Question on Paste Food Coloring

**Kris10** · 07-28-2006, 02:59 PM

I had never worked with liquid paste food coloring until last night and wondered if anyone had some pointers. I was trying to tint some canned frosting to look red. It seemed like if I added more paste, the frosting took on a metallic taste from the red tint. Adding too little left me with pink frosting. What is the best way to make frosting really red?

The project I was working on was making a giant cookie look like a pizza. I tinted the frosting red for the "sauce" and tinted shredded coconut with yellow food coloring for "cheese." I made my "toppings" from smashed gumdrops. I love the result, except that my "sauce" looks a little pink!

**MrKhay** · 07-29-2006, 05:22 AM

cinnamon?
Adds flavor...might not be what you're looking for. Cinnamon might be too close to brown...and you may need to use alot of it. I'm BRAINstorming here...hheheheh.

paprika....no...flavor issue, nice color, though. actually, paprika does'nt seem to have much flavor, but I'm not sure if that's what you're going for.
Maybe melt down some of those red gumdrops, and make a syrup to blend into the white frosting. A double boiler might work for that. try mixing in some light corn syrup. Corn syrup may help of any consistancy issues arrise.
This is how I come up with recipes. Whatever I find in the cupboards, work it in somehow.
Slicing a black licorice stick or 2 or 5 might make some interesting black olive parodies.
Beet juice.
Puree some strawberries in the cuisinart. Just enough to blend in, and make that white frosting red. Raspberries might work, too. Consistancy issues might arise in this application, so have more powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on stand by.
Try adding a drop or two of vanilla extract to the a dablet of the frosting you already dyed. Try it with just a dab of the already dyed frosing you have checking flavor compatibility.
Tell Mr. Wipple at the grocery store to find some red frosting for you. I've never seen red frosting....other than what might be found on a decorated cake. For example:The Roses on a wedding cake. NOT TASTY.
My friends at Phizer recommend FDC 40 Red. They use that in their listerine cinnamon breath strips, and I have'nt noticed a metallic taste when using them.
Red paint would be a bad idea.
Tomato puree...but then, you may as well just make it a real sort or pizza, and the big cookie novelty would be gone.
Are we working with a deadline here?...otherwise wait and see what they bring back from Mars. Mars is red.
Consider something tasty, and red. and what you might have to do to make it into a dye sort of thing for your frosting. Keep flavor compatibility in mind.
Cover the entire cookie with sliced strawberries, and work it from there. Strawberries are red.
Finely grated apple peelings.... :? ...maybe not
I wish you success in your quest. I'm sure this one will keep me from getting any sleep until I have figured out the best possible ingredient to turn white frosting red.

Keep me posted, as I really enjoy sleeping.
Brain 8O

**MrKhay** · 07-29-2006, 08:14 AM

does it have to be frosting?
a nice strawberry, or red raspberry sauce would sit nicely.
If you have white frosting that you were hoping to use, use it as the mozerella cheese. Use your crafty imagination as to how to make frosting look like strands of mozerella.
I like the strawberry, or raspberry sauce idea. Mix some rhubarb sauce in with the other fruit sauce, as rhubarb helps a person stay regular.

**Kris10** · 07-31-2006, 08:02 AM

I like the idea of a raspberry sauce for this recipe. Good idea! Still interested in more info on the paste food coloring though...

**MrKhay** · 07-31-2006, 10:42 AM

WOW, Kris, your post made it to the first page of a google search for paste food coloring.
It's all about the fame of it all.
Brain

Crys · 07-31-2006, 11:30 AM

How about grenadine? I know you can use it to make fake blood and it covers up the taste of the light corn syrup and cornstarch, so I'd think you could use it in frosting to deepen the color without making it taste bad.

**MrKhay** · 07-31-2006, 12:26 PM

Grenadine.....Add some orange juice, and tequilla, and enjoy the "sunrise"
:wink:

**Kris10** · 07-31-2006, 03:06 PM

I do stock Old Fashioned mix at home... that would certainly make the frosting red, though I hate to waste the Old Fashioned mix!

I think the point of the paste food coloring is that it doesn't dilute your frosting. I've used maraschino cherry juice with frosting in the past but it makes the frosting very runny, like a glaze.

**MrKhay** · 07-31-2006, 04:17 PM

....add some powdered sugar to the runny frosting. This practice will firm it back up. Add some vanilla extract to bring back the flavor. This is optional. Of course. More sugar will increase the sweetness factor by a realitive degree.
Sauce of the raspberry, or strawberry is actually the better choice. Consider the rhubarb mix, as rhubarb will increase the tartness, and dilute some of the sweetness...plus, it keeps you regular.
The white frosting as mozzerella cheese idea works for me. Dispense the frosting through a pastry bag, with a small tip, as to create strands that appear to be mozzerella.
At any rate, enjoy the immense possibilities in creating the "BIG COOKIE PIZZA".
Let us know how it turns out. Post your recipe when you have it tweeked.
Brain

**MrKhay** · 08-15-2006, 12:43 AM

what happened?
how'd that go?
did that turn out alright?
where are we on the food coloring paste query?

**Kris10** · 08-15-2006, 08:19 AM

I made the giant cookie and brought it in for theBubbler crew last week. I think the verdict is that when you bring in a giant cookie, it doesn't matter how you decorate it! People just like giant cookies!

I did find this handy article from Wilton that discusses paste food coloring. There is a taste-free red coloring available for tinting large amounts of frosting. I still like the jam ideas though, you can't go wrong with adding more sugar!

Crys · 08-15-2006, 01:39 PM

The verdict on the giant cookie is: Kris10 should bring in more giant cookies :lol:

The coconut really looked like grated cheese. I had to taste just that before I bit into the cookie just to be sure it wasn't a prank.

**MrKhay** · 08-15-2006, 03:02 PM

did you use sliced black licorice ?
...in place of sliced black olives 8O

**Kris10** · 08-16-2006, 02:43 PM

I didn't use black licorice but that's a great idea! I guess you could top it with anything, really.

**MrKhay** · 08-16-2006, 09:41 PM

...chopped up gumdrops would make exellent veggie supplant