Why do the instructions on Jello indicate that boiling water should be used?!
Think of gelatin like a bunch of tiny dried up balls of string. When you put them in the very hot water they open up and get all tangled with each other into one great big knot. Then as it cools, the knot gets tighter and tighter which makes the whole thing set up.
Answers: The gelatin in the Jello is what makes it set. Gelatin is a protein that creates the semi-solid end product.
Think of gelatin like a bunch of tiny dried up balls of string. When you put them in the very hot water they open up and get all tangled with each other into one great big knot. Then as it cools, the knot gets tighter and tighter which makes the whole thing set up.
They've had practice . . .
Hot water helps absorb the sugar crystals at a faster rate thus giving you jello in a shorter amount of time.
It will not melt the jello enough to jell, if you don`t use boiling water. So use it.
So the crystals dissolve faster.