How did Jell-O go from an elaborate luxury to one of America’s most famous convenience foods—and eventually to tuna suspended in lime gelatin?

In this episode of America’s Eats, we trace the surprising history of Jell-O from Peter Cooper’s nineteenth-century gelatin experiments and Pearle Wait’s 1897 product through mass advertising, recipe booklets, home economics, electric refrigeration, savory Jell-O salads, Ring-Around-the-Tuna, and Bill Cosby’s long association with the brand.

Along the way, Jell-O reveals something larger about American food history: how our ideas about convenience, modernity, good cooking, and sophisticated taste can change completely from one generation to the next.

America’s Eats tells the surprising history of America through the food Americans eat. Follow the show for new episodes every Tuesday.

Ever wondered about the humble green bean casserole? This Thanksgiving staple has a fascinating history, and it all started with a humble Campbell's Soup employee named Dorcas Reilly. Join us as we delve into the story of this iconic dish, from its humble beginnings to its rise as a beloved Thanksgiving tradition.

Get ready to jiggle with delight as we dive into the wonderfully weird world of Jell-O! From its humble beginnings as a 19th-century flop to its mid-century reign as America's favorite dessert, we'll uncover the surprising history of this wobbly wonder. We'll explore Jell-O's rise to fame, its iconic flavors and molds, and those questionable "congealed salads" that thankfully faded into the past (mostly). So grab a spoon and join us for a nostalgic trip down memory lane as we celebrate the jiggly, wiggly, and undeniably delicious history of Jell-O!