is paraffin wax edible?

I found your answer on "The Accidental Scientist: Science of Cooking" website (http://sodium.exploratorium.edu/cgi-bin/yabb-acc_s... Someone wrote in with the same question, and the site administrator responded with the following:

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Some candy recipes for dipped chocolate do call for paraffin melted with the chocolate, but this practice is not safe. The Food and Drug Administration has not approved paraffin for human consumption.

Paraffin is a by-product of crude oil extraction, and can irritate the skin and intestinal tract lining. It is not absorbed by the intestines, and has the potential for causing diarrhea, or even intestinal blockage.

So what else can you do?

Look for chocolate with high percentages of added cocoa butter. These are more stable for dipping, and will give you that nice sheen that your looking for.

There are some good dipping chocolates out there. If it's available in your area I recommend Callebaut brand, which has a dipping chocolate available in chips for easy melting.

Happy candy making!

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If you go to the link above, you can read the entire string of responses, some of which contain alternate suggestions for tempering the chocolate and getting the glossy look (sans wax!)

Is Paraffin Wax Edible

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RE:

is paraffin wax edible?

I have a recipe for chocolate making that calls for parafin wax,

I have bought a box of it but it doesn't say if it's safe to eat, to all you candy and chocolate makers out there is there a brand that I should look for ? Is there a special wax for candy making alone? All that I have found...

I've never heard of it, but off the top of my head, I don't think I would care to injest paraffin wax. Might be an error in the recipe.

You'll want to look a a specialty store, most wax is safe to eat however the stuff you'll get a such a store has a higher purity, i.e. it's more refined than the wax you use to seal jars and will result in a smoother, shinier product. Hope this helps.

Yes, it's edible, but not digestible. It is used in chocoalte and some other candies to help it harden and have a shine. Most recipes will work w/o it, too.

Yes, I use it in Homeade Peanut Brittle.