What really makes the best homemade playdough? Probably it’s been sometime now that you have been considering making homemade playdough for your child. That’s a great idea!
As you browse the World Wide Web you’ll see hundreds of recipes that all say “best homemade playdough”. You are suddenly in a quandary because you really don’t know which recipe to try. And the truth is that you are looking to save time and money while engaging your little ones, so trying too many recipes is not an option.
In this post ...
I share some tips that can help you decide what you really need to make good homemade playdough. We will look at a few pros and cons of the most common ingredients and methods. There are some ingredients that are essential for instance salt and some type of oil, so these are not the focus of this post.
Disclaimer: The information shared in this post is not to discredit any playdough recipes, products, or ideas. This advice serves to assist you in making a more informed choice.
It's like baking a cake
Just in case you may not know, making homemade playdough is like baking a cake. Even when you use the same recipe for your playdough over and over, it does not always come out the same. So don’t feel like a novice when you don’t get that soft, easy texture every time. Trust me give it to the kids still, they will love it no matter what. As I have mentioned in my other post what is most important is that they know you made it and you took the time to do it with them, and quality time is priceless to children. They will appreciate you for it.
My goal in this post is to help you make the best decision for your homemade playdough. I spent some time trying various methods and so I am sharing what I have noticed. We will look at some of the main ingredients regularly used to make homemade playdough and two common methods used in preparing playdough and their differences. Let’s get this journey started.
So let’s look at the real matters you need to decide on when making homemade playdough.
We will look at
- Flour versus gluten-free options
- Cream of Tartar versus No Cream of Tartar
- Food coloring versus Kool-Aid
- Cook versus no-cook
- Container storage versus Ziploc storage
Should I make Flour or gluten free homemade playdough?
So flour is the base of your homemade playdough. When it comes to making homemade playdough it’s an absolute must. However, there are also gluten-free homemade play dough options. So when it comes to the pros and cons good news first about gluten-free playdough
- Gluten-free homemade playdough is great to use if your kids have flour-related allergies, and skin conditions like eczemas.
- Flour-based playdough is much more affordable than gluten-free homemade playdough options so do know you may spend a little more on your gluten-free products for your batches of homemade playdough.
- More ingredients are often required to create gluten-free homemade playdough compared to regular flour playdough
- Gluten-free homemade playdough requires a little more time and effort when make, flour takes less time and gives a bit more leeway for errors in the recipes.
- Gluten-free options although they feel great have a different feel than regular flour playdough
- Gluten-free homemade playdough tends to have a shorter shelf life than flour-based playdough
So should you make flour or gluten-free homemade playdough? Consider these few pros and cons related to flour to help you make your decision. Of course, as I mentioned earlier if your child has any flour-related allergies or other conditions where they are required to stay away from flour then gluten-free will be the best option for you.
Should I add cream of tartar or can I do without cream of tartar in my homemade playdough?
Cream of tartar reminds me of yeast, a little goes a long way. This simple but strong ingredient is often used in cake baking and fermenting fruits among other things. My fondest memory of cream of tartar is when my big sis would use it to get that smooth finish on her wedding cakes. Of course, once she has done her part in pasting that fondant onto the cake it becomes hard and stays until the client cuts the cake. And that’s exactly what can happen to your playdough.
How does cream of tartar affect your homemade playdough?
- Too much cream of tartar will leave your homemade playdough with a white tint in a matter of hours, too much can be more than a teaspoon per 2 cups of flour (2:1 ratio)
- Just the right amount of cream of tartar can give your homemade playdough a very nice extra smooth feel almost factory-like finish
- Cream of tartar does not preserve your home playdough, salt as you may know has been used as a preservative for centuries and is still #1 for preservation when it comes to homemade playdough. Recipes without cream of tartar can last just as long and even longer than those with cream of tartar.
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What if I don’t want to add cream of tartar to my homemade playdough?
Your playdough will be perfectly fine. You can get the same great result without cream of tartar. As I mentioned while the cream of tartar is used to preserve fondant by making it firm this is not the effect that you want for playdough. Remember salt is your homemade playdough preservative.
Should I use Food coloring or Kool Aid for my homemade playdough?
This is a tricky one!… but my personal preference is Koolaid. So to answer this question here are some of the pros and cons I noticed about these ingredients
- Food coloring is better if you are making large batches of playdough, say for example you have a play date with several children or you plan to make playdough for the children at a preschool or learning center
- Food coloring is available in liquid or powder and both are concentrated so a little goes a long way
- Food coloring can be used for other activities more easily than Koolaid
- With food coloring, you can create a greater variety of shades of colors than with Koolaid
- Koolaid will give your playdough a lovely fruity smell and kids will love it, while with food coloring you may have to add a scented oil for that effect
- Koolaid runs out faster than food coloring if you plan on making playdough very often
- Koolaid tends to dry up quickly if not stored properly, powdered food coloring and even liquids tend to last way longer
- Koolaid has limited colors
These are the major pros and cons I’ve noticed with Koolaid and food coloring. Both are great for playdough, both contribute to the overall look of playdough well. So it’s really a win-win situation. I would suggest that you use what is readily available to you. And I know this may sound unbelievable but Koolaid can be more expensive than food coloring depending on where you buy it.
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Should I cook my playdough or can I just use regular hot water
Here is another one of those tricky options that could have you wondering if you should even try to bother to make homemade playdough or just go to the store and get some.
Here is some extra help so you can decide what to do.
- Cooked playdough feels much better than playdoh that is uncooked
- Cooked playdough can tend to last a little longer than no-cook playdough. I noticed when left in the open air cooked playdough generally takes longer to get hard while uncooked playdough will dry faster when left idle by kids
- Cooking playdough takes a little more time and the method can be risky both for adults and children. I have burnt my fingers trying to get that cooked playdough together right since when it cools it does not come out as nicely as if you knead it while a bit hot.
- Uncooked playdough has a more “flour-like” feel but is still great
- Hot water can be added to dry ingredients to get great feeling playdough without any cooking
- Uncooked playdough has a shorter shelf life even when refrigerated since cooking adds to the shelf life of the playdough.
So should you cook your playdough or can you just use regular hot water? If and when you decide to try homemade playdough consider these few pros and cons related to cooking or not cooking your playdough to help you make your decision. When I am in a hurry I tend to go the no-cook way. But if I really have the time I will go the extra mile to cook the playdough. I like the cooked feel, but I can’t say that my children have a preference they love it anyway. I’m sure your little ones will too.
Container storage versus Ziploc storage for your homemade playdough
Let’s look at storage as our final decision-maker. I left this one for last cause it’s really the least important in my opinion of all your wonderings. Some recipes suggest containers are the best storage and will increase your homemade playdough shelf life while others recommend Ziploc bags as the best storage.
Pros and cons
- Containers take up more space than Ziploc bags
- The best thing I noticed is that with Ziploc bags you can manually take out any unwanted air using your hands, containers still have a bit of air in them when you close them which is a slight disadvantage
- Both Ziploc bags and containers can be used for storing playdough but Ziploc bags tend to keep playdough for a longer period because it has less air in the bag.
- Multiple colors of playdough can be easier stored in containers without colors mixing
- Plastic wrap coupled with Ziploc bags tends to give the best result for the longevity of homemade playdough
Do you really keep playdough for three months?
As I said, this is really the last thing you want to worry about. Truth be told you may not even want to keep your playdough for three months after all storage in every home is a priority, and homemade playdough certainly is not at the top of the list. But it is still great to know that if you desire to you have help making the best choice for you.
I hope that these tips will be a great guide as you look through you list of playdough recipes. When you finally decide which one you choose let me know how these pros and cons helped you.
Don’t forget to grab your bonus it’s free my gift to you for taking the time to read this post. Before you leave, do feel free to check out some other helpful posts.
Here are some other creative ideas you can try with your kids.
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