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I made a chili with home-made stock that appeared to have plenty of gelatin in it as the chili wobbled like a jelly when defrosted but when I subsequently heated it the sauce was very watery.

Is this a case of simply not reducing my sauce enough when I originally made it (despite its jellyness) or is something else going on?

Si Keep
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    That's just how gelatin is... I thought? Anything that has gelatin in it (say Jell-o) will solidify when cold and will liquefy when hot. Is there something else that you're asking about here? – Catija Jul 29 '16 at 15:43
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    Yep, that's just how gelatin works. But - are you saying that the chili was the proper thickness when you made it, but watery upon reheating later? – Chris Bergin Jul 29 '16 at 16:22
  • "Watery" als in *consistency* or *taste*? – Stephie Jul 29 '16 at 17:28
  • I had expected it to act as a thickening agent to some extent, I thought this was one of the benefits of a good stock? Am I mistaken? thanks everyone. – Si Keep Aug 01 '16 at 08:58

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The properties of gelatin are that it gels when it cools and turns liquid above 90F (32C). There's nothing wrong, it's supposed to do that. The melted gelatin has a silky mouth feel which many consider desirable.

GdD
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This sounds right - if you used bones and connective tissue when making it, the collagen would become gelatin in your stock. When properly reduced (which you did), the stock should set in the fridge into a jelly. If you didn't reduce enough, there'd be too much water remaining.

Quinto
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