Food Airbrush: Which model to choose?

Have you ever found yourself marveling at a cake enhanced by shading effects and color gradients? The secret of such a surprising decoration lies in the use of a food airbrush , which allows painting on cake or chocolate with food colorings specially adapted for spraying.

We explain everything about this method, which contrary to what one might think, is no longer reserved for professionals.

Airbrush & Pastry

Nowadays, a dessert is tasted first with our eyes as well as our taste buds. And it's not the users of Instagram or Pinterest who will say the opposite! In the world of pastry, airbrushing is a tool that will allow you to propel your talents as a pastry chef or amateur chocolatier to a higher level.

Indeed, by using your cake as a painter's canvas and food coloring as paint sprayed by an airbrush gun , it is possible to achieve breathtaking food decorations . With a little practice, your desserts and your cakes will soon be real masterpieces that we would almost hesitate to taste!

Like your pastry robot, the food airbrush has thus become an essential accessory for pastry decoration , both amateurs and professionals. The edible airbrush allows you to quickly and easily color your chocolates or cakes, to create color gradients, or even add details using stencils .

These different methods of airbrush decoration can be carried out on the majority of pastry icings , the famous buttercream and white fondant being the most commonly used as “painting canvas”. Chocolate ganache icings are discouraged, as the oils they contain can cause nasty smearing after spraying colors with the food airbrush .

How to use food airbrush?

An airbrush can be compared to a paint gun . It projects a colored liquid which is in its tank thanks to the pressure generated by the air compressor . We then speak of spraying. On the double action airbrush models (the most suitable for precision work for color gradients), a trigger on the gun allows you to simultaneously dose the flow of air and that of the colorant.

Pressing the trigger increases the airflow in proportion to the pressure exerted by the finger. By pulling on it, the flow of dye is increased.

The mastery of an airbrush therefore requires a certain skill. Before starting your first trial, we always recommend practicing on paper or cardboard with water instead of dyes, to learn how to master the device and quickly control the airflow rate.

Start by making a simple colored background. To do this, simply tilt the airbrush at 45° (point down), and hold it about 15cm from the surface of your cake. Too close and you risk spraying too much dye and getting smudges. Too far. you risk spraying more food coloring on your countertop than on your cake.

Squeeze the airbrush trigger to spray the colorant onto the cake in long, slow, even strokes. Avoid sudden movements back and forth, otherwise the rendering will be irregular and discontinuous. Also avoid keeping the airbrush stationary, otherwise burrs will start to form on your support.

For best results, it is essential to use food coloring suitable for decorating airbrush cakes, such as those of the Aero Cake brand for example. These food colors are designed to achieve a fluidity suitable for airbrushing . These airbrush dyes must be neither too liquid (otherwise they will not adhere to your icing), nor too thick (at the risk of clogging the device). Gel food colorings are therefore to be avoided, as is liquid chocolate.

To avoid redecorating your entire kitchen with your food colorings , it is advisable to protect your work surface and the wall behind your cake with old newspapers or absorbent paper. However, it is preferable to invest in a culinary paint booth , as this does not represent a significant additional cost.

Finally, in the same way that you clean your kitchen utensils after finishing your recipe, it is essential to clean your airbrush after use. It's even better to clean it as soon as you're done spraying , to prevent the colorant from drying out and clogging the airbrush nozzle. For optimal cleaning, it is advisable to use a liquid cleaner for a food airbrush . Nevertheless, the use of pure alcohol is always a good alternative.

Now the use of food airbrush has no more secrets for you. Let's see together how to choose the right airbrush model for beginner, amateur or professional.

How to choose your food airbrush?

All food airbrush users are unanimous when it comes to dessert airbrushing :

the airbrush is a tool that you can not do without once you have learned to master it

However, with all the models out there, choosing the right airbrush for your needs can be tricky. Indeed, there are many details to take into account: the technical characteristics of the device (fineness of the details, compatible paints, rapid color change), its manufacturing quality, and of course, its cost. But don't panic, we will evaluate all these criteria in our guide below!

It is recommended to choose a dual action airbrush with gravity feed. This type of sprayer is precise, handy, and easy to clean. The ideal is to choose a versatile model with which it is possible to alternate airbrush needles of different sizes.

Namely: an airbrush must always be connected to an air compressor to work. Choosing the right food airbrush also means choosing the right compressor. Some experts sometimes use cylinders of compressed air, but this method has a significantly higher cost than a small airbrush compressor .

Concretely, the question that every beginner asks is: can we start with a first price airbrush? Rest assured, at the end of this article you will be informed of all the important details to know about food airbrushes . It will then be easy for you to choose the model that perfectly matches your expectations.

Buy cheap food airbrush

Chinese airbrushes abound on the net. To recognize them, it's quite simple. They are regularly packed in thermoformed blue foam.

For a beginner who would like to learn about cheap airbrushing , the temptation to buy a cheap food airbrush for less than 50 € is great. Unfortunately, Chinese models seriously lack precision and reliability, and you will waste more time cleaning them than using them. Controlling an airbrush takes time and effort, but the results are worth it. It would be a shame to abandon this project because of a bad experience with low-end hardware.

If you look carefully, you can find good deals, such as the complete Aero Cake airbrush compressor kit. The compressor included is silent (20 db), with a max air flow (20 L/min) and aerographic pressure (4 bars) perfectly suited to aerographic use for amateurs or beginners. In this case, it is perfectly possible to start with this device, and to evolve towards a more expensive model later, with a more powerful compressor for professionals.

If your budget allows it, it is better to invest in a high-end airbrush instead of settling for a cheap airbrush which risks giving you a lot of trouble. Don't worry, there are some great food grade dual action gravity airbrushes under $100. Enough to start airbrushing in the best conditions, without breaking the bank!

The different types of food airbrushes

The airbrush works very similar to the spray gun . They both use compressed air to spray the liquid (paint, ink, pigment, etc.) that is in the reservoir (also called bucket) onto any type of support (canvas, wall, figurine, model, bodywork). , etc…). This action is called spraying .

Single or double action food airbrush?

There are two types of food airbrushes: single-action and double-action.

• Single action models

This type of airbrush has a push button action to release both air and paint. Pressing this button controls the airflow, but not the food coloring . The flow of paint is therefore regular but it can however be adjusted by changing the depth of the needle inside the airbrush nozzle .
Single action airbrush models are best suited for painting a large, plain surface or for applying a prep coat.

• Double action models

On this type of airbrush , the push button is replaced by a trigger which simultaneously controls the flow of air and that of the liquid dye . It is therefore possible to modify the flow of paint without having to stop spraying . A double action airbrush however takes longer to learn, because you have to learn to master 2 actions at the same time: regulating the air flow and that of the dye spray.

A double action food airbrush is recommended for decorative painting. This device is more suitable than a simple action to achieve precision details, color gradients or shadow effects.

Food airbrush by gravity or suction?

It is also necessary to differentiate 2 other types of airbrushes according to the way in which the paint arrives to the nozzle: by gravity or by suction.

• Gravity feed

Gravity airbrushes have a reservoir of paint located above the gun , and the liquid colorant simply flows into the nozzle under the force of earth's gravity.

Gravity models are stronger, more manageable, and easier to clean than vacuum models. Thanks to the position of the airbrush cup on the gun, they are suitable for both left and right-handers.

Usually, the paint cup is smaller to facilitate the handling of the gun during spraying , which can be restrictive if you have to paint large areas. In addition, this cup is often fixed, which requires cleaning it between each color change.

However, the gravity system makes it possible to use thicker colorants, and to work at low pressure, which is very advantageous for painting fine lines such as for decorating cakes and chocolates.

• Suction feeding

Suction airbrushes have their paint cup attached to the side or bottom of the airbrush gun . The spray of the compressed air creates a suction which helps to send the liquid colorant from the reservoir to the airbrush nozzle .

The suction models have removable cups, to adapt the capacity of the tank to the work to be carried out. Unlike gravity models, it is possible to use fairly large tanks, and thus color large surfaces without having to reload the bucket too often. It is also easier to change colors without cleaning the cup because you only need to change tanks.

The suction method requires a higher air pressure, which limits the achievement of certain decorative effects. However, it is possible to use the airbrush vertically without the risk of the dye running out of the cup.

On the majority of suction models, the tank is located to the right of the gun, which is not practical for left-handers. For left-handers, it will be preferable to choose a model with the tank in the middle.

Food airbrush with internal or external mixing?

The way the dye mixes with the air when spraying is also a detail to take into account when choosing your future food airbrush

• Internal mixing

We speak of internal mixing when the mixture of air and paint takes place inside the nozzle. This advantage results in an extremely fine spray jet , ideal for decorative details. However, the dye must be properly diluted to avoid clogging.

• External mixing

In the external mix model, the air and paint mix takes place outside the nozzle, resulting in a coarser spray than the internal mix. This type of airbrush is suitable if you need to cover a large area with color without worrying about details, or if you need to use liquids that are too thick.

Food airbrush accessories

In order to take full advantage of your airbrush, you will need consumables such as cleaner and dyes, but also a number of other accessories.

It may be best to have a stand to rest your airbrush gun on, while you manage to decorate your desserts. The ideal is to opt for a cleaning station that allows both to serve as a support for the airbrush, but also to clean it and drain the paint into a tank that will filter the microparticles.

From now on, you are well equipped to start food airbrushing in the best conditions. All you have to do is spray your desserts!