Paying attention to various confectionery products, which allure to themselves an abundance of different colors and decorations, one involuntarily wonders how it was possible to give such a magnificent color to an ordinary protein cream or sugar mastic. Confectioners can answer this question that this is possible thanks to such a tool as food colors, which are used in cooking.
Since ancient times, housewives and cooks around the world used the juices of various plants to give their dishes a particular shade. Usually, beets, carrots, cherries, currants and any other plant or vegetable that had a pronounced color were used to obtain from it such a culinary ingredient as food colors.
Currently, such a technique is also used, but in most cases, new synthetic-based dyes are used. They are elements that are harmless to the human body, which have a certain color. Their advantage is that due to their artificial origin, they can achieve almost any color and shade. At the same time, the material from which food dyes are made is absolutely neutral, which immediately removes the question of its use by people allergic to a particular product. They are also much more resistant to environmental influences and therefore have a very bright and saturated color.
However, there is a danger that instead of a harmless ingredient, you can buy real poison, which if it does not poison a person, it will certainly harm his health. That is why, when asked about where you can buy food coloring, culinary experts all over the world answer that only from official representatives of the manufacturer's factory or in a trusted store with a positive reputation.
When purchasing, you should definitely pay attention to the expiration date, the availability of the manufacturer's address and composition. It is also worth reading the instructions for use, since food colors for mastic are not always suitable for protein cream, paint for Easter eggs should not be added to food at all. In fact, for each product you can choose your own individual dye, which will be combined with it and will not spoil the dish.
Also, when choosing a color, it is recommended to choose such food colors that, when interacting with the product, would give the necessary shade. Do not paint yellow red, in the hope that it will remain red. This process must be approached creatively, knowledgeably.
In world cooking, synthetic food colors are used universally. However, when it comes to haute cuisine, the content of synthetics in the dish should be minimized or even eliminated. Although this ingredient has entered our lives so tightly that we have long ceased to pay attention to it, since we use it daily with ready-made products from stores.
Many housewives do not use any dyes at all to prepare their everyday dishes, but only use them for the holidays or for a special occasion.