When Otto Markel stumbled upon the 1963 spiral-bound The Joys of Jell-O, he decided to commit himself to make at least one recipe a week. Hence, the birth of Otto vs. Jello. Of the 45 gelatin recipes he has completed, he admits to only liking two. "But only a little bit," Markel says. Both versions were approximately 70% fruit suspended in gelatin.
Heavy cream and lady finger cookies are two ingredients that keep cropping up in recipes. "I've got a couple of neighbors that are young kids… I keep pawning my Jell-Os on them and they're seeming to like it," he says.
While Markel hasn't been able to track down discontinued flavors like — wait for it — celery, Italian dressing, tomato, and root beer, his favorite discovery has been peach Jell-O. Next on his list, a lemon Jell-O with tuna and mayonnaise. Follow his adventures on TikTok.
This sour cream recipe lets you choose your own flavor, so Otto Markel reached for one of the surplus boxes of strawberry in his cupboard. Photo by Shivani Rustagi.
"It's not bad, it's just not very good," says Otto Markel of this double decker dessert featuring raspberry Jell-O and pear slices. Photo by Shivani Rustagi.