Difference in kinds of food colorings?

[eloise forever]

I have paste food coloring, icing-paste food coloring, and gel-paste food coloring. The latter is in little bottles with flip tops. The two others are in pots. What are the differences amongst these three things? Are some better suited to certain jobs, etc? I am trying to decide which to use for tinting icing for a cake.

And if you are wondering why I own all of these without knowing what they really are, I ordered some sets of things from Martha by Mail(petit fours kit, sanding sugar kit, etc.) that each came with a set of food colors. Now, I have more food coloring than I know what to do with and I am not even sure what to do with it!

[eloise forever]

OK - So I opened a bottle of each kind and they all seem to be the same stuff. Go figure. I have WAY too much food coloring!! And my fingers seem permanently died red.

Do you think that this stuff keeps indefinitely?

[This message has been edited by eloise forever (edited 02-02-2001).]

[Mamasue]

eloise,

I think the paste food coloring is more intense and you would use less by using a toothpick. It is also less messy then the liquid. Food coloring should last for a long, long time.

[Grace]

You would use the paste or the gel in anything that might get too thin with any extra water. For icings, the paste is best. The gel is light, but not watery, better for whipped cream, etc. The liquid is the least useful in my opinion, we use it for coloring Easter eggs, etc. But it works in a pinch for the other things too if that's all you have. Hope that helps, have fun.

[AndreaU]

As for my experiences with food coloring... don't use it to dye your hair!! In 8th grade my friend & I went as punk rockers for Halloween (it was an 80s thing). Well, the dye we used didn't come out too well- not even a hairdresser knew what to do. Luckily the part that didn't come out was red and not green or blue! But my blond head had red (as in candy apple) bangs for almost 2 months! Sorry, not food related per se... but still cracks me up! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Leonard]

I purchase "gel" food coloring to tint royal icing for the holidays. I found it useful but it really stains!! Dipping the toothpick in and out became quite annoying! The colors did eventually turn out beautiful. I decorated each gingerbread person with different hair and outfits. They were almost too pretty to eat!

[Leonard]

Beth:

It wasn't that brand of gel coloring. I too found them difficult to work with. More time consuming. Next time, I will try on of the other kind.

[Beth]

I bought some gels at the grocery store when I was visiting my mother and she ran out. I found that they don't dissolve that well, but the liquid works fine, and the paste are best for strong colors or where liquid would thin icing, etc. I don't plan on buying gels again, but wonder, was it this particular brand or what I was using them in?