Glycerine

Jan 03, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose

HEATH QUESTION

Feedback: The site is fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to answer so many reader questions.

Mine is a little late - I made a traditional royal icing for Xmas cookies this year, and read that it remained shinier if you added a couple of drops of glycerin. So I bought some at the drugstore and (although it said 'do not ingest this') I put in a couple of drops. Well, EW. It tasted like plastic!

Is there a food-grade glycerin to be had? Or is there a better way to keep the icing shiny?

Thanks so much,

ROSE REPLY

thanks heath. i try to respond as soon as possible but starting january 18th i'll be travelling off and on for several months so may be harder to keep up quite as quickly!

i wouldn't use glycerine from the pharmacy especially if it says non-food grade. i got my supply from a wine making supply shop but they also have it at cake decorating supply places such as sweet celebrations in MN. it is a staple of candy making and rolled fondant. if you taste just a drop it does taste bitter but i find it's entirely over-ridden by all that sugar. if they don't carry the glycerin they will recommend other products that create the sheen in royal icing. i seem to remember when i studied at wilton that they had a product called numolene that helped to keep the icing soft as well.

Woody Wolston in reply to comment from Mahfooz Alam
01/09/2013 11:45 AM

Hi Mahfooz,
In The Cake Bible, the Classic Rolled Fondant on page 307, the glycerine is 1.5% of the total gram weight of the dough. The storage times are 1 month at room temperature and 1 year plus frozen. The glycerine is to keep the inside soft and chewy.
Rose & Woody

mohamed gado
01/09/2013 06:02 AM

i have a cupcakes shop , and i want to know the % of glycerine(food grade) in the dough

julie white
11/17/2012 12:48 AM

all i know about glycerine bp is i use 2 drops in my royal icing to make the icing hard. with egg whites and 1 lemon juice. cheers!

julie white
11/17/2012 12:46 AM

Mahfooz Alam in reply to comment from Princess
09/10/2012 05:01 AM

What is the usage percent of Glycerine in the dough to extend shelf life by storing at ambient temperature for at least one month.

Princess
09/01/2012 08:43 AM

As you all know, glycerine helps to retain the moisture of foods so it is very suitable to baked products. It is also used in food processing to extend the shelf life of the product; moreover it is food additive which is belong to humectants. Others may also used sorbitol.

Carol
08/13/2012 04:16 PM

Thanks Rose,

All the tips I read about the use of glycerin was very, very helpful. My friend sent me a recipe for a rich black fruit cake and I was surprised to note that the recipe said to use glycerin. I looked up your website and it was truly helpful.

Sammie in reply to comment from Woody Wolston
07/10/2012 05:30 PM

Thanks a lot Rose and Woody. I will try finding it in the stores.
I was also wondering if I can use a wax-paper or parchment to make the chocolate fondant band for the la porcelaine cake? Will either of these work or should I just get the heavy-duty plastic sheet?

Thanks.
Sam

Woody Wolston in reply to comment from Sammie
06/28/2012 12:22 AM

Hi Sammie,
We recommend this reliable substitute: kojel kosher gelatin.
Rose & Woody

Sammie
06/27/2012 05:38 PM

Hi,
I want to try making classic rolled fondant recipe from The Cake Bible. Is there a reliable substitute for gelatin, as I don't eat animal products?

Thanks,
Sam

Woody Wolston in reply to comment from Woody Wolston
04/09/2012 09:52 AM

Hi Jinxy,
The gelatin gives the fondant its chewy texture. the glycerine keeps it soft and satin smooth.

Woody Wolston in reply to comment from Jinxy
04/09/2012 09:30 AM

Hi Jinxy,
We can not think of a viable substitution for glycerine.
Rose always recommends, you should always make the recipe with exactly the same ingredients as called for by the author's recipe to establish your control. From there you can experiment by substituting one ingredient or adjusting one technique at a time to obtain results that match the control or to your preferences. We recommend that you contact the author for her/his suggestions.

Jinxy
04/09/2012 05:25 AM

I'm making Fondant ..
i have a recipe that requires the use of glycrine .
its unavailable in my vicinity
Rose , please suggest something that i can use as a substitution :(

Anne Conley
12/12/2011 03:12 PM

Our local food co-op sells glycerine. I just bought some last week. That would suggest it's possible Whole Foods does, too, although I haven't checked.

Woody Wolston in reply to comment from Lois L. Rainwater
12/11/2011 02:19 AM

hi Lois,
We do not have a nationwide suppliers list for glycerine and web searching is going to pull up the external use for health. You will need to check with local candy or cake supply retailers in your area.

Lois L. Rainwater
12/10/2011 03:08 PM

I am new with glycrine for making candy or fondant. I too want to know where to purchase it. I live in Villa Rica , GA 30180 . @ 159 Raven Rd.
I want some for making my homemade fondant and where to purchase it. I do not make candy very often , but I don't want it hard like a brick. I am interested in cake decorating and icicing as well. I only make candy @ christmas time for gift giving. Especially pecan rolls and creams. My center pecan roll calls for a lb of fondant to be used in the center candy. I want it smooth not hard or will harden quickly. The reason for the glycerin.
Thanks for providing a possible result for obtaining this product for my candy making efforts etc. I do want it smooth as possible and edible so it doesn't injure anyone.

woody in reply to comment from ruhma
09/28/2011 10:12 PM

Hi Ruhma,
The external glycerine is not the same as sweet glycerine used for food recipes as stated above. You may want to check with some candy or wedding cakes shops to see if you can buy some from them.

ruhma
09/13/2011 01:55 PM

hey i'm from pakistan..i can't find glycerin..i dun noe what to do..i did find one for xternal use(i asked the man at the store if i cud use dat for cakes,he said yes but he luked really confused,inexperienced and a lamen).. what do u suggest i do?

Karmen in reply to comment from Rose Levy Beranbaum
07/30/2011 07:48 PM

I read that you don't have to use glycerin, but you can just fix the cracks with a little bit of water.

Nathan Joerger
01/05/2011 03:34 PM

If you are looking for food grade glycerin at great prices checkout glycerindepot.com. We specialize in supplying customers the highest quality glycerin at the lowest prices.

Dawson in reply to comment from Patrincia
10/24/2010 06:10 PM

yes there is a glycerine sold in pharmacies DO NOT USE

DON in reply to comment from Bridget
10/06/2010 10:15 AM

I would call Jon Stevens he is a Kosher food grade glycerine supplier he deals in pails to semi truck loads phone # is 1-513-608-3890

Bridget
09/27/2010 02:22 PM

People please, do NOT use non-food grade glycerine...i.e. the kind you get at the pharmacy. If it says 'for external use only' or 'call poison control if ingested, it's the wrong kind. The best prices on food grade glycerine are available on line at Netrition.com, brand name NOW.

Bridget
09/27/2010 02:20 PM

maggie
09/11/2010 10:05 PM

Being that veg glycerin increases moisture. by adding 1 tsp per 500 gr of flour. Would I use the same in gluten free baking? As GF Baking is a dry bake, unless you use moisture ingredients to the receipe..
Also, veg glycerin increases the sweetness, would 1 - 2 tb = 1/4 cup of sugar for diabetic baking, as a sugar substitute?
Has anyone used vg, in Gluten free
receipes>Thanks for any suggestions.
Maggie

Rose in reply to comment from cheyenne banks
06/17/2010 09:05 PM

cheyenne, i'm pretty sure they have it at the NY cake & bake supply.

cheyenne banks
06/12/2010 03:37 PM

hi, where exactly can I find glycerin in New York City?

vegrrl in reply to comment from Isaac
02/12/2010 07:43 PM

gylcerine is vegetarian, even VEGAN. it come from a plant. maybe you are thinking of gelatin, which come from bone marrow, hooves, etc,?

Annie
12/18/2009 05:53 PM

Isaac, you can get Vegetable Glycerine in NZ. The manufacturer is Lizzibee. I would try a pharmacy or the internet. Yes, you do need it for Royal Icing unless you want it to be like concrete!

Isaac
12/18/2009 05:41 PM

Just a note:
I'm in New Zealand so if it's hard to get I probably won't be able to get it.

Isaac
12/18/2009 05:36 PM

I'm wondering if there is any vegetarian substitute for glycerin? Or if I HAVE to use it for Royal icing? And please don't say 'oh, the animal's dead already'

PLEASE REPLY SOON

Rose
11/16/2009 03:44 PM

glycerine!

Ashley Parks
11/16/2009 02:48 PM

Ok so I am new to all this fondant stuff.I am trying to get a degree in baking and pastry and I am trying to make fondant and a few websites are saying that you dont need glycerin for the fondant ( Just substitute it with light corn syrup) now i odnt want to mes up on this what do you say??

Jess
06/10/2009 05:20 AM

I used regular vegetable oil, added to the melted chocolate. Its what they use to make chocolate softer anyway.

diane
12/31/2008 04:33 PM

Glycerin can be found at SteviaSmart. I need it for a recipe and this is food grade glycerin.

Jo
11/21/2008 11:27 PM

The xmas cake recipe that has been passed down to me from my mum and her mum requires 2T glycerine. Up until now I didn't realise it was an 'odd' product to use. I did find it strange though when I first made the cake and found I couldn't buy it in the supermarket and had to go to the pharmacy!

Tina
09/27/2008 09:00 PM

Jim,
I saw a posting you placed a little over 2 years ago about a cough medicine you made using glycerin, honey and lemon. I wondered if you still had the recipe to pass on to me.

Tina
09/27/2008 08:59 PM

Jim,
I saw a posting you placed a little over two years ago about a home made cough syrup using Glycerin, Honey and Lemon. I was wondering if you still had the recipe to pass on to me.

Tina
09/27/2008 08:58 PM

Ben
08/25/2008 12:45 PM

Many years ago in Dublin, Ireland, I bought a bottle of 100ml GLYCERINE B.P. for my cracked dry lips. Very effective indeed compared to other lip balm. I asked the Pharmacist, what else do people do with GLYCERINE since 100ml is a lot. She kindly replied, it is used to moisten cakes. This is something new to me and have not tried yet, not until I can get hold of an edible one. Might be good for my chocolate cake since I live in a dry and humid country.

Tristan Wibberley
06/28/2008 07:23 PM

In the UK, at least, it is available in all major supermarkets among the essences and colourings in the baking ingredients section. It comes in little colourless bottles with a red and white label, by supercook.

fernanda
04/29/2008 07:16 PM

The other day I was making rolled fondant and ran out of glycerin. I substituted for medical grade mineral oil (the one used as a laxative) and it worked pretty well. I would say almost prefectly. I did notice my fondant to be a little bit harder, but it may have been too much sugar.

Heather Buller
04/02/2008 11:17 AM

Thanks for all the good comments about glycerin. The grocery store where I live told me they pulled it because it is used in meth labs! They also didn't have it at the cake supply store. I am using a new fondant recipe and it sounds like it's imperative that I use it. So, I called the local health food store and they have it! Thanks for the advice!

Rose
12/28/2007 08:13 PM

glycerin is used in wine making so look for a store that sells supplies for home wine-makers.

Lia
12/28/2007 07:31 PM

I think USP stands for United States Pharmacopoeia, which provides standards for pharmaceutical chemicals. My guess would be that since Glycerin, USP is meant to be applied to the skin, it meets the standards for this application and not necessarily injestion. I'm also finding it difficult to find food-grade glycerin; I even went to a cake supply store and they still didn't know what I was talking about!

Elois
11/30/2007 02:07 AM

Vegetable Glycerine can be purchased from Azure Standard, a growing truck delivery company servicing mostly western states. I just received mine today. Now I can't find the recipe on the web for the sugar-free protein brownie that called for the glycerine!

Elois
11/30/2007 02:04 AM

Anna
11/18/2007 01:02 AM

This is in regard to your comments on glycerine. For food use, I have found it in a health food store at a reasonable price. It tastes sweet, not bitter, and is a low-glycemic sweetener.

Patrincia
11/16/2007 05:08 PM

DaC - do you know what the USP stands for? My bottle doesn't have this listed on it. It contains 100% glycerine.

Does anyone know if there are non-edible kinds of glycerine?

DaC
11/16/2007 05:03 PM

Well I have read that USP Glycerin is eatable. It is a vegtable Glycerin

Patrincia
11/15/2007 07:44 PM

You can order edible glycerine from Sweet Celebrations in MN (USA). There may be other cake/candy supply businesses too, but I know SC carries it.

sharon walker
11/15/2007 01:29 PM

i have a dark chritmas cake recipe that has 1 level tsp glycerine. This ingredient is a new one to me and im so glad that i looked it up on the net.
Its a real lovely cake and i was unable to find any eatable glycerine.
regards s.w.

DaC
11/13/2007 07:04 PM

Is Glycerin USP edible????

Someone respond quickly for me plz : )

Dean
10/10/2007 12:00 PM

An invert sugar should also work well.

Rose
10/10/2007 07:51 AM

on second thought, you could try liquid lecithin--it just might do the trick!

Rose
10/10/2007 07:33 AM

there is no subsitute i know of and it won't be smooth without it.

Chom
10/10/2007 02:51 AM

Hi, what can i substitute for glycerine while making rolled fondants?

Rose
09/05/2007 10:48 PM

i've only ever used glycerine in rolled fondant where it is indispensible for creating a smooth product. i think it's a terrific idea to use it in a cake especially a layer cake that tends to get dry after one day. do report back if anyone does any experimenting!

Patrincia
08/27/2007 12:01 PM

Maccy - if you can't find glycerine at cake or candy stores, try asking a bakery if they will sell you some.

Rozanne
08/27/2007 10:23 AM

Maccy, have you tried a cake supply or candy making supply store? They usually sell glycerine.
Rozanne

Maccy
08/27/2007 09:33 AM

Hi Nushera & Patrincia

Batter ingredients as follows: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, 3 tsp baking powder, pinch of salt, 3 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 3 oz butter, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 3/4 cup boiling water, 1 tsp glycerine.

Thanks for the info Nushera - I guess, as you say, it must have been to keep the sponge moist, and the recipe really does make a lovely moist cake; but it's so difficult to find edible glycerine that I haven't used the recipe for years. I'll have to be adventurous and give it a try without the glycerine!

Patrincia
08/26/2007 07:29 PM

Thanks Nushera - I figured it had something to do with retaining moisture, but it's so hard to believe 1 teaspoon of glycerine can make that much of a differnce (but then again, I don't live in a dry climate).

nushera
08/26/2007 06:24 PM

Hi Maccy and Patrincia- perhaps in uk using glycerine in the cake batter is/was not an odd practice. my mom was a subscriber of a woman's magazine published from uk(probably Women's Realm)in the '60s and still keeping those treasures for knitting pattern ideas! those old but full-of-surprises issues includes a lot of baking discussions and recipes. one thing i can remember: the prescribed amount of glycerine in the cake batter is 1 tsp for 500gm flour(apprx) which is supposed to prevent the cake from losing moisture in dry weather.

u know very-moist-mud cakes are extremely popular in DRY Australia and store-bought muds(with or without icing) is so likely to have glycerine. one of the best food-chemical brands in Australia makes edible glycerine and suggests using it in both cake batter and icing(for a shiny one, too). i found their claim to be true.

Patrincia
08/26/2007 05:41 PM

Hi Maccy - did you say the glycerine is an ingredient in the cake batter??? That is very odd.

When glycerine is added to frosting or fondant it adds plyability and longevity (keeps things from hardening or drying out so quickly). As long as your cake recipe is a fairly normal in every other way, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't try it without the glycerine. It's worth a shot at least.

Maccy
08/26/2007 11:05 AM

Years ago my mom passed on the recipe for her delicious chocolate cake which she had learned to bake at the Woman's Institute in her little village in England. The recipe for the otherwise pretty standard cake batter contains 1 teaspoon of glycerine. Can I leave out the glycerine or substitute it with something else - I've never seen another recipe for cake batter containing glycerine and can't think why this one does?

Rose
07/21/2007 11:09 AM

i don't use it in icing i use it in rolled fondant. without the glycerine it would crack and not be smooth.

Erin
07/20/2007 02:09 PM

what does glycerine do in an icing and is it necessary? can you subsitute anything for it?

Arnold Thompson
05/24/2007 12:52 AM

I just looked at a recipe site. I asked for glycerine. Look here
http://www.recipesource.com/side-dishes/jams/00/rec0091.html

Arnold Thompson
05/24/2007 12:48 AM

I also asked at a pharmacy and they looked at me like I was crazy too. I was told it is a laxative. The advised me not to eat it. I have heard of using wax in making bon bons and I have eaten wax many times. Little bottles of fluid in wax bottles and wax lips and once even accidently ate a wax Easter Bunny. It was supposed to be a display. I doubt wax absorbs into your system. Not sure what it does inside your intestines.

Patrincia
04/27/2007 10:48 AM

I should have mentioned if you get the glycerin at a pharmacy, read the label to make sure it's edible. Also, call a local bakery and see if they will sell you some.

Patrincia
04/27/2007 10:42 AM

Tara - I've purchased glycerin at a cake/candy making supply store. 2 oz cost $1.90. I've also seen glycerin for sale in the pharmacy section at places like wal-mart and k-mart. You might try looking in the candy/cake section of a craft store too.

Tara
04/27/2007 10:00 AM

I need to know what places here in Florida I can find the glycerin for making fondant. I have asked numerous people about it an they look at me like I'm crazy! Somone please help! Is there another name it is sold under in stores?

Rose
03/14/2007 05:01 PM

i know nothing about chocolate fountains but i can tell you this:glycerine has a bitter flavor which you don't notice in rolled fondant but might in chocolate.

Bruce
03/13/2007 11:09 PM

I was told that I could use Glycerin USP to thin out my chocolate for my fountain? True or false... I am using Good quality chocolate and want a smooth run of chocolate in the machine?

Rose
09/22/2006 07:12 PM

i wouldn't want to eat wax! a little glycerine might work but glycerine can be bitter. in royal icing there's so much sugar it's not noticeable. tempering chocolate is what gives the best sheen.

Valarie Coyle
09/22/2006 09:02 AM

Good Morning - My neighbor makes chocolate covered peanut balls and uses paraffin wax to keep them shiny. I told her she could use glycerine that you can get at Kitchen Conservatory. Is this sutiable for all chocolates or just royal icing. Your assistance is appreciated and have a great day. Valarie Coyle, Bowling Green, VA

Rose
04/30/2006 11:30 PM

it's always best to use products that are labeled food grade because, among other things, they are produced under strict cleanliness and lack of contamination supervision. food grade glycerine should be available in pharmacys and definitely in wine making supply places.

JIM STAMPNICK
04/30/2006 10:00 AM

SEVERAL WEEKS AGO I PREPARED A HOME MADE C0UGH SYRUP WHICH INCLUDED GLYCERINE, HONEY AND LEMON JUICE. THE STUFF IS REALLY SOOTHING TO THE THROAT AND EVEN SEEMS TO LOOSEN PHLEM. AFTER USING IT FOR SEVERAL DAYS I NOTICED THE GLYCERINE LABEL STATED THE GLYCERINE WAS GRADED AS USP AND FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY. IS THERE CAUSE FOR CONCERN HERE???

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