You’re what you take into your system! You probably might have heard that a million times.
Food is essential for our survival. But then, people must be mindful of what they eat. You also must be careful about what you add to your foods to make them spicy, tastier, bitter, or sweet or boast certain colors.
Food coloring has found a special place in our kitchens over the years. They help change the color of foods, and most are considered safe for consumption.
But here’s an essential question we can’t ignore.
Can you add food coloring to candy melts?
Yes, you can! Food coloring works fine with candy melts. But pay attention to this. Only use oil-based food coloring. Avoid water-based or gel-based icing. These aren’t a good choice for candy melts.
The reason water-based food colorings are not a good option is this. They can cause your candy to seize. You don’t want such to happen. So, ditch water and gel-based food coloring. Oil-based ones are the best option.
We have more information on this topic for you. So, continue reading!
Is It Okay To Add Food Coloring To Your Melted Chocolate?
Yes, why not. It is possible, though you have to pick the color of choice and add to your chocolate the right way.
The first step to adding food coloring to chocolate is to melt the chocolate. It is quite a tricky process, though. Why? There’s a chance your chocolate might get burned.
You don’t want to lose the shine your chocolate has or have one that’s thick and muddy. So, try not to burn your chocolate when melting it.
The easiest way to avoid this is by taking the chocolate off the heat source before it melts completely.
But generally, melting chocolate is a tricky task. And melting white chocolate is even more challenging.
Now, let’s continue on tips on adding food coloring to melted chocolate.
We said you could add food coloring to your white melted chocolate to produce any color of choice. However, the type of food coloring used matters a great deal.
Powdery or oil-based food coloring is a wise choice. But the best is oil-based food color. Why? It is a better option if adding light color to the food item is a priority.
In the case of chocolate, adding light color to the chocolate is the main target. The reason is that the taste might change when excess color is added.
Your chocolate might start to taste bitter or could even stain your mouth when you add excess color to it.
How To Add Food Coloring To Your Candy Melt
We mentioned before that oil-based coloring is the ideal option for candy melts. Water and gel-based food coloring could cause the candy melts to seize.
Now, how do you add food color to your candy melt to achieve the colored candy you desire? Follow the steps below.
Step#1: Get all equipment ready:
You don’t need to splash the cash on any special equipment to melt the candy and add food coloring. You probably have all you require for this procedure in your kitchen.
Here are the things you need.
- Microwave
- Candy
- Food coloring (oil-based)
- Toothpick or knife
- Microwave-safe bowl
- Spatula or spoon
So, here are things you need in order to color your candy melts. Let’s move to the next stage
Step#2: Start melting the candy:
Place the amount of candy you would like to melt in a microwave-safe bowl. Then put the bowl in the microwave. Heat it for a minute at 50 percent power.
Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir for a minute. Please note that the candy won’t look melted at this point. But that shouldn’t bother you.
Keep stirring and place back into the microwave for another 30 seconds, at 50 percent power.
For the third time, remove the bowl from the oven, and stir for one minute. The candy may look thick at this point, but that shouldn’t bother you.
After stirring, place in the microwave for 30 seconds and 50 percent power.
For the fourth time, stir your candy for a minute or two. Then check the temperature to see if you’re melting your candy with the appropriate amount of heat. The candy you’re melting shouldn’t be warmer than your body.
If it is warmer, place it down and give it time to cool down. Once it becomes cooler than your body temperature, this is what you have to do.
Place it back into the microwave and heat for 20 seconds at 30 percent power.
Step#3: Add your food coloring:
It is time to start adding your coloring. And this is the stage where you get to use your knife or toothpick.
Using your knife edge or toothpick (please ensure they’re clean before using them), start adding the food coloring to your melted candy. Please keep adding food coloring and stirring with your spatula or spoon.
Keep adding the color until you achieve the desired color.
Why Did Europe Ban Food Coloring?
The acceptance and use of food coloring aren’t as widespread as many Americans think. While America doesn’t see anything wrong with these food colors, Europe has a contrary view.
So, why is Europe against the use of food coloring?
Food regulators in Europe are more up-to-date and proactive than America’s food regulators. And many additives America allows are banned in Europe.
Even hormones and drugs used to help farm animals grow faster or produce more milk isn’t allowed in Europe. But right here in America, food regulators don’t see anything wrong with them.
So, why does Europe frown at food dyes? The answer is simply because of health concerns.
A study revealed that food coloring is genotoxic. Now, what does this mean?
Genotoxic means Genetic and Toxic. So, tagging food coloring as genotoxic means, it contains a chemical that can damage one’s DNA. DNA refers to genetic material present in the cells. When damaged, cancer or more severe disease is a possibility.
How You Can Avoid Food Coloring Health Risk
The FDA provides updates on food additives considered safe or harmful. And a handful of these additives have been dragged off the market.
But here’s where the challenges lie. The system the FDA is operating under isn’t set up to conduct reevaluation on these food additives from time to time.
They only check and approve or disapprove once and never return to the market to check if the manufacturers are using something different.
So, the bulk of the work is on the consumer. We have to be vigilant and do thorough checking before taking any food into our bodies.
Here’s how you can avoid any potential health concerns that may result from the use of food coloring.
#1: Become a product label-reader:
Read labels of every food item you purchase can be a chore. But it is one thing you must consider doing to ensure good health.
Don’t companies who are after profit to damage your health. Read the product label to identify any constituent that is unsafe for you.
There’s nothing wrong with making up your mind to avoid inorganic foods. Your health should always come first.
#2: Check valuable resources for help:
Active consumer advocacy groups have sprung up in America. And they’re providing useful information to help consumers make the best choice.
The EWG and CSPI are renowned groups whose information you can rely on to decide additives to avoid or whose consumption you have to limit.
Diverse apps on the app store can also prove helpful. Search for the term “food ingredient scanner,” and you’ll find a couple of them. New ones might have emerged, but the two popularly used ones are Ingredio and Sift Food labels.
With a bar code or picture of the ingredient, these apps will alert you on risks associated with consuming the ingredient in question.
Conclusion
Can you add food coloring to candy melts? The response to this question is yes. However, consider using oil-based food coloring. It is a better option than gel-based and water coloring.
Oil-based food coloring is also ideal for chocolate melt. They can ensure you achieve lighter chocolate color and retain the taste of the chocolate.
Furthermore, food additives are popular and acceptable in America, but that’s not the case in Europe. Europe is against using food additives because they believe it is genotoxic.
