Can of air?

Hey Pennywells,

     I'm not sure what it is but I do know that you can't use the canned air that you would use for computers because it'll make everyone sick. There are a few forum posts about that happening. Kerry Vincent just posted something about that on facebook last week and how there's a company that has just relabeled the computer canned air and sold it as an edible canned-air-fast-dryer product.

I'm not sure how realistic either of those shows are but I don't want to chance making people sick just to dry things faster. Does anyone know the food-safe type of canned air? Sorry i can't be of more help!

Jennifer

I haven't been watching the series. 

But there is such a thing as canned air--used in labs and in computers. It's called "Dust off'" or something similar.  Staples sells it, as do computer stores.  Stuff costs a bundle. It has some sort of inedible chemical in it--you can smell a faint odour after you spray it onto metal.  But ya know, Buddy who licks and then sticks his finger into icing on camera isn't going to be the one to teach anybody to read labels....

There are little dusting guns that spray carbon dioxide from the same cartridges that are used for homemade soda.  Definitely food safe--you buy the refills in bulk from a restaurant supply. The brand is CleanDr AirBlaster--the actuator (gun) is sold separately from the refills.  Use google or amazon--I got mine at Staples here in Canuckistan.

If I had to dry the surface of a food item fast,  I would use the stream of air from a cake decorating airbrush with no liquid added.  Drying anything thicker than a fine petal or very thin ribbon will take a few hours regardless of whether you are blowing air at it or not.

The computer canned air has a bitterant in it to discourage kids inhaling it.  One time I cleaned a bunch of flour off of a case of soda (personal use) with it without realizing and it made it taste NASTY (from the residue on the can tops).

The air sprays that are made for food basically just chill so they set chocolate quickly.  There is no magic formula for getting just moist products like fondant to dry - just time, environment, and a food dehydrator or oven fan and the like.

Marina Sousa uses this in her Craftsy classes http://www.shopchefrubber.com/Freeze-Spray-and-Canned-Air/

According to the webpage, this material  http://www.shopchefrubber.com/Magic-Freeze-Spray-480ml-Can/  has been approved for food "contact" in the USA. "Contact" means that you take care that the food does not absorb the chemical.  The active agent is the same stuff used to make Teflon.  Any takers?

The linked air spray page doesn't say what chemical is used.  But look at the price--and just think how many rolls of paper towels you could buy to wipe out candy molds for the price of one can of this stuff. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by pennywells 

Could so use this stuff if anyone has any idea what it is????

Which "stuff" are you referring to?

The best way to dry gumpaste items quickly on a regular basis is to buy a "food dehydrator" because there are lots of racks and it uses low heat. It speeds up the drying from 24 hours to 2-4 hours.

The "edible" freezing sprays are VERY EXPENSIVE and they are intended for chocolate NOT gumpaste.

Finally, you can email "Cake Boss" directly, if you want to know what they used on their program.  It's linked from their TV network page.