[open]Jell-O[open]

[Ivy]

I want you to know I spent hours thinking up this profound topic. ;) :D

A couple years ago, a lady who doesn't normally attend our congregation brought, as a contribution to the seder meal, some Jell-O for dessert, but it ended up we did not use it at all, it was put aside. Apparently Jell-O isn't kosher......she was a really good sport about it and all, but I was just curious as to why it isn't kosher.

Not that I'd ever eat the stuff myself.....^_^

[ContentInHim]

I believe, Ivy, that the gelatin that's in Jello is from horse hooves. :eek: I've a whole closet of Jello that I have to throw out! :P

And I love Jello. :(

[Ivy]

:eek: It's from horse hooves? I'd better not tell my daughter that, she loves horses.

So it's always un-kosher, not just unkosher for Passover--I get it. Thanks. :)

Anyone here have a tried-and-true recipe for honeycake? I'd like to try it.

[AbiYah]

Gelatin is made from collagen, not hooves... typically from pork - but not always.

For instance during the mad cow and sheep scare in the EU a few years back, they pulled things like yoghurt from the shelves since the gelatin from those were from sheep and cow.


Jell-o Not kosher (http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=gelatin)

PBS Article on Jell-O being unkosher (http://www.pbs.org/mpt/jewishcooking/history/season1/109h.html)



Kraft Jell-O strawberry gelatin contains non-kosher ingredients. All "Glucosamine" is made from snails (non-kosher) & should not be consumed, even the ones that have a kosher certification on the label. Source: KosherConsumer.org (http://www.kosherconsumer.org/alerts.htm) article

More than you ever wanted to know about Gelatin from Star-K Kosher Certification (http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-palate-gelatin.htm)

Information on Jell-o from Ohr Somayach (http://ohr.edu/ask_db/ask_main.php/127/Q1/)

most gelatin is usually considered non-kosher, as explained above, several prominent rabbinic authorities have noted that gelatin undergoes such extensive processing and chemical changes that it no longer has the status of meat, and as such may be considered pareve and kosher. This is the position adopted by a substantial minority of Orthodox rabbis, including Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel and arguably the most revered living posek (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posek) for Orthodox Sephardi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephardi) and Mizrachi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizrachi) Jews. Conservative Judaism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Judaism), likewise, holds that gelatin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin) is kosher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosher) because it undergoes "such a complete change." An explanation of the legal principles surrounding this ruling can be found in the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Synagogue_of_Conservative_Judaism)'s publication Keeping Kosher: A Diet For the Soul (2000). Similarly, most Reform Jews accept that all gelatin is kosher. Virtually all American Orthodox authorities, however, reject this position.
Source: Wikipedia article on Gelatin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosher_foods#Gelatin)

[ContentInHim]

AbiYah - thanks for the correction, but my response is still - Eeuuw! :sick:

:D

[ChavaK]

There is kosher jello availabe (most notably Kosher-Jel)
but from my experience it never seems to want to set
up properly.
But maybe it's just me, I am not much of a cook...:)

[plum]

*tries to remember the point about Glucosamine*

[Dvorah27]

I believe, Ivy, that the gelatin that's in Jello is from horse hooves. :eek: I've a whole closet of Jello that I have to throw out! :P

And I love Jello. :(
Most jello, atleast the flavored ones, comes from pig bones. Not all, though. There are some that are kosher which use fish bones instead, and others beef. Most unflavored gelatin comes from cows.

ETA : This applies to marshmallows as well. Marshmallow cream, however, is usually fine & can be used for Rice Krispie TREATS ! Mmmmmmmmmm You can also get kosher marshmallows that come from, again, fish.

[debi b]

Yup it's time to start haunting Safeway :D This is the only time of year and my only source for kosher marshmallows. S'mores just aren't the same without those fluffy little white things! You would think that after all the years I buy their entire supply they would get more :P

[HadassahSukkot]

*tries to remember the point about Glucosamine*
I know, isn't that in like - everything (medicine and vitamin) these days?

[christianmomof3]

hmm, it makes sense that gelatin comes from bones.
Have you ever boiled a chicken or turkey carcass to make stock? It is really good if you add in some vegetables to the bones and skin but you will throw out the veggies because you cook all the nutrients and flavor out of them into the stock. I put carrots, celery, onion, garlic and peppercorns and a bay leaf if I have one and sometimes fresh parsely if I have that in with the bones from a chicken. I boil it for 2 hours or so and then strain off all of the solids.
When you refrigerate it, it gells.
Then you can scrape any fat off of the top and freeze it in one cup portions in zip lock baggies and use in recipees that call for broth or in soups. :yum:

I had also heard that jello was from horse hooves or something like that. Ick. I am glad it is not.
The problem with looking on the box is the ingredients listed don't say what it is made from - it just says "gelatin" or something like that.

Kind of like capers. What are they? You look on the jar and it says "capers". Or pimentos - same thing. What is a pimento anyway? :sorry:

[Wags]

Ems Kosher Jell - isn't kosher either. :( There was a big scandel a while back, turns out they were faking the hecksher.

[Ivy]

Kind of like capers. What are they? You look on the jar and it says "capers".

Capers are when you leap and dance about, maybe do a cartwheel. :D :D ^_^

Darned if I know what those are either.

[Ivy]

A quote from the Jell-O article from AbiYah:

There is a vegetarian (http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=vegetarian) substitute for gelatin, if you're interested in keeping meat out of your diet. Like so many of the good things in life, it comes from algae (http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=algae) and is called agar-agar (http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=agar-agar). It is more expensive than the regular variety, and reportedly behaves slightly differently, but the taste is the same - tasteless (http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=tasteless).

:D :D

[LadyGarnetRose]

Capers are a flower bud that has been pickled. Tasty and salty.

Pimento is pickled pepper usually red.

Just an FYI :)

[Torah]

This subject is why I believe the Kosher symbol on the package is so important. If it’s not there I don’t buy it.

http://www.mazornet.com/jewishcl/Kosher/kosherorgs.htm (http://www.mazornet.com/jewishcl/Kosher/kosherorgs.htm)

http://www.ok.org/default.asp (http://www.ok.org/default.asp)

[Henaynei]

This subject is why I believe the Kosher symbol on the package is so important. If it’s not there I don’t buy it.

http://www.mazornet.com/jewishcl/Kosher/kosherorgs.htm (http://www.mazornet.com/jewishcl/Kosher/kosherorgs.htm)

http://www.ok.org/default.asp (http://www.ok.org/default.asp)
both Jell-o and Royal have heckshers on their gelatin and puddings - the kashrut authorities for both have decided that the gelatin used has been processed so much that it is so far removed from the original source (non-kosher animal) that what the original source is not important from a kosher POV.

I personally don't agree with that and only buy such products that have a hecksher AND the gelatin source is fish or an agar type product

** it is also important for some to remember that the alphabetical letter "K" is NOT copyrightable and thus anyone, even the producer themselves, can place the letter K" on a product but this does NOT mean that a rabbi with any real knowledge or commitment to kashrut has reviewed the product, process or packaging .... **remember** this in just the letter itself, a "K" in a circle or triangle, etc, are all copyrightable and thus the authorities using them are able to legally set standards and requirements as to what kosher means when that symbol is affixed to a product.

[Torah]

both Jell-o and Royal have heckshers on their gelatin and puddings - the kashrut authorities for both have decided that the gelatin used has been processed so much that it is so far removed from the original source (non-kosher animal) that what the original source is not important from a kosher POV.

I personally don't agree with that and only buy such products that have a hecksher AND the gelatin source is fish or an agar type product

** it is also important for some to remember that the alphabetical letter "K" is NOT copyrightable and thus anyone, even the producer themselves, can place the letter K" on a product but this does NOT mean that a rabbi with any real knowledge or commitment to kashrut has reviewed the product, process or packaging .... **remember** this in just the letter itself, a "K" in a circle or triangle, etc, are all copyrightable and thus the authorities using them are able to legally set standards and requirements as to what kosher means when that symbol is affixed to a product.
I do not consider the K as a kosher symbol for reasons that you stated, and I have seen no other kosher symbol on Pudding or Jell-O. I will check again. Still! the kosher symbols are the best eyes out there watching for us.

[ChazakEmunah]

I agree with a lot of the sentiments here. My wife and I always look for a hechsher before purchasing any foods. You have no idea what kind of stuff they put in them otherwise. Another thing to be aware of, is that a company does not have to include something on the ingredients list if there is less than 2% of that substance. So, a product may contain gelatin, pork derivatives, or shellfish derivatives and the consumer would never know.

Good Shabbos,
Chazak Emunah

[Henaynei]

http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm
The most controversial certification is the K, a plain letter K found on products asserted to be kosher. A letter of the alphabet cannot be trademarked, so any manufacturer can put a K on a product. For example, Jell-O brand gelatin puts a K on its product, even though every reliable Orthodox authority agrees that Jell-O is not kosher. Most other kosher certification marks are trademarked and cannot legally be used without the permission of the certifying organization. The certifying organization assures you that the product is kosher according to their standards, but standards vary.

It is becoming increasingly common for kosher certifying organizations to indicate whether the product is fleishig (meat), milchig (dairy) or pareve (neutral). If the product is dairy, it will frequently have a D or the word Dairy next to the kashrut symbol. If it is meat, the word Meat or an M may appear near the symbol. If it is pareve, the word Pareve (or Parev) may appear near the symbol (Not a P! That means kosher for Passover (http://www.jewfaq.org/defs/passover.htm)!). If no such clarification appears, you should read the ingredient list carefully to determine whether the product is meat, dairy or pareve.

[Aviva]

I hate jellos so I am just as happy it is not kosher.