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.

rose Levy Beranbaum
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 Levy Beranbaum
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 Levy Beranbaum
10/10/2007 07:51 AM

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

Rose Levy Beranbaum
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 Levy Beranbaum
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 Levy Beranbaum
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 Levy Beranbaum
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 Levy Beranbaum
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 Levy Beranbaum
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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Glycerine