Make Play Dough without Cream of Tartar

Making play dough is really fun and easy to do. Kids love to play with play dough, and making it at home can be a wonderful way for parents and children to bond. Many recipes call for cream of tartar, a common baking additive that can cause nausea, vomiting, and even life-threatening illness if ingested in large quantities. There are many recipes available that do not call for cream of tartar. These recipes are safe in case children ingest some of the dough, and making these recipes at home provides fun for the whole family.

Steps

Making No-Cook Play Dough

1. Gather your materials. For this recipe you will need the following items:
   • One large mixing bowl
   • One cup of water
   • Four cups of flour
   • Two to four tablespoons of cooking oil
   • One and a half cups of salt
   • Five drops of food coloring
   • Glitter (optional)
2. Measure one cup of water. Pour the water into a large mixing bowl, big enough to fit and stir all of the ingredients.
3. Add food coloring. You won't necessarily need a lot, but the more food coloring you add, the more vibrant your play dough will be.
4. Stir in the dry ingredients. Mix the four cups of flour and the one and a half cups of salt into the bowl containing the water and food coloring.
5. Add the cooking oil. Oil is crucial in this recipe, as it keeps the play dough soft and malleable. Start out with the two to four tablespoons of oil listed in the materials list, but if the dough turns out crumbly or starts to dry out, feel free to add a little more.
6. Mix in glitter (optional). If you are adding glitter to your play dough, sprinkle in a generous quantity and stir thoroughly to mix the glitter in evenly.
   • If using glitter, you should not let children ingest the play dough.
7. Knead the dough. Work the mixture with your hands until it forms a soft dough with a uniform consistency.
   • If the dough is dry or crumbly at this point, consider adding another tablespoon or two of cooking oil.
8. Store properly. Keep the play dough in an airtight container, such as a sandwich bag or a plastic storage container, whenever it is not in use. This will help keep the dough soft and workable.

Making No-Cook Edible Play Dough

1. Gather your materials. For this recipe you will need each of the following:
   • One large bowl
   • 1/4 cup of corn syrup
   • 1/2 cup of melted margarine or soy alternative
   • A few drops of vanilla extract
   • A pinch of salt
   • Five drops of food coloring
2. Mix ingredients. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Add the food coloring last, once you've gotten the correct texture for the dough.
3. Stir in food coloring. Knead the dough until the food coloring is uniformly distributed throughout the ball of dough.
4. Store unused play dough. Use an airtight storage method, like plastic sandwich bags or a plastic storage container.

Making Cooked Play Dough

1. Gather your materials. This recipe calls for the following items:
   • One large pot
   • One cup of cornstarch
   • One pound of baking soda
   • One cup of water
   • 1/8 teaspoon of cooking oil
   • Food coloring
2. Combine ingredients. Stir thoroughly to make the mixture as uniform a consistency as possible.
3. Cook over medium heat. Keep a close eye on the mixture so it does not burn. Stir as needed until the mixture becomes "mealy" in texture.
4. Remove from heat. Transfer the dough to a plate and cover it with a damp, clean cloth until it cools.
5. Knead the dough. Once the dough becomes cool enough to work with your hands, you'll want to knead it to make it malleable.
6. Store properly. Once the dough is cool, keep it in an airtight container while it's not being used. Sandwich bags or plastic storage containers work best.

Making Modifications

1. Make play dough allergy-friendly. All of these recipes can be modified to accommodate children with allergies.
   • Use a non-dairy spread instead of margarine.
   • Use rice flour instead of conventional flour to accommodate wheat/gluten allergies or sensitivities.
2. Change the texture. You can add additional ingredients to change the texture of play dough. Note that eating many of these ingredients may cause upset stomachs, and it would be best to avoid letting children ingest play dough containing these texture additives.
   • Add one cup of hair conditioner to make the play dough soft and silky.
   • Add 1/4 cup of clean sand to make the play dough more moldable and easy to sculpt.
3. Add a scent. Another simple modification to any of these recipes involves scenting the dough. Be aware, as with the texture modifications, that certain scent additives may cause upset stomachs and render the dough inedible.
   • Add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and 50 ml of chocolate essence to make chocolate-scented play dough.
   • Add 50 ml of vanilla essence to make vanilla-scented play dough.
   • Add 1/4 cup of blackberry jam and 125 grams of crushed blackberries to make blackberry play dough.
   • Add 50 ml of strawberry essence to make strawberry-scented play dough.
   • Add 50 ml of peppermint essence to a red or green batch of dough to make candy cane-scented play dough.

Tips

• To store any of the dough after you are done playing with it, wrap the dough in plastic wrap or put it in a plastic sandwich bag or storage container to keep the dough from drying out. You can also keep the dough in the fridge to make it last longer.
• You can also make play dough with two parts cornstarch and one Part hair conditioner if you find some materials hard to obtain. Just mix them in a bowl then knead. There's a wikiHow article on it titled "How to Make Two Ingredient Play Dough".

Sources and Citations

See also

• Make Kool Aid Playdough
• Make Dough Vegetables
• Make Play Dough
• Make Playdough Without Cooking
• Make Playdough Soft Again
• Make Safe and Easy Play Dough
• Revive Dry Play Doh
• Make a Play Doh Ganesh