Enhance Your Cake Decorating Skills with Culinary Solvent: Edible Glues and Coatings
Edible glues and coatings play a significant role in the world of cake decorating and confectionery, elevating what could be simple-looking dishes and desserts into works of art. High proof food grade alcohol, like 200 proof ethyl alcohol (ethanol), can be a critical ingredient for bakers and confectioners alike, creating versatile and effective edible glues and coatings.
What are Edible Glues and Coatings?
One of the primary uses of food grade ethanol in cake decorating is the creation of edible glues and coatings. Edible glues and coatings are essential for adhering fondant, gum paste, and other decorative elements to cakes and desserts. When made with 200 proof alcohol, edible glues and coatings can offer several advantages over other adhesives options, such as water-based or sugar-based glues.
Faster Drying Time
Food grade ethanol evaporates quickly, allowing the glue or coating to dry and set faster than other alternatives. Think of the last time you used pure ethanol or high proof alcohol to clean a surface. Ethanol is highly volatile (or evaporative) meaning it can take mere seconds for the surface to which they are applied to be completely dry again. Alcohols with lower alcohol by volume (ABV) or lower proof, such as beverage alcohol like vodka, contain higher amounts of water, which is not nearly as volatile as ethanol. The added water diluting these ethanol options can impact how quickly the applications in which they are used dry. For fast-drying edible glues, use high proof ethanol, like 190 proof or higher. For best results, we recommend 200 proof alcohol (the highest proof available).
Food grade 200 proof alcohol can be difficult to find for a variety of reasons. Learn more about 200 proof alcohol’s availability in your state.
Low Impact on Taste
As food grade ethanol evaporates, it leaves behind little to no residue or taste, preserving the flavor of your cake or dessert. Using food grade alcohol distilled from neutral raw ingredients, like corn, will ensure that there are no adverse or uncomplimentary flavors attached to your final product.
Culinary Solvent is distilled from 100% corn. Learn more about why corn is superior when it comes to distilling supremely neutral alcohol.
Beyond Glues and Coatings
Food grade alcohol can be used for more than just developing edible glues and coatings, such as to extract flavors from herbs, plants, and spices, like vanilla. Extraction can be an effective way to incorporate sometimes difficult-to-capture aromas and flavors in your desserts and dishes. In this way, Culinary Solvent can assist in your baking – inside and out! Elevate your cake decorating and confectionery skills by incorporating Culinary Solvent's 200 proof food grade alcohol into your edible glues and coatings.
