Pudding isn't setting?

Question

I made some coconut pudding using a recipe I had found, but I’m having some trouble getting it to set. I used this recipe once before and ended up boiling it for probably closer to 2 minutes instead of the suggested 1 minute and it thickened up fine. This time I did exactly 1 minute and it’s still pretty liquidly after a few hours in the fridge.

I’m wondering if I should return the pudding to a pot and boil it a little more – or if I have missed my chance at this point?

pudding thickening

I'm wondering if I should return the pudding to a pot and boil it a little more - or if I have missed my chance at this point?

Sobachatina · Accepted Answer

Puddings, of the type in your recipe, are thickened mostly by starch gelling. The egg yolks and milk provide some thickening as well as the smooth, custardy texture.

Both the starch and egg proteins gel before the boiling temperature. Recipes call for a few minutes of boiling for an entirely different and fascinating reason.

There is an enzyme in raw egg yolks that digests starches. A few minutes of boiling is required to deactivate those enzymes. If your pudding didn't gel, and some time has passed, your eggs may have eaten your cornstarch. In this case, boiling it more wouldn't help.

You might try whisking in some more starch and then boiling it again. This would take some experimentation. I wouldn't replace the entire quantity of starch from the recipe at first.

Pudding isn't setting?

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