I was at Walmart the other day and picked up a bottle of glycerine from the pharmacy section. The bottle says to use it as a hand softener and was ~$3. I talked to the pharmacist asking whether it would be safe for consumption. She said she had used it to compound children's medications, so she doesn't see why I couldn't use it to make fondant. I just want to be sure that it's safe. I've really been wanting to make MFF, but haven't had the glycerine. I COULD take it back and go to Michael's tomorrow and get the Wilton brand so I know, but I thought I'd ask here. I seem to remember reading somewhere on here that someone else uses the glycerine marketed as a hand softener, but I can't find where I read that. Help, please.

I make fondant without any glycerin. Just seems nasty to eat it. I use marshmallows, water and powdered sugar. Works great and tastes really good. You can find the how to videos on youtube. I was going to link one but did not find one that didn't coat every thing in crisco! I don't use crisco I use butter, tastes better and don't need to cover everything, I never had a sticking issue.

I quit using the Glycerine a little while ago.
I agree that it doesn't taste great to me so I don't want to add something that tastes yucky in my icing.
I use the recipe that calls for the glycerine but just leave it out. You should have a problem leaving it out either.
If you really want to use the glycerine, I would not use the glycerine out of the pharmacy section. I would stick with what you get in the baking section at Michael's. IMO.... I just wouldn't take the risk of using the wrong thing...
HTH

Glycerine is either food grade or it's not. If you got it from the pharmacy and the pharmacist says it's food grade, it's fine!

I only used to use it to make fondant. Never seen an icing recipe calling for it.

Jen

You shouldn't need glycerine for MMF fondant at all!
All of that good stuff is in the mm! That's why you use them!
You should only need it for some fondant recipes, although I have
seen recipes that call for glucose instead.

I recently did some reasesrch on glycerine, I have been using
MMF but now want to try regular. All I came across was that it us
not safe to use pharmacy glycerine for consulting. Actually a lot of the bottles
I look at said Not For Oral Consumtion.
I opted to go for the Wilton, just to be safe!

HTH
Ashley!

I use it in my fondant to increase flexibility. I use the Wilton brand, but did look into the bottle sold in the pharmacy. It didn't say it was food safe so I chickened out and kept using Wilton. I've read on here that it's okay to use it, but I'm sticking with a sure thing.

The MMF (marshmallow fondant) does not use glycerine...however, the original poster said she wanted to try MFF (Michele Foster's Fondant)...the acyronyms are confusing sometimes.

I spoke to the pharmcist and was assured that the gylcerine is food safe. They use it as a laxative (in MUCH larger quantities than what MFF calls for).

Glycerin is the same thing as Glycerol and is found in many food products you most likely consume daily. Here's the wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycerol , but there are many other sources you can you look up to find this info. It's classified as a sugar alcohol - which explains the laxative effect; anyone who's ever eaten too much of a candy sweetened with sugar alcohols can attest to the effects..lol The amount called for in MFF is no where near what it would take to have that effect though.

As a side note, the type I use (German) states on the bottle that it can be used diluted in water to prolong the life of a Christmas tree and as anti-freeze on rubber parts in dishwashers and refridgerators. It has many uses, but the compound is the same.

Hope this eases your mind a bit about using what you bought and not paying out the butt for the SAME product with Wilton's name on it.

Thanks all. I've used MMF for a while...what I'm wanting to try is MFF (search the forum for more info). The bottle says that it's USP rated...

P.S.-- I really can spell "glycerin." It's just been a long day.

Jen, who makes the one you use? This is the one I purchased: http://www.medshopexpress.com/075439.html#

I'm kind of a chicken. I already have to take something back to Michaels today. I'll give it a peak while I'm there.

I would say just get the one from Michaels if you're unsure, just for your own peace of mind.

PS - if your pharmacist sold that to you with the thumbs up to eat it, then he/she is an idiot and I'd switch pharmacies.

PSS - Just did a quick Google on HUMCO - isn't vegetable glycerin, it's animal glycerin produced while rendering pig fat.

AND being sold in pharmacies like CVS and Wal Mart as food-safe against the manufacturor's recommended usages. So I stand DOUBLY corrected - don't buy it in the pharmacy because they are obviously trying to kill you!

Thanks for your help, all. I bought the Wilton stuff, and took the other back today. :thumbs up: