Why does Jell-O gel?

By Bill Daley
Chicago Tribune

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Food can be a funny thing. We eat because we must, but we don't always know what we're eating, why we're eating it or what miracles from nature or man made the food what is.

Here are answers to some common food questions:

What makes Jell-O gel?

(Bill Hogan / Chicago Tribune) - Gelatin powders are made of crystals that dissolve when mixed with hot or boiling water.

Jell-O, like all gelatin products, is made from collagen, a protein that comes from animal skins.

Jell-O is "a gelatin powder made of crystals that dissolve when placed into hot or boiling water," said Joyce Hodel, a Kraft Foods spokeswoman. "So the crystals essentially melt to form a liquid solution. When the solution cools, the crystals start to clump together into a gel that traps water." Jell-O won't begin to thicken and gel until the temperature approaches 55 degrees.

Why does popcorn pop?

The Popcorn Board, a nonprofit organization funded by U.S. popcorn processors, offers an answer:

"Popcorn's ability to pop lies in the fact that the kernels contain a small amount of water stored in a circle of soft starch inside the hard outer casing. When heated, the water expands, creating pressure within, until eventually the casing gives way, and the kernels explode and pop, allowing the water to escape as steam, turning the kernels inside out."

Why are butters different colors?

Butter is made from cream, and cream is produced by cows. The color of the butter depends on the color of the cream. The cream's color depends on "certain pigments present in animal feed and pasture type, which varies seasonally," said Jeanne Forbis, spokesman for Land O'Lakes. Cream is white to yellowish white, she added, but when the cream is churned into butter, the fat proportion increases from 40 percent to 80 percent. Result? A more intense color. Some manufacturers use color additives to give the butter a uniform color.

How do they get the olives in olive loaf?

We called Oscar Mayer, a division of Kraft Foods, for the lowdown on this colorful luncheon meat. "The olives are mixed into the meat and remain in place similar to how chocolate chips stay in cookies," said a company spokesman.

How do Slim Jims stay edible for so long, unrefrigerated?

ConAgra Foods, the maker of Slim Jims, processes this iconic meat stick in a similar way to classic dried sausages, like pepperoni and hard salami. The Slim Jims are cured, cooked and dried.

A Slim Jim has an eight-month shelf life.