Jello: Salad or dessert?

[Mrs.Toad]

The other food threads reminded me of this one...

Do you think of jello dishes as desserts/treats or as salads?

I grew up in southern California, and jello was a treat or a dessert, served like ice cream or pudding, whether or not it had a little fruit suspended in it.

Dh's family, from the midwest, serves it with meals and refers to as salad, even if it's full of whipped cream and marshmallows. To me, that's dessert. I mean, how do you get your kids to eat any of their meat or veggies, when there's a pile of sugar (or imitation sweetener) on the plate?

 

[Christine]

I voted "both."

Whenver it is served with whipped cream and marshmallows, it is a dessert.

If it is served with tons of fruit added, it can be called a "fruit salad."

On Thanksgiving, I've had one that contains nuts, and fruit and cranberry juice, in a mold. It is a "side dish" but certainly not dessert. I've also had one called "Sunshine Salad" that is made with lemon jello, shredded carrots, and diced pineapple. Again, side salad and certainly not dessert-ish.

 

[blanq]

I voted "both."

Whenver it is served with whipped cream and marshmallows, it is a dessert.

If it is served with tons of fruit added, it can be called a "fruit salad."

I voted both, too, and for the same rationale.

 

[momof3disneyholics]

I can only think of Jello as a dessert.

 

[NMAmy]

Dessert. I've never understood putting things in Jello. Especially carrots. Occasionally, I'll see green jello with carrots in it and it just makes me want to blech.

 

[Honu]

Sugary = dessert

I consider fruit salad a treat/dessert too.

 

[Becky2005]

The other food threads reminded me of this one...

Do you think of jello dishes as desserts/treats or as salads?

I grew up in southern California, and jello was a treat or a dessert, served like ice cream or pudding, whether or not it had a little fruit suspended in it.

Dh's family, from the midwest, serves it with meals and refers to as salad, even if it's full of whipped cream and marshmallows. To me, that's dessert. I mean, how do you get your kids to eat any of their meat or veggies, when there's a pile of sugar (or imitation sweetener) on the plate?

That's OK...it took me YEARS to try the "Jello Salad" at my DH's family because since they said salad -- I thought there was mayo mixed in with the Jello. I'm a rather picky eater so wasn't about to venture to eat that.

Turned out it was the EXACT same thing as what we call "Broken Glass Cake" (more like pie) though that we put in Graham cracker crust. It's a dessert. The white stuff is actually whipped creme. I don't know if it's the official name because I have some Jell-o recipe books and have seen very similar recipe but it was called something else.

They just didn't use the graham cracker crust part & basically was the filling. I think I found out by someone telling someone else the recipe or something & as soon as I heard the description I went "hmm...." so tried some.

The sad part is that is my very favorite Jell-o recipe, so I missed out all those years (yes, I'm not that bold to just ASK "hey what's in this?" or something like that -- being picky is hard enough rather than draw attention to it).

We are both from the Midwest and Jell-o is basically dessert in my family but I know others call it salad -- and that baffles me too.

 

[Dodie]

It depends. If it's full of fruit or Cool Whip or even plain - it's a dessert. However, my family also makes it with shredded carrots, celery, etc. in it. Then it's definitely a side dish/salad.

 

[helenabear]

Dessert to me. I've never seen nor heard of it with carrots or the like, so I guess *that* would be a salad.

But since I voted before I heard of that, I said it was a dessert. Plain, with fruit or whatever that is all a snack/dessert to me and not a salad. Fruit doesn't make it a salad for me though, because there are a lot of desserts out there made out of fruit as well.

 

[Carl]

If you go by where the cafeterias put it, they put it in the salad section.

 

[Beth76]

Midwesterner here. I always refer to it as a "jello salad" and serve it as a side dish, but I certainly don't consider it a replacement for a veggie. And it wouldn't stand alone as a dessert.

 

[theycallmered]

Other, please explain:

Nasty, food like item.

Blech!

 

[Mrs.Toad]

I only like Jello Shots

oops! Can't believe I forgot that one. It should've been a poll option.

Other, please explain:

Nasty, food like item.

Blech!

----------------------------------------

Carrots and celery!? I've never heard of putting veggies in jello, I guess I can see calling that a salad, but I hope there's way more veggies than jello. Otherwise it seems like the texture would be off.

 

[SwedishMeatball]

I think it's for sick people.

 

[ZachnElli]

I was born and raised in Iowa, the jello salad state! But I don't remember any relative ever putting veggies in the jello salad, just fruit. Thank God!

 

[Mrs.Toad]

I think it's for sick people.

That's how I feel about hot tea. Mom only gave it to me when I was sick.

Although we had jello when we were sick, we also had it for after-school snacks and desserts, so no such association for me.

 

[Micca]

Neither for me, thanks. Jello is kinda gross. Jello with stuff in it even moreso.

 

[Goofyzgurl]

It's definitely a dessert....especially with some whipped topping on it.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I'm from the midwest and we do sometimes call it jello salad. But when it is jello salad, that means there is other stuff in and on it - like fruit, marshmallows, etc. Adding the word "salad" is just distinguishing it from regular old jello. It is no more healthy than potato salad or macaroni salad.

For us, Jello was a treat. But my mom would put fruit in it and still call it dessert or a treat or whatever. Sneaky.

 

[ConcKahuna]

Other:

I don't consider it a salad since all it is is powdered animal parts.

I don't like it as a desert either LOL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin