Shelf life of jelly in the refrigerator

Shelf life: 4 days
Shelf life: 4 days
Shelf life in the refrigerator: 4 days
Freezer life: 60 days

Storage conditions:
Store at a temperature not exceeding +25 ° C and relative humidity not exceeding 75%

In French, jelly means a congealed dish that is made from fruit juice, gelatin and sugar. There are many different recipes to prepare this product. Products for creating jelly can be varied. Basically, gelatin is used for its preparation. It is used most often for making desserts. But there are people who prefer agar-agar or pectin to it.

In addition to its pleasant taste, jelly also has beneficial properties. When a person eats it, it helps his cartilage system, gets rid of arthritis and other joint diseases. The gelatin contained in the jelly is beneficial for bones, nails and hair. It also helps restore cartilage tissue. Gelatin also contains important amino acids. One of them is glycine. Thanks to it, damaged bones are restored. According to some scientists, thanks to pectin, heavy metal salts begin to be removed from the human body. But agar-agar can stimulate peristalsis. When it swells, it becomes larger and begins to fill the intestines. This is due to the fact that it contains a lot of coarse fiber, and agar-agar will also help the body get rid of toxins and toxic substances.

How long can jelly be stored?

Jelly is usually a sweet dish made from boiled fruits, to which gelatin is subsequently added, hence the name. This is a very simple dish, both in preparation and in storage. This article will help you figure out how to prepare jelly and the shelf life of this dish under various conditions.

To ensure that the jelly has a longer shelf life, you should follow the recipe instructions and not cook the dish in a metal container. Otherwise, the color may change and the taste will be unpleasant. The shelf life of pasteurized jelly is 1 year . Unpasteurized jelly can be stored for 6 months The shelf life of jelly prepared at home is 3-4 days . It should be stored in a cool place. Fruit, cream and milk jelly can be stored for only 12 hours at a temperature of 4 to 8 degrees in the refrigerator.

Are there certain storage conditions for the dietary supplement?

Edible gelatin is essentially an animal glue that is used in cooking. Some varieties are made from pig skin. In its composition and structure, it is collagen or protein, which is perfectly absorbed by the body. The specified periods during which gelatin is considered fit for consumption guarantee you the safety of its use in the kitchen, and its functional effect - the setting of the mass and its retention.

At the same time, you can be sure that the taste of the product with this ingredient will be excellent. Based on GOST 11293-89 and government decree No. 720 of June 16, 1997, the manufacturer is required to indicate the expiration date. According to GOST, it is 1 year.

Article 473 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation and GOST R 51074-2003 will help you correctly read the expiration date of a product. The period of storage and use is calculated from the date of manufacture of the product until the expiration date specified by the manufacturer. If necessary, the manufacturer indicates special conditions under which the storage time changes - the integrity of the packaging, ambient temperature, lighting and storage form (dry or diluted).

Article 473 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. Calculation of product shelf life

The shelf life of a product is determined by the period of time, calculated from the date of its manufacture, during which the product is suitable for use, or the date before which the product is suitable for use.

homemade jelly (berry, fruit, cream, milk) – 12 hours;
store-bought jelly from a bag from the moment it hardens - 96 hours.

Hearty jellied meat in Rus' was considered food for servants. It was prepared from the leftover meat from the table of the rich, boiling it to a thick consistency. Since the 16th century, the fashion for French dishes came to Russia, and it was then that jelly became a real festive dish. Alas, the exquisite dish could not be stored in the summer. Modern housewives have a great advantage in this regard, but not everyone knows how long homemade jellied meat can be stored in the refrigerator. The shelf life of this product varies even among manufacturers. What this is connected with and how to prolong the freshness of your favorite meat delicacy is described in the article.

How to store jelly

In general, there are several storage methods; you can store whatever you like. But since this dish is still served cold, it needs to be cooled accordingly, and this is all done for a reason.

How to store jelly in the refrigerator

The jelly is stored at a temperature from 0 °C to 25 °C and a relative air humidity of no more than 75%. This is written in GOST 55462 - 2013 “General technical conditions for storing jelly.” Store-bought, pasteurized, packaged in glass containers are stored for one year. In containers made of polymer materials – one year. If they contain preservatives, then in glass – 6 months , as well as for combined and polymer materials.

The best option for preserving the structure and taste of jelly is to store it in a cold place. This place is the refrigerator. The most suitable temperature is from 0 to 14 degrees. Although it goes a little against the guest. The shelf life will be from 4 to 8 days , this is for unsealed containers. And for sterilized - 1 year . Sub-zero temperatures will not have a very good effect on the product, but we will talk about this later. If the threshold of 14 degrees is exceeded, nothing good will happen either. Can jelly be stored in the refrigerator? Definitely! Even necessary.

Which container is better to put it in? Use non-metallic utensils to prevent oxidation. The dish is best preserved in sterilized glass containers. For example, you can sterilize a jar by placing it on a boiling kettle and waiting a couple of minutes. Our main goal is to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria in our jelly. When storing jelly in the refrigerator, it must be kept away from other foods and it must be covered with a lid so as not to absorb foreign odors and tastes.

How to store jelly in the freezer

As mentioned above, keeping jelly in the freezer for a long time is not recommended and even has a bad effect on the quality of this sweet dessert. Place the jelly in the freezer only for half an hour, after cooking, so that it takes shape faster. But it doesn't go as far as freezing. Freezing is destructive; when frozen, coarse ice crystals form in the jelly, which destroy the very structure of the dish. This storage method is used to make ice cream, which is also a good dessert. For freezing, pectin is used instead of gelatin - it is a natural thickener, and it behaves better. The product will be stored for a couple of months .

How to store jelly at room temperature

The jelly can be stored all winter in the apartment, after boiling it well. But after cooking it can become sugary. To prevent this, you need to do the following.

Take the appropriate portion of sugar, decreasing or increasing the amount depending on the sweetness of the fruit. For example, one part of currant juice requires 3/2 part of sugar. If the summer is dry, then you need to take less sugar.

How to store jelly so that it does not become sugary? It does not need to be overcooked or cooked for a long time over high heat. As soon as it hardens, lubricate its surface with vodka or alcohol with a silicone brush. Cut a circle or square out of parchment paper, depending on the shape of the dish, moisten it well with alcohol (vodka) and cover the entire surface.

If the jars do not close hermetically, then grease the paper with additional vegetable oil. Alternatively, you can use egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon of ice water. Then the paper will stick well to the edges of the cans.

Note. Uncovered jelly may dry out and become rubbery during storage. Poorly sealed jelly will quickly become moldy.

How to store jelly for the winter?

Methods for preparing the jelly itself and methods for storing it will be given here. To prepare some types of jelly, we do not need a thickener.

Blackcurrant jelly

It contains a lot of pectin and thickens well. Here are the ingredients for cooking:

Fruit (berry) jelly is a dessert beloved by many. It is made from various juices and sugar, which are mixed with any gelling agent. It can be served as an independent dish, or used to decorate confectionery products. This article answers the questions of how long you can store jelly at home, and under what conditions it is best to do so.

Types of thickeners

Thickeners (gelling agents) come in different types.

Their most famous representative is gelatin (often used in glazes). Its low cost is one of the reasons for the popularity of this substance among confectioners. At its core, gelatin is a product of processing animal skin and connective tissue. But at the same time, high-quality products should not have any foreign odors or tastes.
Pectin ranks second in frequency of use. This substance is obtained from the fruits of fruit trees and some plants.
And in third place in popularity is agar - agar (it is obtained from brown algae). The price of agar is the highest of all gelling agents. But a dish with such a thickener will not melt in the heat like a gelatin-based dessert.

So, the differences between different types of thickeners lie in their degree of resistance to temperatures and methods of their manufacture. The consequence of this is the cost.

Shelf life of jelly

The shelf life of the jelly depends on its composition, manufacturing technology and the conditions in which it is located.

You can increase the freshness time of a dish if you strictly adhere to the recipe and do not use metal utensils for preparing it. The interaction of thickeners and acid contained in fruits with metal can lead to a change in the color of the dish and its taste.

Storing jelly after pasteurization is possible for 12 months, and unpasteurized - up to 6 months. These terms are relevant for storage in hermetically sealed thermoplastic containers.

Homemade natural fruit jelly will remain fresh for 12 hours. Products based on cream and milk have the same shelf life.

The thickener prepared using packaged dry mixtures is kept exclusively on the refrigerator shelf. There its shelf life will be 3–4 days.

For those who buy ready-made products, it is easiest to find out the shelf life and storage conditions of jelly: they are indicated on the jar.

What affects shelf life

The preservation of jelly in a form suitable for consumption depends on the following factors:

Compound. Depending on the gelling agent and additives, the shelf life may vary significantly. Different thickeners have different temperature resistance.
Cooking technology. A pasteurized product lasts longer than an unpasteurized product.
Temperature. It is advisable to keep it in a cool place, for example in the refrigerator.
Humidity. Should not exceed 75%.
Package. Must be sealed, protecting from contact with air.

Freezer storage

Can jelly be frozen? This question is primarily of interest to those who need to preserve this product for a long time. By all rights, freezing this delicacy is not recommended. You can leave the product in the freezer for up to half an hour to allow it to harden as quickly as possible. If it freezes thoroughly, it will lose its quality and gelled structure due to the formation of coarse ice crystals.

If the dessert needs to be frozen, pectin is used as a gelling base. Unlike gelatin, it practically does not lose quality after defrosting.

The shelf life of pectin-based jelly in the freezer is about 2 months.

Storage without refrigeration

Under natural conditions, the longest storage time is for agar jelly - agar. This substance is the most resistant to elevated temperatures. A gelatin dessert without refrigeration can partially thaw, but the concentration of the thickener is, of course, important.

The shelf life of unpasteurized jelly at room temperature is 2–3 days. It must be covered and put in the coolest place.

Dishes based on thickeners should be prepared immediately before consumption (especially if they are intended for children), since the jelly cannot be stored for a long time.

Many people, not only children, but also adults, love jelly. This delicious fruit or milk dessert is served cold. But not everyone is able to prepare it, since virtually no one knows the exact time frame for how long the jelly should sit in the refrigerator before it hardens. Further in the article, the dessert's hardening time will be indicated depending on the thickener used and its shelf life.

How to freeze jelly for storage

How to store jelly in the freezer? Low temperatures are not desirable for such a delicate product. The taste may noticeably deteriorate. But if you need to freeze sweet supplies, then you need to consider the following:

the container in which the product will be stored must be thoroughly washed and spotlessly clean;
it will be good if it is glass or silicone (plastic). This will protect the jelly from absorbing unwanted odors or tastes.

Features of the freezing process:

gelatin should be well dissolved when heated. But don't let it boil;
The liquid must be stirred continuously so that the gelatin does not turn into lumps;
cut fruit finely;
raw kiwis, papayas and pineapples contain many enzymes. They can destroy gelatin;
A standard package of powder can thicken up to 500 ml of juice.

Read: Rules for storing essential oils

Jelly Bases

To prepare jelly, you first need to choose a base or thickener. There are currently three common variants of this component:

Each of these foundations has its own characteristics. Thus, gelatin is a substance that is obtained from tendons, bones, cartilage and animal skins and is rarely included in the menu of vegetarians. But, this component not only helps the jelly harden - you can also use it to prepare many other dishes:

Gelatin is one of the most common thickeners, so it is available in all supermarkets and grocery stores.

Attention! Often, when using gelatin to make jelly, the final dessert at room temperature quickly loses its elasticity and becomes more liquid.

Agar-agar is an option more suitable for people who choose vegetarianism. This thickener is obtained by processing certain algae. This base is more expensive than gelatin, although it has a number of advantages over it:

no smell;
has no taste;
withstands heat - the consistency of the dessert does not change.

Pectin is the rarest and most expensive thickener for jelly. It is completely of plant origin, just like agar-agar, but it is not obtained from algae, but from some vegetables and fruits:

As is the case with agar-agar, desserts and other dishes prepared using it have no foreign flavors and are not afraid of heat.

Depending on the chosen thickener base, the estimated hardening time of the jelly differs. On average, the product hardens in the refrigerator in a couple of hours - provided that the recipe is followed exactly, regardless of whether the dessert is homemade or from a bag.

Drying time

The process of preparing jelly, blancmange and other similar desserts and dishes involves cooling and solidifying them. In general, the exact thickening time depends on the volume of base used - agar-agar, gelatin or pectin. Sometimes 40 minutes to one or two hours is enough for the dessert to stop being liquid and acquire a jelly consistency.

Advice! The best option is to leave the dessert to harden in the refrigerator overnight. If the proportions and recipe are followed, this time will definitely be enough to thicken the jelly.

How does jelly from a bag harden?

Making jelly from juice at home does not always have the energy and time - it’s easier to prepare a dessert from a bag, where the components are already mixed in the form of a powder in the required proportions and you just need to add the required volume of water. In fact, all grocery stores and supermarkets supply jelly that does not require long preparation.

Powder is a ready-made mixture that contains the required amount of gelatin, as well as flavoring and aromatic additives. The negative aspects of such a product include the dyes present in the powder.

The instructions on the bag usually indicate how long the powder, diluted with water, needs to stand in the refrigerator. You need to follow the recipe exactly, because if you add too much water, the jelly may not harden. The dessert needs to sit in the refrigerator until it hardens; the exact time is determined as follows:

At medium temperatures, it takes one and a half to two hours for the dessert to acquire the desired consistency.
If the equipment is set to full power - 40-60 minutes.
When the regulator is twisted to a minimum - 4-8 hours.

Attention! With the power regulator on the refrigerator in the middle position, the gelatin completely hardens in 5 hours. If the dessert is still liquid after 4 hours, then you should not hope for a miracle and expect that it will harden completely after 1 hour.

Freezing jelly

When preparing cold desserts, gelatin or agar-agar are often used, but pectin is the best option when making homemade jelly. This is due to the fact that when using gelatin it is difficult to add the required amount - do not pour too much and do not put too little. In the first option, the dessert will acquire a too rubbery consistency, and in the second it will be watery. In the case of agar-agar, the dessert turns out to be too fragile - its structure is easily damaged. Pectin is the best option due to its high gelling ability, which is not lost when the dessert is heated. Because of this, it is better to prepare jelly with pectin for freezing.

In order for freezing jelly to be successful, you need to choose the right container, which must have the following characteristics:

Tightness - so that no ice crust appears on the surface and the dish is not spoiled.
Low sides and a wide base - a large area of the dish and a small volume of the workpiece accelerate the thickening process.
Glass, plastic or silicone - there will be no foreign odors or tastes in the frozen sweet dish.

To prevent the possibility that the jelly will “float” when serving, it must be moved from the freezer to the refrigerator compartment for 2 hours. And then dip the form in which the dessert was frozen into boiling water for 1-2 seconds and immediately turn it over onto the prepared plate.

Influence of ingredients on preservation

For the holiday, housewives decorate jellied meat by adding boiled carrots, fresh herbs, peas, and halves of chicken or quail eggs. This approach will make the dish more elegant, but will significantly reduce its shelf life. When using products that have not been subjected to heat treatment, the jelly will begin to deteriorate within 1-2 days.

Adding garlic, onions and spices will not protect meat jelly from spoilage.
Even the aromatic horseradish root, rich in phytoncides, is not able to extend the shelf life of your favorite jellied meat.

The listed ingredients are added only to enhance the taste, but do not affect the preservation. Table salt, which is a natural preservative, can extend the shelf life. With a low salt content, the jellied meat will begin to deteriorate faster. The main thing is not to oversalt the dish.

Many people do not like the fat that accumulates on the surface of the frozen mass, so they try to remove it as soon as possible. But it protects the jelly from contact with air, which prolongs the shelf life of the jelly.

To learn how to properly prepare jellied meat, watch this video:

How long does jelly last?

It is not recommended to store sweet cold dishes in the freezer for more than 1 month. After defrosting, the jelly is edible for only 36 hours. The duration of storage depends on what recipe the dessert was prepared from and what ingredients it was used in:

Homemade fruit, cream and dairy products are edible for 12 hours.
Store-bought from a bag, after adding water and completely hardening, it can be stored for 96 hours.
Canned jelly, purchased ready-made, is good for 14 days if the packaging remains sealed (the exact dates are indicated on the packaging by the manufacturer).

Homemade jelly is the most delicious, but it requires attention; to make it correctly you need some experience. In this case, you can use not gelatin, but agar-agar or pectin, which are tasteless and odorless, and also do not “thaw” at room temperature. With store-bought (from bags) it is much easier - you only need to add the correct volume of water and leave it in the refrigerator to harden for a couple of hours.

Sources:

Marking according to GOST

The packaging must indicate the date of production and packaging , as well as the date until which the product is suitable for consumption. In some cases, clarifications are possible, such as storage conditions or opened packaging.

The letters must be readable, and the information itself is usually located on the back of the package or comb. A “keep away from moisture” warning sign is required. The lot number and the net and gross weight of the package must also be present. This information will be useful to you if you want to file a complaint about the quality of the product.

Do you use expired food for cooking at home?

Yes, the main thing is to process it if it is meat or expired kefir for pancakes.

27.72%

No, it is very dangerous and not useful.

36.37%

If the products have fungus or mold, then we throw them away; if they are a couple of days past their expiration date, we use them for food, even without heat or other treatment.

35.91%

Voted: 1952

How long does the diluted product last?

Diluted gelatin or jelly is stored in the refrigerator or freezer. The recommended period is no more than a month. The timing depends on the type of final product:

homemade jelly (berry, fruit, cream, milk) – 12 hours;
store-bought jelly from a bag from the moment it hardens - 96 hours.