Add food coloring or fruit juice to gelatin for color.
Gelatin is made by extracting the collagen from animal bones. You may have seen collagen in the thick layer that forms on the top of the liquid when a whole chicken or bone in roast is cooked. Unflavored gelatin is made by boiling clean animal bones in unflavored liquid, filtering the collagen that rises to the top, and drying it. The gelatin is formed into sheets or made into a powder by grinding it. Gelatin is not only used in desserts and as a thickening agent in food, but it is also used to thicken health and beauty products and as a protective film medium in photography.
Swelling
Gelatin must first swell in cold water to achieve its maximum gelling potential. To swell the gelatin, pour 1/4 cup of cold water in a bowl and sprinkle 1 tbsp. of gelatin over the water. Allow the gelatin to swell for 5 minutes before dissolving it. If gelatin is not allowed to swell, it may not gel at all when mixed with other ingredients. If you use gelatin sheets, soak five sheets in 1/4 cup cold water for 5 minutes, squeeze the sheets gently with your hands, and place them back in the water to be dissolved.
Dissolving
Dissolving gelatin is the main step which combines the gelatin and the water, or liquid, it is mixed with. After gelatin goes through the swelling process, add 1/4 cup of hot water to the swollen granules or sheets, and stir it with a spoon until no granules or sheets remain in the water. If you are making flavored gelatin, add sugar and other ingredients that need to melt in this step too.
Mixing
Mix the gelatin with other liquids after it is dissolved. Add 2 cups of total liquid per 1 tbsp. of gelatin. If you swell and dissolve the gelatin with water, only mix in an additional 1 1/2 cups of liquid per 1 tbsp. of gelatin used. Add fruits and other chunky ingredients while the gelatin mixture is still warm, so the chunks can be dispersed throughout the gelatin as it solidifies and sets.
Setting
Pour the warm gelatin mixture in a mold, onto a sheet, or in individual serving dishes while the liquid gelatin mixture is still warm. Place the liquid in refrigerated temperatures to set. The time the liquid takes to set depends on the amount of total gelatin being used and the shape of the form. If the gelatin is poured on a sheet pan in a thin layer, for example, it solidifies much faster than if it is poured into a large mold. Cover the gelatin as it sets to avoid a thick, tough skin from forming on the exposed surface.
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