LINGERIEAT#
One of the most interesting explorations for the Abobe collection is the edible lingerie, as it opens a complete world of posibilities. A piece of lingerie that can be eaten or broken to set a complete new experience while enyoing the foreplay. And the best of all, it´s enviromentaly friendly and free from toxics!!
About Edible Lingerie#
Photos by Candypants, The Film
Candypants were the first edible underwear known, developed in 1975 by David Sanderson and Lee Brady. At first the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied their application for a patent on the basis that the idea of candy and pants were incompatible, but later granted the application and within weeks hundreds of thousands of pairs were manufactured and distributed out of the company’s food manufacturing plant in Chicago, Illinois. How popular were Candypants? Brady and Sanderson say that at one point in 1976, they were selling $150,000 a month of edible underwear. They bought a 7,000 square foot historic mansion with a grand staircase and a ballet studio.
You can find more about Candypants story here
And here a teaser of the Candypants, The Film
Edible Lingerie Nowdays#
Photos by GQ
Actually you can find some versions of edible lingerie, but apparently they´re not very popular and although people has fun with the concept and the idea, none is reaching its potential as people don’t find them tasty, comfortable nor sexy.
This is how GQ qualifys the existing Edible Lingerie
Some other users´opinion:
New aproaches to edible lingerie#
So far the exploration proposed is sodium alginate base, sodium alginate espherifications for adding flavor, sugar crystals for decoration and chocolate to substitute the trimmings.
Sodium Alginate Bioplastic#
The proposal is to develope a base made out of alginate bioplastic. When alginate comes into contact with calcium a gel is formed. Calcium has the ability to form two bonds which will hold the alginate into a long link forming this gel as a molecule called a polymer.
The ingredients and tools needed for the development are:
| Qty | Description | Price | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 g | Sodium Alginate | 14.00 $ | https://quimicsdalmauonline.com/tienda/alginato-de-sosa-2/ | |
| 15 g | Calcium Chloride | 10.95 $ | https://quimicsdalmauonline.com/tienda/glicerina-bidestilada-usp-1-l/ | |
| 60 g | Vegetable Glycerin | 10.95 $ | https://quimicsdalmauonline.com/tienda/glicerina-bidestilada-usp-1-l/ | |
| 25 g | Olive Oil | 25.32 $ | https://www.amazon.es/Hacienda-Ortigosa-Aceite-Virgen-Garrafa/dp/B01DDB4VPM/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1551877016&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=aceite+de+oliva&psc=1 | |
| 600 ml | Purified Water | – | ||
| 4 | Plastic Serynge | 14 $ | The biggest available in your closest pharmacy | |
| 1 | Plastic Mannequin | 22.86 $ | https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Female-Dress-Mannequin-Form-Hard-Plastic-White-with-Hook-for-Hanging-1pk-/283468297798 | |
| 4 | Wood Frames | -$ | laser cut |
Ingredients#
- 400 ml Pure Water
- 25 g Sodium Alginate
- 60 g Vegetable Glycerin
Calcium Solution
- 20 ml Pure Water
- 25 g Calcium Chloride
Sodium Alginate#
Sodium alginate is a food product derived from brown algae such as kelp. Alginate is a compound know as a polysaccharide (like starch or cellulose).
Calcium Chloride/ Lactate#
Calcium chloride and calcium lactate is also used in food. You will find calcium chloride in pickles to keep the crunchiness.
Vegetable Glycerin#
Vegetable glycerin is widely used in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. Glycerol is present in most of the OILS and fats animal and vegetal and its a by-product from the oleochemistry.
Applications in industry: emulsifier, softener, plasticizer, antifreeze, stabilizer, and humectant. Applications in food: thiken, stabilice, preserve and retain humidity Applications in cosmetic: protect, hydrate and generate skin
Is Glycerin good for skin?
Glycerin is a natural component of skin hydration, for this reason is a substance well received by skin. In the cosmetic industry is used to protect, hydratate and regenerate skin as it improves skin elasticity and calm and reduce irritation.
What’s more, it’s commonly added to soaps, candles, lotions, deodorants and makeup.
Is glycerin edible?
It is often added to foods to help oil and water-based ingredients mix, sweetening or moistening the final product. It can be also used to prevent ice crystals from forming in frozen foods, such as low-fat frozen yogurt, ice cream and other desserts. Glycerin is a common ingredient in pharmaceutical drugs, including heart medication, suppositories, cough remedies and anesthetics. Additionally, you can find vegetable glycerin in toothpaste, as it helps prevent the toothpaste from drying out or hardening in the tube.
What’s more, it’s commonly added to cocktails, liquors, icecream, chocolates, mousses, sugar pastes, fondant and more.
Watch out!
Vegetable glycerin may provide some relief from constipation because it can draw water into your gut. This has a laxative effect, which helps digested food move through your gut more smoothly.
It can turn a sticky mix in warm and humid enviroments.
For edible purposes look in the label: Food Grade, Food Safe or USP (United States Pharmacopeia, regulates ingredients safety for medicines and food)
More about glycerin and food uses
Process#
Prepare the mix with calcium chloride and water and put it into a spray container, leave it aside.
Put the sodium alginate into the water and mix it with a food blender, when most of the lums disolve, add the glycerin and olive oil.
Keep mixing until it has the consistence below:
When ready drop it into a syringe with a spoon
Attack your partner (this is a basic part of the alginate ritual LOL)
We introduced a stick trying to take out the air bubbles but didn´t find this very effective.
When ready you can use a plane plastic surface to draw a lace with the help of the serynge as you can see in the following video:
When you finish your shapes, spray the Calcium Solution first in one side, wait for one minute and after lift the piece slowly while someone helps you to spray the other side until you’re able to turn it completely to the other side. Let them rest in the calcium one more minute and then rinse.
Take the piece out of the water and let it dry.
After one day drying naturaly, the piece shrinked a lot and the consistence was dry and rigid. Something was missing.
After analysing different fondant cooking recepies, I discovered that sometimes they aded olive oil and after the research I discovered that olive oil adds flexibility and wetnes to the fondant. This was an Eureka moment for me!
Olive Oil#
In the ancient world, virgin olive oil was called “liquid gold” by Homer and “the great healer” by Hippocrates.
Olive oil’s cancer prevention and anti-ageing properties are currently being studied. Olive oil aids the absorption of minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc, as well as aiding digestion, preventing acidity and benefiting intestinal transit. It also contributes to controlling blood sugar levels.
The main ingredients for sweets and bakery are some kind of fat and sugar. Olive oil is vegetal fat and one of the healthiest one. As butter has 85% of fat and 15% of water, we will need 15-20% less if we use oil.
Fat is a powerful tenderizer in baking. Fat serves to coat polymers to act as a barrier between the proteins and water. For more information about the Function of fat in baking
And any further information about Olive Oil, it´s properties and different types.
New Recipe#
- 400 ml Pure Water
- 25 g Sodium Alginate
- 60 g Vegetable Glycerin
- 25 g Olive Oil
- 10 g Activated Carbon (for adding some color)
Calcium Solution
- 200 ml Pure Water
- 15 g Calcium Chloride
You can follow the next table if you´re interested in doing further experimentation with Alginate
Spherifications#
The same process of mixing Calcium with Alginate encapsulates the water. In molecular food, many creative cooks will use this process for placing sauces on top of food or as food imitations (such as making fake caviar). This process is referred to as spherification.
Spheres can contain almost any kind of liquid and in gastronomy they have revolution the experience of eating giving a little explosion of flavor when you get a sphere into your mouth.
The young company Notpla is finding new alternatives to substitute plastic bottles and packaging through spherification, it{s not only cheaper but also very eco-friendly and you actually can eat the package also which turns in a zero waste product.
An alternative version of this proces is what we know as paintballs which are spherical gelatin capsules containing primarily polyethylene glycol, other non-toxic and water-soluble substances, and dye. Paintballs are made of materials found in food items, and are edible but taste disagreeable as they tend to dry up the mouth.
Future explorations#
Chocolate pieces#
Sugar Chrystals#
There is a looong list of ingridients to explore, anyway, I think the best way to guide explorations is to understand first why are we using the ingridients and the common uses of teh ingridients we want to try. You can find some ideas for different oils and hidratation here: oils