the water in half to make it taste more Cherry, but, if I do, will that just make it more rubbery, as well? Thanks, hh ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/properties-of-jello-manipulation/510475/2 "2009-09-17T19:01:12Z")
My wild guess is yes, since the mix is a combination of the flavoring with gelatin powder and other stuff. Have you tried making Jello spiked with a little unsweetened Kool-Aid from one of those small packets? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/properties-of-jello-manipulation/510475/3 "2009-09-17T19:22:00Z")
**Ferret Herder** is right, just cutting the water probably won’t work too well. How about using the regular amount of water, but mixing in some cherry extract along with the Jello powder? ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/properties-of-jello-manipulation/510475/4 "2009-09-17T19:55:54Z")
Better yet, substitute some light rum or vodka for some of the water. It won’t make it more strong cherry-flavored, but you won’t care! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/properties-of-jello-manipulation/510475/5 "2009-09-17T19:56:05Z")
Yeah - if you’ve ever made “finger Jello” (“jello jigglers” or whatever), you basically take 4x the jello, and 1.25x the water, and you get jello that sets up so well it can be picked up without making a mess (and as we once found, when dropped outside it does not dissolve or melt in the sun or the rain). So half the water, while not finger-jello territory, would definitely be firmer than the regular recipe. I second the suggestion to add Kool-aid powder to the mix. Or make shooters using your favorite fruit brandy, that might be fun 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/properties-of-jello-manipulation/510475/6 "2009-09-17T20:58:10Z")
Or just use cherry juice instead of water. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/properties-of-jello-manipulation/510475/7 "2009-09-18T14:25:44Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Or just use cherry juice instead of water. But be careful. Fresh juices are very pungent and can be super overpowering. I made Jello once with fresh tart cherry juice from the farmers market and used it for both the boiled water and cold water… it was waaaayyy too much. Perhaps use water for the hot water and juice for the cold water. Also, do not use juice from concentrate. It doesn’t work and leads to the jello falling apart. The whole reconstituting thing doesn’t work well for Jello construction. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/properties-of-jello-manipulation/510475/8 "2009-09-18T14:56:05Z")
> [@Serenata67](#): > > But be careful. Fresh juices are very pungent and can be super overpowering. I made Jello once with fresh tart cherry juice from the farmers market and used it for both the boiled water and cold water… it was waaaayyy too much. Perhaps use water for the hot water and juice for the cold water. > > Also, do not use juice from concentrate. It doesn’t work and leads to the jello falling apart. The whole reconstituting thing doesn’t work well for Jello construction. Hmmm - interesting! Another thought: “Cherry” jello doesn’t taste remotely like any cherries I’ve ever tasted, so using juice for that might not exactly give the desired flavor. Grape juice on the other hand tastes just like grape Jell-o. Not remotely like any _grapes_ I’ve eaten (or at least not until I tried actual Concord grapes), so that might do the job. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/properties-of-jello-manipulation/510475/9 "2009-09-18T15:24:03Z")
I don’t know if it will affect Jello, but fruit juices can be much more acidic than plain water, which can affect a lot of reactions. Not saying it won’t work, but if you get non-setting Jello using fruit juice, that’s one possible reason. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/properties-of-jello-manipulation/510475/10 "2009-09-18T16:11:39Z")
I’ve never tried the from-concentrate juice in my gelatin, but I trust Alton Brown and he is [against using concentrate](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pomegranate-gelatin-recipe/index.html) in gelatin. (The recipe doesn’t really go into why, but he makes that point very clear in the episode the recipe is from.)