There are, by my count, at least seven levels of fried chicken. The worst of them is good; the best, which I waited forty-four years to find, led to what can only be called an out-of-body experience. Let’s start at …
Homemade Food Coloring
Many people are shying away from commercial food dyes in favor of more natural alternatives. It's simple to make homemade food coloring in your own kitchen from vibrantly colored foods and spices. Homemade food coloring is not always flavor-neutral, but with a little forethought it can be a wonderful addition to a dish. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Other People Are Reading
-
Dye Sources
-
The key to making homemade food coloring is finding natural sources of dye. For example, red or pink food coloring can be made by boiling beets, then adding the dyed water to food. Blue and purple dyes can be derived from blueberries, blackberries or raspberries: Simply boil the whole berries for about 30 minutes, then mash them with a fork. Allow the mashed berries to soak in the hot water for five to 10 minutes, then strain out the pulp and seeds. Yellow coloring can be made by boiling yellow onions or chopped carrots, then straining the juice. Stale turmeric can also be added to dishes to dye them yellow. If you desire a green shade, boil spinach and add the filtered liquid to the item, or mash a bit of avocado into the food (be sure to add some citrus juice as well to keep the avocado from browning).
Minimizing Food Flavor
-
Before making food coloring, consider the type of dish it will be added to. Obviously, homemade food coloring will add new flavors to items, and you have to be careful. For example, you likely do not want to dye cupcake icing with onions or spinach.
Stale turmeric is actually fairly neutral, and therefore can be a good mate for baked goods. Carrots will be slightly sweet, but will not clash with sugary items, and avocados are creamy but mesh well with most flavors. Of course, berries can give sweets a pleasant fruity note. Food coloring made from stronger-tasting vegetables are best left to savory dishes.
-
Adding the Color
-
Homemade food coloring can change the consistency of items in a way that commercial food dyes do not. This is because homemade food coloring generally isn't as vibrant or effective as store-bought coloring. You'll need to add more to the food to get similar results.
The best way to dye items with homemade food coloring is to cut back on the liquid called for in the recipe. Then, add the food coloring to the dish a tablespoon or two at a time until it reaches the desired shade. After the food is dyed, you can add more of the liquid ingredients until the item contains the prescribed amount.
-
