Jellied meat: benefits and harm to the body

Kholodets has long been associated in Russian people with the New Year's table. All because the jelly-like meat dish is most convenient to do in the winter. It will retain its shape and will not melt if left on the table for a long time.

Traditionally, jellied meat is cooked in meat broth, which requires a very long cooking to solidify in order for gelatin to stand out. Outlandish for some is vegetable jelly - it is prepared from plant products with a high content of natural gelatin, for example, in tomato. They are also boiled for a very long time until a thick consistency, after which they are placed in a cold place for solidification for a long time.

But progress does not stand still, and to reduce time costs, many use ready-made gelatin - just add it to the hot broth, and after a few minutes it will freeze without any help. But will this dish be a real jelly by definition? To answer this question, it is worth considering the main differences of the jelly from all other jelly brothers.

What is the difference between aspic

From jelly

Many people call Kholodets jelly and simply do not see differences between them. And it’s hard to blame them, because the differences are really insignificant.

1. Jelly is traditionally made from beef, without the addition of other types of meat. It can be beef tibia, veins, tongue and other parts of the body of the carcass. The use of such meat makes the dish dark, and the leanness of beef does not give the jelly the necessary density, as in jelly. All because of the same beef - the jelly broth is cooked longer for several hours, since this type of meat is boiled for a long time.
2. Jelly broth can be prepared from several types of meat - beef, pork and chicken. Its jelly turns brighter and denser.
3. Another important difference is the cooking steps. In the jelly, all the components are cooked at once - gelatinous and meat component, and as a result we get a sort of “mash” of jelly and pieces of meat. At a jelly, everything happens in stages - first one type of raw material, after another, and so on.

From aspic

Unlike traditional Russian jellied meat and jelly, aspic came to us from France and is vaguely reminiscent of galantine. The broth is made from lean meat - chicken, turkey and fish. Such meat is not rich in gelatin, so thickeners are required for aspic. At the same time, the jelly is so transparent that the meat pieces contained in it are visible. You can add bright components to the aspic - eggs, peas, corn and so on.

Jellied has a low calorie content, slightly fresh in taste and, in comparison with domestic counterparts, has less nutritional value.

From brawn

Zelts differs from jellied meat more texture. Jelly in it acts more as a binding agent. Brawn is usually made from parts of the carcass that are not widely used, such as skin, diaphragm, ears, which are stuffed into a natural shell. The result is a sausage product with a low jelly content.

Composition and calorie content

The nutritional and energy values ​​of aspic are mainly dependent on one factor - which ingredients and in what proportions will be used for its preparation. Beef, pork and chicken are very different in the content of BJU, and therefore everyone should choose for themselves "their" meat component, taking into account the characteristics of their body and health. Consider the calorie content of each type of jelly.

Beef jellied meat

This may seem surprising, but jellied meat and beef offal is less calorie than pork and chicken - only 80 kcal per 100 g of cooked jelly. Despite this, beef jelly does not need to be eaten in large quantities to quench hunger. However, it does not harm the figure and is not contraindicated for people who are overweight.

Chicken Jellied

When preparing chicken jelly, it is necessary to take into account the caloric content of almost every part of the carcass. The jelly dish made from chicken legs is considered the most dietary, since there is absolutely no meat in it - its calorie content is 110 kcal per 100 g. When using ham or ham fillet in the recipe, the output will be a product with a calorie content of 230–240 kcal per 100 g Such a jelly will also not add extra pounds if you consume it in reasonable quantities.

Pork jelly

The record holder for calorie content is jelly made from pork parts of the carcass. It can contain up to 350 kcal per 100 g.

What is useful jelly

Jellied meat incorporates useful properties from raw materials, whether it is chicken or pork. The substances necessary for the body are found both in meat and in the jelly part. Adding various spices to it can only complement the positive effect. Let's consider it in more detail.

For women

Probably every woman sooner or later catches herself thinking about the pursuit of youth. In search of a better remedy, it happens that we forget that factors affect the skin condition from the inside. We are what we eat. Therefore, the food that we consume should contain as many nutrients as possible.

The main useful component of aspic is its protein component, namely collagen. Everyone knows about its benefits to the skin - it makes it supple and smoothes wrinkles. No wonder animal collagen is so actively used in the manufacture of creams.

Collagen levels in the body decrease with age. No matter how stupid it was, but the body itself destroys it with the collagenase enzyme, and then carries out work to restore this protein. The older the person, the less the ability to restore collagen, so it is very important to supply it to the body with food.

For men

Jellied meat promotes muscle growth thanks to collagen. So a couple of spoons of jelly will act on the body better than a protein bar or a drink.

Pork jelly will relieve a problem such as prostatitis, and the presence of zinc in it will improve potency.

During pregnancy

All meat products have the ability to increase the level of hemoglobin, the normalization of which is important at any stage of life, especially during pregnancy. Decreased hemoglobin levels in the blood can cause anemia. Expectant mothers are especially susceptible to this disease, so it is important to help the body. In addition, hemoglobin is involved in the removal of harmful substances from the body, thereby contributing to the strengthening of immunity.

When breastfeeding

In the process of bearing and giving birth to a child, the body of a woman is subjected to serious stresses, so the nutrition of mothers should be very useful to help her recover. And, finally, it is worth remembering that all the beneficial substances that enter the mother’s body are transferred with milk to their children during breastfeeding. So why not include jelly in your diet, which, thanks to its meat base, is rich in nutrients.

A weakened body is susceptible to virus attacks, and the lysine contained in the jelly will help to repel them, since it has an antiviral effect. It will also help the body absorb calcium better.

Glycine will help strengthen the immune system, it has a beneficial effect on the nerves, calming and relieving stress. Glycine also helps to improve brain activity.

Collagen will restore the skin, improve the condition of hair and nails, and polysaccharides will strengthen bone tissue.

For kids

Collagen-containing jelly is very useful for children, but you should carefully include it in the diet. It must be remembered that jellied meat is heavy food for the stomach, so for a child it is worth making chicken jellied meat from low-calorie parts of the carcass and do not add spices and salt during its preparation. The product should be as lean as possible.

Can I eat jelly with weight loss

Many who decide to eat properly and monitor their figure refuse such a dish as aspic. And very in vain. After all, if you choose the right components for the jelly, you can get an almost dietary product. Of course, we are not talking about pork jellied meat. But you can fully feast on the jellied chicken or turkey and not be afraid that this will negatively affect the figure.

Useful properties of different types of aspic

Pork

Pork contains beneficial amino acids, B vitamins, macro- and microelements (iron, in particular) and myoglobin. The most valuable thing in pork jelly is the high content of animal fat, which saturates the body faster than most other foods.

Beef

Jellied beef can be used in some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, since it is absorbed more easily than the pork (almost 80%). Beef contains vitamin A and carotene, which are very useful for vision and strengthen the tissues of the musculoskeletal system.

Chicken

Jellied chicken has a high protein content and useful vitamins such as A, B and C. It also contains magnesium and calcium. The collagen content varies from the used part of the chicken carcass - most of all in chicken legs. Consumption of such jelly does not increase cholesterol and regulates blood glucose. Unlike turkey jelly, chicken contains more selenium, which is good for the thyroid gland.

Turkey Jelly

Jelly from turkey meat is the lowest-calorie of the above. Its calorie content is only 50 kcal per 100 g. In terms of vitamins and healthy elements, turkey is no different from chicken, except that there are a lot more turkey meat in them. For example, turkey contains more tryptophan, which helps get rid of insomnia, and iron, which is involved in the formation of hemoglobin, than chicken.

Jelly in medicine

With diabetes

Jellied meat with diabetes is not contraindicated (in particular, in the presence of 1 and 2 disease groups), if you cook it from lean meats (preferably chicken legs and lean beef). Add pork is not allowed.

Important: aspic glycemic index varies from 10 to 40 units.

With pancreatitis

With inflammation of the pancreas, doctors recommend the use of warm dishes - such food is more easily absorbed by the body. Therefore, the use of cold jelly is contraindicated, since it will require more strength from the organs involved in digestion to digest it.

With gastritis

Since jelly makes digestion work more actively, it can be consumed only by those people whose disease is associated with low acidity. It is also worth remembering a few rules: jellied meat should be made from lean meat and without the addition of hot spices.

With gastritis with high acidity, the use of aspic is contraindicated.

With gout

Jellied meat is not recommended for people suffering from gout.This disease is caused by the presence of uric acid in the blood, as well as a violation in the exchange of their derivatives - purines. The meat broth, of which jelly, in fact, consists, can emit them, exacerbating the situation.

With hemorrhoids

Jellied with hemorrhoids is not contraindicated. The only condition is the addition of more chopped meat than with conventional cooking.

With cholecystitis

With inflammation of the gallbladder, it is also worth abandoning aspic. The reason for the contraindications is still the same - difficulties in digesting the product in cases where the organs cannot function to the full extent.

Harm and contraindications

In addition to useful properties, each product has its own minus. Jellied meat has a high cholesterol content, especially if there is a strong broth used. Cholesterol can accumulate in the vessels, clogging them, thereby adversely affecting blood circulation and the cardiovascular system.

A contraindication to increased consumption of jelly is the ability of cold meat to slow down the metabolism due to the heavy load exerted on the liver, which leads to weight gain.

Also, if there are problems with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, it is better to refrain from using jellied meat, as it is considered a hard-to-digest product.

How to store jelly

Several factors affect the storage of jelly, and the first of them is the composition of the dish itself.

1. Jellied meat, which includes meat, broth and salt, can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 days.
2. The more non-meat ingredients in the dish (for example, peas, corn), the shorter the shelf life. In this case, the jelly can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 days.
3. Additives such as garlic, horseradish and black pepper increase the shelf life. They have a bactericidal and antioxidant effect on products. Adding these spices to the recipe will save jellied meat for up to 7 days.

In any case, it is necessary to store the jelly in the refrigerator, on a shelf next to the freezer. It must be closed with a lid or wrapped in cling film.

Is it possible to freeze

With freezing, you can extend the life of jellied meat up to 2 months. To do this, pack the jelly in small plastic containers so as not to freeze / thaw it several times, and take it out if necessary.

To prepare the frozen jellied meat for the table, it is necessary to pull it out of the freezer and defrost it in the microwave or put it in a saucepan and thaw on low heat. After that, boil it for 10 minutes to evaporate the excess liquid, pour into molds and put in the refrigerator for solidification.

How to cook jelly: recipes

Pork

Ingredients for aspic:

• pork legs - 1 kg;
• pork knuckle - 1 kg;
• onion - 2 heads;
• carrots - 1 medium-sized piece;
• Bay leaf;
• black pepper peas - 7 balls;
• salt - 2 tsp

Cooking:

1. Rinse the meat and place it in a large pot. Add water to it - it should cover the meat components by 1 cm.
2. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. After boiling, remove the foam formed on the surface and reduce the heat. Leave to languish for 5 hours.
3. While the broth is cooked, prepare the carrots and onions, after which after cooking time add them to the broth. It is also necessary to bring bay leaf, pepper and salt. Boil another 1 hour over low heat.
4. Remove the meat and vegetables from the broth and let them cool - so it will be easier for you to cut them. The size of the pieces can be selected to your taste. It is better to "tear" the meat with a fork, so you get medium-sized pieces of an interesting shape. Cut the carrots into small circles.
5. Filter the broth through cheesecloth, so it will be more transparent.
6. For an interesting picture of aspic, lay the carrots on the bottom of the form, then add the meat in an even layer and pour the broth on them. Put the future jelly in the refrigerator for solidification for 12 hours (this way it will freeze better).

You can serve jellied meat with mustard, horseradish or adjika.

From chicken

To make chicken jelly, the following components are required:

• semi-finished chicken products (drumsticks) - 1.5 kg;
• chicken soup set (neck, back) - 1.5 kg;
• chicken legs - 500 g;
• onions (only gold, red variety not to use) - 2 pcs.;
• garlic (fresh or dried) - 50 g;
• fragrant laurel - 2 pcs.;
• allspice peas;
• drinking water - 2.5 liters.

Stages of preparation:

1. We rinse the raw materials with water, remove the skin from the soup set. We move the meat to the stew-pan (necessarily deep), fill it with water and put on a strong fire.
2. Later, as the broth boils, we reduce the level of fire and remove the foam. We cover the stewpan with a lid and boil for another 3-4 hours. During the whole cooking process, remove the foam so that the jelly broth is transparent in jelly.
3. At the end of the necessary time for cooking, add peeled onions, garlic, parsley and peas to the meat broth. Tomim with additives for another 30 minutes.
4. At the end of half an hour, remove the stewpan from the fire and pull out all the contents from it. We throw out the chicken legs, and remove the meat from the soup set and semi-finished products and tear it apart with your fingers or a fork.
5. We distribute the meat to the bottom of the plate (or other container), you can supplement it with corn or peas as a bright decoration. After that, fill the contents with meat broth and leave the jelly in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours.

The dish can be served with French mustard.

From beef

For beef jelly, it is necessary to prepare the following components:

• beef shank - 1.5 kg;
• beef or veal shanks - 1.5 kg;
• onions (only gold, do not use red variety) - 2 heads;
• carrots - 2 pieces of medium size;
• fragrant laurel - 1 pc.;
• thyme - 1 tsp;
• garlic (fresh or dried) - 20 g;
• table salt - 1 tablespoon;
• water - 4 l.

Cooking process:

1. We cut all meat components into small pieces and carefully wash them under running water, removing possible bone fragments and dirt.
2. We put the meat in a deep stewpan and fill it with liquid so that it slightly covers the top.
3. We bring the meat and bone raw materials to a boil, remove the foam and reduce the heat. It will be necessary to cook it for 4 hours. The more often you remove the foam during the cooking process, the more transparent and lighter the jellied meat will turn out.
4. While the meat is cooked, we prepare vegetable additives. Cut the carrots in half, peel the onion (it does not need to be cut, leave it whole). We just peel the garlic - we will use it in its entirety.
5. After the cooking time, add the prepared vegetable additives to the broth. Together with them, we add salt and spices to it. Tomim broth for another 2.5–3 hours.
6. After that, we extract the vegetables from the broth - they have already given all the necessary taste qualities to him. Also from it we take out the boiled meat and bone raw materials.
7. We cool the boiled beef so that it is easier to separate it from the bone, and break it into small pieces with a fork. The value can be varied and determined by yourself.
8. We place the meat on the bottom of a deep plate or form in which our future aspic will be. To give jellied meat more decorative, you can add slices of carrots, which were cooked before. The meat portion should occupy a third of the plate or form.
9. We pass the broth through cheesecloth to remove possible bone remains. Also, after such a procedure, it will be somewhat more transparent.
10. Pour the broth over the meat on top and send the jelly in the refrigerator for 12 hours so that the jelly freezes better.

You can serve jellied meat with mustard, garnishing with sprigs of parsley or dill.

From turkey

To cook jelly from turkey, it is necessary to prepare the following products:

• turkey (you can buy a whole) - 2 kg;
• water - 1.5 liters;
• garlic (fresh or dried) - 50 g;
• fragrant laurel - 2 pcs.;
• onion (only gold, do not use red variety) - 1 pc.;
• whole carrots - 1 piece;
• allspice peas;
• salt - 1 tsp

Cooking:

1. We cut the carcass of the idea into parts (wings, breast, legs, and so on), we do not remove the skin - it will be necessary for further cooking of the broth. We put the chopped bird in a stewpan and fill it with water so that the liquid barely covers it. We put on the stove and cook to a boil, then reduce the heat. It is necessary to have time to remove the foam when boiling.
2. We attach the peeled vegetables - carrots, onions and garlic and simmer the meat broth over a quiet fire for 3 hours with constant removal of foam. Half an hour before the completion of the heat treatment, we add spices and salt.
3. At the end of half an hour, remove the stewpan from the fire, remove the turkey and vegetables from the resulting meat broth. We cool the meat and literally tear it into pieces of different sizes. Cut the carrot into slices. We put all this into shape so that the meat covers the whole bottom.
4. We pass the broth through a sieve or cheesecloth and fill it with turkey. Leave the jelly in the refrigerator for 12 hours until the jelly is completely fixed. The table can be served with a decoration of dill or parsley.

From fish

There is quite a bit of gelatin in the fish, so for the preparation of jellied meat from it you will need its additional addition.

Jellied meat includes:

• whole carp (or pike perch) - 2 kg;
• gelatin - 2 tbsp. spoons;
• carrots - 1 medium-sized piece;
• onions - 1 head;
• salt - 1 tsp

Cooking:

1. We cut the fish into slices, skin, remove bones. We also cut off the head and tail, but do not throw it out.
2. From the waste (tail, head, bones), we cook the rich broth to a boil, after which we reduce the heat and throw the carrots and onions into the stewpan and simmer for another half an hour.
3. We take out the fish parts from the broth - they will no longer be needed. Pass the broth through a strainer or cheesecloth and then mix it well with gelatin.
4. We lay the fillet on the bottom of the form and cover it on top with a meat broth with gelatin, after which we leave the jelly in the refrigerator for a long time.

Before serving, you can decorate with greens.

How to cook in a slow cooker

The jelly recipe is pretty simple. It will require the following ingredients:

• pork drumsticks on the bone - 1 kg;
• beef shanks - 1 kg;
• medium-sized carrots - 2 pcs.;
• garlic (fresh or dried) - 50 g;
• fragrant laurel - 2 pcs.;
• onions (only gold, do not use red variety) - 1 head;
• allspice peas;
• drinking water - 3 liters.

Cooking:

1. The initial stage does not have any differences from the standard one - we wash the meat and put it in a saucepan. We fill it with half the water that was prepared in advance, and send it to the stove. Tomim until boiling bubbles appear on the surface. This step is necessary to soften the meat.
2. The broth is not needed, so we merge it. We put the meat in the bowl of the multicooker, add it with the remaining water and put spices, carrots and onions in the same place.
3. The contents of the simmer in the multicooker on the "Extinguishing" mode for a couple of hours.
4. After the time has expired, remove all contents from the bowl. Grind the meat to the required size, cut the carrots into slices, not more than 5 mm thick, and lay them on the bottom of the mold.
5. Pass the broth through cheesecloth and fill them with meat.
6. We leave the future aspic in the refrigerator for a long time until it completely hardens.

Cooking jellied meat in a multicooker is convenient in that there is no need to monitor the time of heat treatment.

How to dilute gelatin for aspic

Gelatin can be diluted in two ways:

1. In the broth. Gelatin is added to 250 ml of hot broth and mixed until completely dissolved. The resulting liquid is poured into the broth left for the jelly and mixed thoroughly.
2. In water. Gelatin is added to 250 ml of liquid and left to swell. Then it is placed in a water bath to obtain a homogeneous liquid and dissolve small lumps.At the last stage, the liquid is combined with the broth and carefully mixed.

The amount of gelatin added is due to the desired state of jelly:

• For a soft "shaking" jelly, the proportions are 25 g per 1 liter of liquid.
• For average density - 50 g per 1 liter of liquid.
• For a dense structure - 65 g per 1 liter of liquid.

What to do if the jelly is not frozen

In order not to make this mistake, before you start cooking, you can check whether the jelly will harden with the raw material of your choice or not. To do this, take about 100 ml of meat broth, boiled for a couple of hours, which is poured in a saucer and put in the refrigerator. For the test, it will take no more than 2 hours - the liquid must solidify during this time.

If, nevertheless, the jelly is not seized, and the broth is ready, add gelatin to it (the methods for adding it are indicated above).

Why does the jelly get cloudy

It often happens that after cooking the broth, it is found that it is a dull shade, so that the meat in it will not be visible in the future. Consider the main causes of this problem:

1. Poorly washed used raw materials. To prepare the broth, inexpensive meat (legs, drumsticks, ears and so on) is used, which the manufacturer, sometimes, disregards in terms of quality washing. Therefore, it is important to carry out this procedure at home, carefully removing residual dirt and industrial fats.
2. The presence of foam. In the process of cooking the broth, a protein foam is formed. If it is not removed immediately, it will settle and eventually dissolve in the broth, making it cloudy. In this case, even filtering the broth through cheesecloth will not help.

The situation can be easily corrected with ordinary chicken eggs. It is necessary to bring the broth again to a boil and break 2 pieces of raw eggs into it, then beat the resulting mixture until a foam is obtained, which is quickly removed. After the procedure, strain the broth again. These actions should help partially solve the turbidity problem.

What do jellies eat with?

It’s rare that a side dish is served as a side dish, it is full and good on its own. Only spicy sauces, such as mustard, horseradish or adjika, are suitable for it. But since this is a meat dish, some housewives serve boiled or baked potatoes with it. The main thing is not to put them on one plate, otherwise the jelly will start to melt from hot potatoes.

You can serve vegetable salads (such as vinaigrette or beetroot with garlic) or simply put pickled cucumbers, tomatoes and mushrooms in a plate.

Can a dog be given jelly

Jellied meat is a meat dish full of ingredients useful not only for humans, but also for pets. Therefore, dogs can sometimes enjoy this dish. But some rules still exist:

1. Do not give jelly to obese dogs - it is very high-calorie.
2. Do not make jellied bones for dogs - their fragments are very dangerous and can damage the gastrointestinal tract of your four-legged friend.
3. High fat jelly can harm the liver, so it is better to give the dog jelly no more than 2 times a week and in an amount of not more than 1 kg (for large individuals).

Interesting facts about aspic

1. Many say that if you seize alcohol (vodka, in particular) with jelly, then the feeling of a hangover in the morning is not so strong. The reason lies in glycine, which reduces headaches. It helps to neutralize harmful alcohol substances.
2. Before preparing the jelly broth, it is recommended to keep the meat parts in ice water for 12 hours. Such a trick will make the meat softer, and the broth - lighter and more transparent.
3. If golden jelly is needed, add well-washed, unpeeled onions when cooking.
4. Some housewives control the ability to thicken the broth by palpation.Put a couple drops of broth on your fingers: if they stick together when touched, then the jelly broth is made correctly - good pieces of raw material are selected and its ratio with liquid is correctly selected.
5. Initially, the jelly was called peasants' food in Russia, and now it decorates any table on New Year's Eve.

Jellied photo