Red Food Coloring Doesn't Allow Icing To Dry!!

Baking By southaustingirl Updated 15 Mar 2006 , 3:08pm by southaustingirl

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southaustingirl Posted 2 Mar 2006 , 5:09am
post #1 of 17

I use Americolor - Super Red gel to dye my icing but it takes FOREVER for the icing to dry, sometimes 2-3 days! So when I try to ship the cookies, the red dye/icing gets all over everything else. Is it the type of food coloring? Why does this happen?

The liquid red food coloring just doesn't get red enough.....the kind in the little plastic squeeze bottle.

16 replies
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JoAnnB Posted 2 Mar 2006 , 5:52pm
post #2 of 17

The color shouldn't effect the drying time that much. What recipe for icing are you using? If you add the color as part of the liquid in your icing, it "should" still dry fine.

Have you tried drying them in front of a low fan?

Can you use your frosting not so thin or apply it less thick

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ColorBoy Posted 2 Mar 2006 , 6:22pm
post #3 of 17

There is an extreemly small amount of water water in our Soft Gel Paste formulations. So I really doubt that it is the color that is the problem here. but if you provide the lot# on the bottle to us we can check our lab sample.


you need about 1/4 to 1/2 oz of paste to get red, Color will oxidise and deepen so you need to know to make your icing lighter than you want the finished product.


first give me the lot# mabee you have an old batch... We have received complaints from customers that somehow got ahold of really old product and did not order it from cakecentra. Still we honered our commitment for complete customer satisfaction and sent her a replacement.

for now send me Lot# and we will start there

all the colors sold by cakecentral.com are new and under warrenty by AmeriColor

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ColorBoy Posted 2 Mar 2006 , 6:26pm
post #4 of 17

1/4 to 1/2 oz Soft Gel Paste per # of icing icon_smile.gif

Our formulation is specifically made not to break down your icing.

are you refering to Shilling colors the little tear drop liquid colors...they are almost all water and very little dye content.

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lemoncurd Posted 2 Mar 2006 , 7:24pm
post #5 of 17

I used the Super Red in my cookies in my photo album. They were dry as can be by the next day.

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southaustingirl Posted 3 Mar 2006 , 2:49pm
post #6 of 17

I will get the lot # when I get home.........right now I am at work (shush, don't tell anyone!)

I have no idea why this is happening. And this is the only gel type food coloring I have ever used so I don't know if the same thing will happen with other gel colors.

I use the food coloring you can buy at the grocery store and don't have any problems.

The icing is powedered sugar, water, vanilla, cream of tartar and merigue (spelling?) powder.

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ColorBoy Posted 3 Mar 2006 , 4:31pm
post #7 of 17

OK lets start with the Lot #

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southaustingirl Posted 4 Mar 2006 , 1:45am
post #8 of 17

Ok....the lot number is 3015A and it is 220 Super Red

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ColorBoy Posted 6 Mar 2006 , 4:35pm
post #9 of 17

You have a 4.5 oz. bottle of Super Red Soft Gel Paste. Our Lab sample is in perfect condition, I put it in some butter cream icing and it performed perfectly. I don't have the exact icing you are using so I don't know what is going on with yours, Are you making a Royal icing? I remember you saying that you were using meringue powder and Cream of Tater.. I do know that the Cream of Tarter may attack the dye and you may have to use too much to get the red color you want... Other than that there is nothing wrong with our lab sample so the problem is not the color unless your bottle was exposed to something that destroyed it... Is your color still a gel?

We manufacturer a meringue powder that was specifically formulated for Royal Icing you can achieve nice crisp edges and flowers that do not weep. Many of the best artists in the world including Nicholas Lodge use our colors in all types of icing with the greatest success. We are sorry you are having trouble but our color is probably not the problem.

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southaustingirl Posted 6 Mar 2006 , 5:22pm
post #10 of 17

Yes , the food coloring is still a gel. Next time, I will try making the icing without the Cream of Tartar and see what happens. And I don't even know what the Cream of Tartar is for but the recipe calls for it so I use it.

Thanks for the info

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ColorBoy Posted 6 Mar 2006 , 7:37pm
post #11 of 17

Is a wine residue left on the bottom wine casks and is very acidic and used as a drying agent, if you are having trouble with your icing drying use less water and add a pinch of baking soda to neutralize the Cream of Tarter before adding the color. Good luck and let me know how it turns out icon_smile.gif

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Cake_Princess Posted 6 Mar 2006 , 7:51pm
post #12 of 17
Quote:
Originally Posted by southaustingirl

Yes , the food coloring is still a gel. Next time, I will try making the icing without the Cream of Tartar and see what happens. And I don't even know what the Cream of Tartar is for but the recipe calls for it so I use it.

Thanks for the info




Southaustingirl you can leave the cream of tartar out. Try that and see if it fixes your problems

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southaustingirl Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 2:12pm
post #13 of 17

My sis has birthday this month, so I 'll make her some cookies and see how they turn out....thanks for all the tips!!

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JoAnnB Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 7:35pm
post #14 of 17

Cream of tartar works with egg whites and helps the icing crust. If you leave it out, it will take longer to harden the icing.

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Cake_Princess Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 11:16pm
post #15 of 17
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoAnnB

Cream of tartar works with egg whites and helps the icing crust. If you leave it out, it will take longer to harden the icing.





It does not make that much of a difference when using meringue powder. If it's affecting the dyes then the best bet is to leave it out.

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Schmoop Posted 7 Mar 2006 , 11:28pm
post #16 of 17

When I try to color something black or red it always ends up looking kind-of metallic. I was wondering if this could be from beating it so much, I could be way off base, but people always ask how I get that metallic look. I don't know?

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southaustingirl Posted 15 Mar 2006 , 3:08pm
post #17 of 17

well I made some cookies for my sister's b-day...........and I forgot to use the red gel!!! I used other colors.....how dumb of me.

Oh, well, I need to make some more cookies. This time I will use the red gel and see if leaving out the cream of tartar has any effect.

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