Dry Ice, Food Coloring, and Rock Salt
Hi,
I moved from Arizona to NYC not too long ago. I was just wondering if the entire Dry Ice distribution and sale has either been monopolized by an individual, company, or mob? Because you can't seem to get it at any supermarket in Brooklyn or other NYC Boroughs. I know through out the majority of the U.S. you can walk into a supermarket 75% of the time and they have dry ice for sale. It just a tab bit annoying having to go to a specialty ice store that takes me a while to get to.
The other thing is, what is the deal with a majority of grocery stores not selling Food Coloring? I find this extremely odd. I had to go on a man hunt for Food Coloring and ended up at Whole Foods on Houston and they sold some.... for 20 bucks a pop, and even the Whole Foods on the Upper Westside didn't sell food coloring.
The last thing is what is the deal with Home Depot and Lowes in NYC not selling Rock Salt? Not the kind you eat but we use it in AZ to soften our water, but it is a usually a common thing you buy at any hardware store. Most employees I asked looked at me crazy, like they never heard of it.
I know it's like three questions in one, and three odd items, but I am making Space atmosphere for a music video and these are three out of four main materials I need. I just need to know if I can find these things in Park Slope or surrounding Park Slope for the next time, either so I can plan ahead and order these things online so I don't spend 6 hours of my days running around tracking this stuff down.
Thank You for your help.
Comments
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Rock Salt: If we don't use it for water softening (and we don't) is there another common use for it that would justify stocking our shelves with it? Could you instead use one of the environmentally friendly de-icing salts?
I don't know where you've been shopping for food coloring, but I find it just fine in about any supermarket. It's with the spices or baked goods and comes in a packet of red, blue, yellow, and green like normal. Maybe look in places like Met foods instead of Whole Foods? Whole foods is normally the spot to go to spend WAY too much money. Considering most people who are looking for all natural foods also avoid food colorings when possible this might explain it.
Dry ice in AZ might be so in demand that it makes sense to have it everywhere. Serious question here though: What purpose would it have in NYC that would justify it's being stocked in supermarkets? A dry ice Mob would never be able to launder any money if no one ever bought the stuff. Really, though, besides party and film uses, why would the everyday person need dry ice?
(Welcome to NYC)
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Tateinbk asked all of my questions -- why do you need rock salt and dry ice? -- but the food coloring is bizarre. I find it at grocery stores with baking supplies, in dollar stores, etc. I have many boxes both in my home and my classroom for projects. So unsure why it was such a hunt.
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dtantale needs the rock salt and dry ice for a music video. But why would those items be commonly needed in grocery stores? What justifies their common placement in stores in AZ and do those reasons stand up here in a much different climate?
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My husband is from AZ and he had no idea that dry ice could be purchased in normal stores. He had never seen it in a grocery store for sure. He had also never heard of rock salt.
For what that is worth.
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tateinbk said:
dtantale needs the rock salt and dry ice for a music video. But why would those items be commonly needed in grocery stores? What justifies their common placement in stores in AZ and do those reasons stand up here in a much different climate?That was my question, sorry. I meant why would someone regularly need them. I often need weird things for a one-off project but I wouldn't assume it would be readily available everywhere
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Home Depot or Lowes might have rock salt. I know back home some grocery stores carry dry ice others don't.I just don't know where to find it in the city.
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Servicing food service applications:
http://www.superpages.com/yellowpages/C-Dry+Ice/S-NY/T-Brooklyn/
Also, don't forget the welding supply companies. They use it too, and might be willing to sell it in smaller quantities: http://www.google.com/search?q=welding+supplies+brooklyn+new+york&hl=en&gbv=2&gs_l=heirloom-hp.1.0.0l10.1277.3411.0.7194.10.9.0.1.1.0.227.772.7j0j1.8.0...0.0...1ac.1.9IdPNaxVJ8w&oq=welding+supplies+brooklyn+new+york
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newguy88, I'm genuinely curious about the dry ice in grocery stores. What is it purchased for in such quantities that would justify it being sold there? Is it that in smaller locals there are fewer specialty stores so more has to be sold at the grocery stores? What does the average person wherever it is you're from, use a block of dry ice for home use?
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Rock salt mainly used for water softening on the west coast, but rock salt is also used for melting snow and ice on driveways. I guess it referred to as de-icing salt here like you mention Tateinbk. Maybe that is why the people at Lowe's and Home Depot were confused. So I think for the next time I will say de-icing salts. Also, you use rock salt to help with injured or tense muscles. Boil it in hot water, soak a rag and then apply it to sprained ankles to reduce swelling, etc. Yes, there are other salts that do this but they are usually expensive. 50lbs for 8 bucks can go a long way. The other thing it is used for is to make ice cream.
As for dry ice, I thought it would be more practical use here in New York then AZ, mainly because it keeps things cold for a really long time in a cooler, especially if you have frozen food and the travel time in NYC takes a longer sometimes. It's also used to make ice cream, but the most important use I think it can be used for in NYC, is when power goes out, walk down to your corner store, pick it up and throw it in your fridge and freeze to preserve your food so it doesn't go bad. I mean look what happened during Sandy, I think that would have been very useful.
As for the food coloring, I went to Target, Ivy Garden, Union Market, Associated Market, Western Beef, Key Food, Trader Joe's, and the Whole Foods on the UWS. Then I called K-Mart and C-Town, they also told me they did not have it. I mean there are like 20 corner shops and grocery stores just in my Area, but I tried to target the places I thought they would have it for sure. I guess I was wrong.
Xlizelic I don't know what to tell your husband. Almost all my friends and family in AZ know what rock salt is and are aware that you can pick up dry ice at almost any grocery store in AZ. I mean, we shot the music video today and improvised. Most of the crew are from AZ and they were shocked too that it was difficult to find dry ice and rock salt because it's easy to find back in AZ.
Lesson learned, I just have to think differently now that I am on the East coast, things that may be common on the west coast may not be as common on east coast and vice versa.
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newguy88, Yeah I think they just use different terminology which is why I couldn't locate it at home depot and lowe's.
why_not31, thanks for the link. That might be helpful to me in the future.
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dtantalte wrote: I mean, we shot the music video today and improvised.
Once you get it edited and posted it on youtube, you should link it here.
...complete the thread!
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Whynot_31, for sure. It won't be done for another month and half because it's very special effects heavy, but I will for sure do it once we are done.
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tateinbk said:
newguy88, I'm genuinely curious about the dry ice in grocery stores. What is it purchased for in such quantities that would justify it being sold there? Is it that in smaller locals there are fewer specialty stores so more has to be sold at the grocery stores? What does the average person wherever it is you're from, use a block of dry ice for home use?It must have been or the stores wouldn't sell it. My parents once bought a couple bags of dry ice when we lost power for a few days after a storm to keep the stuff in the fridge and freezer alive. I know some hunters and fisherman would use it to keep their kills fresh on long trips. Also I know people would use it instead of ice for camping and tailgating. I'm from GA, and the two big supermarkets there are Publix and Krogers. Some of their stores carried others didn't. I've never seen a small or specialty store carry it.
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For dry ice, try any bakery that sells ice cream cakes. They usually have it for shipping and transport of such cakes. There also used to be a number of ice houses along the PH/CH border that used to sell it. Unsure if they are still there.
Food coloring is available in any supermarket. Your best bet is not to call and ask but simply walk in. You'll never find it in a mixed department type store like Target or K-mart except around Easter (for egg dying) but its in every regular supermarket in the baking aisle for dying cakes and frosting. Hint: If the supermarket has a huge McCormick's display they've got food coloring.
As for rock salt, many places don't carry it in huge quantities as folks have moved to either chemical de-icers or more environmentally friendly substances, but it is definitely still available. But you should be able to find it in neighborhood hardware stores like Pinchek.
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I feel like I've found food coloring in most grocery stores in the baking aisle...maybe you just hit them at a bad time (maybe some haven't restocked after an Easter rush?).
I have never found rock salt, which I use when making ice cream (on the ice, not in the cream). My parents actually sent me a box of it last summer.
I haven't needed dry ice since I've been here--down in the hot south people used it often in coolers, as others have said. I remember most big grocery stores having it in a chest near the registers. Let us know if you find it. It's good to know where to get such things.
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Too late for the intents of the original poster, but if you need dry ice a possibility would be a beer and soda distributor.
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Like everyone else, I've never seen dry ice for sale in a supermarket before, but I've only lived in the Northeast.
Google tells me this: http://www.unitedcityicecube.com/
As for the food coloring, dunno, I've seen it at all of my usual markets. Check the baking aisles. At Natural Land on Flatbush, food coloring is for sale at the front of the store, behind the counter.
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You may not find rock salt for making ice cream but kosher salt should do this trick as the size of the grains is probably close to the same size as those of rock salt. The rock salt that's sold for deicing I don't think I'd eat as it looks gray in color and I suspect not clean (if that's the word) enough to use.
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I live in Florida. Rock Salt for Water Softners is readily available in all "Home improvement Stores" and some grocery stores. I have it delivered by the company that installed the water softner. They bring it, lug it into my garage and put it into the softner tank. Dry Ice is not something I have seen here except deliveries from a company shipping you frozen or cold edible items. When I was a kid in Brooklyn, I used to see dry ice when large amounts of brick ice cream were delivered to my Church for a special event. The only time it was hard to find rock salt in Brooklyn was after a snow storm when people bought it all up to put on their sidewalks to melt the snow & ice. When we had coal stoves years ago in the slope we would save the ashes and put them on the walk when the ice formed. It gave you great traction. O:)
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having lived in various parts of the country i found that rock salt is very regional. when i lived in western michigan it was everywhere: walgreens, home improvement stores, most grocery stores would have it on pallets at the front when you walked in. but i never saw it in places like NYC, Philadelphia, and south jersey. my theory is this has to do with the water supply, some regions have naturally soft water which require rock salt for hardening, whereas other areas either have appropriately hard water, or have a municipal water system that adjust hardness in the supply chain.
This is not to mention that NYC tap water is itself the standard by which all other municipal water is measured.
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