Where has all the Food Coloring Gone?!?!
After years of using the same box of food coloring (you know the one, little round plastic bottles with pointy tops lined up in a cardboard box?) I FINALLY ran out, and put food coloring on my grocery list. At my regular grocery store, it was nowhere to be found. Thinking they must be out of it, I go to WF; also nowhere to be found. A couple of weeks later I went back to the original grocery store, and find that not only are they out, but they don't carry it anymore! My mom said the same thing happened to her, and she had to order special fondant dyes from a catalogue.
Shouldn't food coloring be a staple in any basic grocery store? At least, I know it used to be! I don't use it often, but does anyone know of any reason it seems to be less popular than it used to be?
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21 Comments:
I think you're talking about this McCormick box? If your grocer doesn't have it, try a cake decorating or baking supply shop.
LunaPierCook at 10:25AM on 12/07/08
Walmart carries it. I stopped using that in the 80's. Walmart carries in the craft section Wilton paste food colors. If you can find a baking supply, Michaels, they have paste and powder food colors. These work nicer and do not affect consistency. Give it a try.
Lots more colors to chose from and often they group them in seasonal colors.
JerzeeTomato at 10:43AM on 12/07/08
I second the food paste recommendation. I still have an ancient box of the McCormick bottles, but don't use them really.
What I would love to find is those silver non-parelle balls you used to see at christmas. Apparently, it's illegal to sell them in California.
StripeyChef at 11:43AM on 12/07/08
@Stripey, I just saw those in a local cooking store. I almost bought them, but I doubt I'll get that fancy with my cookie decorating, and I've already got lots of sugars and decorations. To be honest, I was always a little bit afraid of those when I was a kid. I always worried that they'd be buckshot of BBs or some other metal instead of being edible.
dbcurrie at 12:57PM on 12/07/08
I don't think people use it much anymore which makes me wonder what they used to use it for that made it a staple. I use it to dye my boiled eggs so we know which ones are the boiled ones. I just try different stores until I find it, but everybody had good ideas. The paste colors are a little to expensive for my application.
@dbcurrie~It actually says For Decoration Only on the box. Everybody eats them, though. No one knows that.
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 1:35PM on 12/07/08
Pastrychef.com is great for all types of food colorings. They have powder, paste, gel paste, and airbrush colors. WF does sell food coloring, and it's organic-based.
beth1 at 1:35PM on 12/07/08
I second the Wal-Mart rec, as well as any craft store that might carry cake decorating items (Michaels, Hobby Lobby).
I found the silver non pareils at Central Market (high-end grocery in Texas) as well as at a specialty cake/bake shop (All in One here in Austin). I don' think I saw them at WalMart or Hobby Lobby. My local cake shop actually carried the non pareils and other fancy sprinkles (pearls, etc.) in bulk, which is cool, because they are pricey.
However, I am pretty sure that the regular, drop-style food dyes are available in my regular grocery. Maybe it's become a regional thing?
renzata at 1:51PM on 12/07/08
They've still got the food coloring at the local grocery store, in the spice/baking section, and usually up near the vanilla and flavorings. Last time I noticed they had the regular ones in the 4 packs, neon colors in 4-packs and big bottles of red (I think just red -- maybe more) They also had paste colorings by the cake decorating stuff.
@carol, you can tell the difference between a hard boiled egg and a raw one if you spin it. Give it a whirl, you'll see.
dbcurrie at 2:05PM on 12/07/08
My family has to have those silver dragees every Christmas, and yes, they're illegal to sell in California. I have many friends who live out of state and every few years I find somebody to send a supply that we can use. it's not like we use that many! Just three on each rudolph cookie. (and the nose is dipped in raw egg white then red sugar.)
I've found the liquid food colorings near the spices at the grocery stores here. (I can understand a natural foods store not carrying food colorings) I've also found the big single bottles of usually red or green occasionally. The paste stuff is also just as easy to use if you go to a store with baking supplies.
cmtigger at 2:44PM on 12/07/08
Oh if it helps, last time I looked for food coloring in the supermarket (within the past year) it had moved from the the spot near the vanilla down the aisle to the cake decorating area, where the writing icing and sprinkles are.
renzata at 3:05PM on 12/07/08
Sounds like a t-shirt. I ate the dragees. Right next to I ate the red M&Ms.
JerzeeTomato at 3:05PM on 12/07/08
I know db. Hubby wants to reach in and grab
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 3:06PM on 12/07/08
I just bought some around Thanksgiving. At the local supermarket. It was stocked with the extracts.
Seems unlikely, but it may just be out of stock at the stores you visited. I know you visited a lot of stores, but it is the holidays so people are probably buying it.
wunami at 3:36PM on 12/07/08
The Wilton Paste Colors are not likely to go anywhere soon, switch to those. Colors are much more vibrant than the old dropper McCormick ones.
therealchiffonade at 4:36PM on 12/07/08
about the only time I see food coloring in the regular grocery store is around Easter, you might want to wait till then and then look.
huneybumper at 10:18PM on 12/07/08
@cmtigger~Why are silver dragees illegal?
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 11:23PM on 12/07/08
I was wondering that too--how can a food decorating item be illegal?
gourmetgal at 11:31PM on 12/07/08
@carol, it's even weirder than that. They're legal to sell in Cali, but none of the companies that make or distribute them will ship them there because one lawyer sued 'em all and rather than go to court, they all agreed to stop shipping to California.
So if someone wanted to sell them, they could. It's just a matter of getting them there. And then waiting for the lawyer to show up and start suing.
dbcurrie at 12:56AM on 12/08/08
Silver & gold dragees are considered safe to eat, but they should be removed before serving for two reasons:
1. The coating contains metal, and the FDA has recommended that they are for decorative use only.
2. They have been known to break many a tooth. People bite into a soft cookie or cake, not expecting to bite down on a hard ball.
I just saw food coloring in my local grocery store last night in two places: in the produce aisle, near the nuts, candied fruit (for fruitcakes), and in the baking aisle near the birthday candles, jimmies, etc.
FancyFlours.com is a great website to purchase dragees (if you must!), as well as food coloring. The coloring paste is much better than the liquid - but beware, a little goes a long way.
Happy baking!
kegan at 10:07AM on 12/08/08
I use Wilton gel as the colors are better and you need less.I get them at Walmart and Hobby Lobby.
I love the idea of coloring hard boiled eggs-makes it easier for the kids. My 5 yr old handed me an egg he wanted to eat and i cracked assuming he grabbed it from the bowl and well, it was raw! What a mess!!
love2cook at 12:53PM on 12/08/08
I was just in my local market and saw the box with 5 bottles of food color. I live near Albany,NY, and it was a Hannaford market. Don't know where you are, but hope I helped.
dmcavanagh at 6:44PM on 12/14/08