So my initial supplies are slowly arriving (first pack of flavors came in yesterday, more coming on Monday), and I'm ready to get started. Been reading everything I can, watching videos, etc. But I still have 3 small questions before I start to experiment...
Question 1: Is there a good "rule of thumb" ratio of flavorants to base (pg/vg) I should try to follow?
Question 2: In the absense of a lemon flavor, can lemon juice be used?
Question 3: What can be used to give a slightly salty component? I've seen dozens of sweeteners and sour components, but none for a salty. Is there such a thing?
I'm sure these have been answered thousands of times, but I am a simple man, and not very clever.
Thanks in advance!
For flavors, I follow the smell test rule if I don't have time to add them to whipped cream for tasting, or haven't tried them before.
Open the bottle and hold it about a foot below your nose, if you can smell it from there, you're talking sub 1%. If you can't smell it, proceed to 6 inches from your nose, if you can smell it there it's between 1-5%. If it's still faint or you can't smell it, put it directly under you nose, if you can smell it then it's 5+%, depending on how strongly you smell it.
Totally unscientific but works for me as a quick "rule of thumb" identifier.
This is exactly how some pro mixers do it. Awesome system.
Whipped cream is better, of course.
It's recommended not to go above 20% flavoring.
Lemon juice cannot be used as a substitute for lemon flavor. Lemon juice, free of any other ingredient, is used as a substitute/alternative to citric acid.
I go by the 20% rule, too, I usually start at 10% and adjust from there. I'm learning which flavors are stronger than others, which is why a notebook is important. Some flavors I can push, others not so much - coconut, for example, starts to get marshmallowy on me, not in a good way, if I use too much. It's all trial and error - if you're not into experimenting, DIY is probably not for you, unless you stick to other people's recipes.
This is a descent list I use to try and get a baseline on flavor percentages. But don't be afraid to mess around a little bit. Experimenting is part of the fun! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aXcTD4nEDzd2rnSOraoWzBPak4kGEILrEL9ZtBlQwi0/edit I have heard of people using lemon juice but I have not tried it personally so I can't say yay or nay for sure.
You can use saline water to add a salty hint. Not sure about how much you'd put but I believe I found it in THIS THREAD! Hope this helps