Do over…and over

Gelatin’s weak bonding properties have other implications, especially for error-prone dessert makers. Since heat is all it takes to separate gelatin molecules from one another, even after they’ve already bonded, you can repeat the melting and setting process over and over again.

Which means that if your panna cotta is too thin (as mine probably will be, since I forgot to scrape all the melted gelatin out of my little mixing bowl into the cream), you can simply put it back in the pan, warm it up, add a little more gelatin and let it set again.