Food Coloring...what A Mess!!!

Decorating By scoobam Updated 24 Jun 2005 , 12:02am by nanni

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scoobam Posted 14 Jun 2005 , 1:51am
post #1 of 19

Hi everyone!!

Gotta say I love this website!!!!! I have learned a ton just from reading through everything.

Anyway, I have a question about food coloring. At class tonight I decided to do a cake with red and blue for flag day tomorrow. Well, what a mess!!!

Is there any coloring that won't die EVERYTHING!!! My hands were a disaster and at one point the instructor licked some red icing off her finger and her two front teeth went red for a while!! I was so embarrassed!

The cake is going to DH's work in the morning and I picture everyone walking around with red and blue tongues, teeth and hands!! ARG

Any tips??

Thanks a bunch!

PS I used the Wilton colorings. But plan on buying Americolor... would those be any better for this issue?

18 replies
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tcturtleshell Posted 14 Jun 2005 , 3:12am
post #2 of 19

I wish I could tell you something good about colored icing Scoobam but there is no good news. All icing especially the darker colors leave color behind. On your teeth, tongue, & fingers! I just did a fish cake last weekend.. blue water. The icing was creamcheese & I LOVE creamcheese... I was tasting spoon fulls while icing the cake! My Mom saw my tongue & made a comment that the icing must be really good because my tongue was the same color icon_smile.gif

When I use red my fingers are red for days. I try to use gloves but I always forget!

Good luck~

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SquirrellyCakes Posted 14 Jun 2005 , 4:47am
post #3 of 19

Heehee and oh yes, just a little warning, but for some folks the colour comes out in BM's, pleasant thought, isn't it? I still remember doing a Cookie Monster cake and having to warn all of the mothers of the possibility. Royal blue, red, black can all have this effect.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

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cupcakequeen Posted 14 Jun 2005 , 6:44am
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SquirrellyCakes, toooooo funny! I had no idea! That would be a funny practical joke on someone. Blue! LOL... ~sigh....

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scoobam Posted 14 Jun 2005 , 5:05pm
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LOL Thanks everyone! Well, glad it's just not my cakes.

I can't wait for DH to come home and tell me that the guys were complaining of Blue and Red BM's!!! icon_surprised.gificon_lol.gif

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debsuewoo Posted 14 Jun 2005 , 6:04pm
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My kids LOVE the colored isings, especially the ones I have finished with so they can eat the left overs and gross each other out with the tongue colors. As for my hands being colored, so far I've been lucky and haven't had any 'stains' I had to explain.

Debbi

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aunt-judy Posted 17 Jun 2005 , 7:16pm
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icon_eek.gif no kidding about that persistence of colour! i learned about this about a year into decorating after i tinted buttercream a very deep, shiny, cobalty blue...it was beautiful, and "the blue cake" (and its after-effects) is now a family legend. not just colour survives the human GI tract, but also titanium-based white, which can be used to lighten colours or tint buttercream super-white...this was quite alarming to my boyfriend, as pale BMs are a sign of serious disease! icon_surprised.gif imagine how relieved he was when i told him it was just the little white cake i had been experimenting with that he had eaten for dessert.

colour tip: icing colour deepens and darkens upon standing. tint your icing ahead of time especially when trying for intense colours (be sure to stir buttercream after standing, as it does become airy). thumbs_up.gif

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wandy27 Posted 17 Jun 2005 , 7:42pm
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OMG!!! LOL!!! That's way to funny guys hahahahahaha icon_eek.gificon_lol.gif

Wandy

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peg818 Posted 18 Jun 2005 , 7:10pm
post #9 of 19

to save my hands from staining, i use a little crisco on them. Just rub some in before using the coloring and the color will wash off easier. It also keeps your hands soft.

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nanni Posted 19 Jun 2005 , 3:15am
post #10 of 19

Watch out about getting the color on your countertops-especially if light countertops-it can stain-......

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SquirrellyCakes Posted 19 Jun 2005 , 5:05am
post #11 of 19

That is true Nanni. If your countertop is bleach safe, just take a dishcloth, run it in really hot water, wring it out, pour liquid laundry bleach like Javex over the cloth that you have placed over the coloured area and leave it there for a bit. The food colouring comes right out. This also works really well on wooden unfinished cutting boards.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

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littlebubbieschocolates Posted 21 Jun 2005 , 2:30pm
post #12 of 19

ha i used to get strange looks bc my hands would be stained with diff colors. now that they know i have my own bakery business. they dont even ask. icon_biggrin.gif

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ntertayneme Posted 21 Jun 2005 , 2:55pm
post #13 of 19

I've dyed my hands so many colors before ... I never have worked out how I can be so careful with colors and yet get it all over my hands...

My sister and I took our first decorating class together... by the time we got out of the class, she had some on her face and on her derriere ... I had it all over on me too .. when she was walking out of class, I just cracked up laughing .. she turned, looked at me and I lost composure again because she had 2 streaks of it on her face ... now we've gotten better with not getting it all over ourselves, however, the hands still get dyed *sigh* icon_biggrin.gif

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DesignsbyD Posted 21 Jun 2005 , 4:48pm
post #14 of 19

Just thought I would share this with everyone. My son got green frosting on my counter top last week. Clorox cleanup takes it right out. I also spray a little on my hands after I am done doing the coloring,it takes it off your hands also. May not be the best thing for your skin but all you need is a tiny bit!

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TheJammer Posted 23 Jun 2005 , 10:52pm
post #15 of 19

you can get color off your hands easily using a little bleach espicially if the color contains red 3 (dont put bleach in the kids mouths icon_smile.gif

Ive read that AmeriColor's formulation actually encapsulates the color molicule limiting taste and fading and found that it will still stain your hands and mouth but not as much

soap ,water and a green pad works wonders

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nanni Posted 23 Jun 2005 , 11:17pm
post #16 of 19

I have actually gotten a cake order by having coloring on my hands. I was at a store standing in line when someone noticed my hands and laughed-looked like I was working with my granddaughter doing a project or something-we got to talking and got a cake order!! Any advertisement is good advertisement!

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kakesbyrobin Posted 23 Jun 2005 , 11:55pm
post #17 of 19

My first charachter cake I did was blue from blues clues.
I had mopped my floor that morning and it was nice and white.When I was done decorating I noticed blue spots on the floor and I kept trying to mopp them up with a damp mop,only everytime I turned around there seemed to be more spots than I started with.It took me a minute to realize that i had coloring on the bottom of my shoe.lol.

Everytime I took a step I left another spot. icon_razz.gif

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kakesbyrobin Posted 23 Jun 2005 , 11:56pm
post #18 of 19

My first charachter cake I did was blue from blues clues.
I had mopped my floor that morning and it was nice and white.When I was done decorating I noticed blue spots on the floor and I kept trying to mopp them up with a damp mop,only everytime I turned around there seemed to be more spots than I started with.It took me a minute to realize that i had coloring on the bottom of my shoe.lol.

Everytime I took a step I left another spot. icon_razz.gif

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nanni Posted 24 Jun 2005 , 12:02am
post #19 of 19

don't ya just hate that!!! Or it's on a part of your arm where you rest it on the counter doing something and leave a spot--I'm trying to get more tube colors rather than jar colors-less messy..no toothpicks to roll off the papertowel/wax paper piece where you put all your "used goods" til you get to the garbage!

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