If we were to tell you that you could “taste the rainbow” without downing an entire bag of Skittles in one sitting, you might be skeptical. But there is a simple way to make natural food coloring that tastes as colorful as it looks. And it doesn’t require a small truckload of sugar and a bunch of chemicals.
Intrigued? You should be. Because while eating a rainbow roll at your local sushi joint is great, making an actual colors-of-the-rainbow roll at home by tinting your rice is clearly way more fun. And the best part is you can make natural food coloring to give your boring food a new hue using — wait for it — fresh produce!
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True story. If you’re thinking this sounds like a lot of work, or maybe you’re having flashbacks to that time to middle school when you almost caught the chem lab on fire, don’t stress.
Creating natural food coloring using fruits and vegetables is a fairly simple process that only requires a few ingredients. As for culinary knowledge, if you know how to boil water, you should be golden. Or purple. Or green. That depends on what fruit or veggie you choose.
Want to experiment with the full range? Here’s what you’ll need:
- Pasta, rice (or whatever you want to color)
- Beets
- Fresh turmeric
- Red cabbage
- Baking soda
- Lime juice
- Distilled water
- Bowls
- A sharp knife or another tool for creating thin slices
So, one quick and surprisingly affordable trip to the supermarket will net you everything you need to whip up a rainbow meal sure to be a hit with your family, friends or anyone fortunate enough to taste your colorful creation.
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Bonus? In addition to your food being way more interesting than the average fare, you’ll feel like a bona fide culinary scientist.