Why add gelatin?

[pam]

Reading through a recipe recently for chicken marsala. It sounded really good, but I was stumped about adding gelatin to the sauce. I've never done that. The note was that it made the sauce thicken (lots of other ways to do that) and glossy. Why do I want glossy sauce? Enlighten me.

 

[deb-in-mi]

Funny you mentioned this. I just tried the gelatin 'trick' for a pan sauce for chicken

and I thought is was nothing special (I usually thicken with one of these three: cornstarch, potato starch, or flour).

I thought it was going to come out ultra luscious/smooth but it wasn't different than any of the other sauces I usually make.

 

[mistral]

Gelatin adds good texture ("mouthfeel") without adding additional fat. . .

and glossy is pretty; ya eat with your eyes, no? Even if you thicken a sauce with some type of starch, many recipes will have you finish the sauce by stirring in a bit of butter.

Gelatin with a meat sauce is used, from what I have read, to provide supplement the gelatin in the meat. I have seen recipes that call for veal stock, reduced veal stock; this supplies flavor and that gelatin.

 

[curious1]

Is it a Cook's Illustrated recipe? I've seen several recipes from the magazine that use gelatin.

Not all are sauces, one I remember is a meatloaf recipe. Guess it's the mouthfeel thing mistral mentions. I bought the gelatin but have not made a recipe using it yet.

 

[richard-in-cincy]

Agreed.

I use gelatin all the time: sauces (supplement the natural gelatin in your stock/meat), punches (velvety texture/mouthfeel), aspics, etc. I keep boxes of it in my pantry.

 

[pam]

No, Serious Eats

Chicken Marsala with mushrooms and shallots

 

[mistral]

I never thought of it in punches--what a good idea! (nt)

 

[liz-d]

serious eats website

Hi,
After seeing your post I went to this site to check it out. Have you had problems with it? I saw a recipe that I wanted to email to someone and was unable to. I was unable to copy and paste into an email also. It would not let me delete the pictures from the pasted page.
I guess I am just having doubts abour this site.
Thanks

 

[pam]

I'm on a "mailing" list

So I tend to get my recipes from them as they're posted. I haven't gone to the website for a recipe, but now that you raise the question, I'll try it to see if I have the same problem.