Dr. Dreadful

[Roda]

My son wants a Dr. Dreadful Zombie Lab really bad. I have no idea if the ingredients in the food packets for the experiments are gluten free(probably not). I did however, pick up a kit at the toy store(maybe not the same one, not sure) and it did have wheat listed, so we didn't get it. Anyone have any experience with this and gluten free replacements? I hate to tell him no on something he would like because of food intolerences. If I could make my own mixes to use in it that would be great and he wouldn't have to do without.

[Roda]

Well, I just got off the phone with the customer service people. All the mixes for all the kits are from a facility that handles wheat and gluten. For the kits that have molds for bugs etc. Jello could be used. I'll have to ponder some more. I may have to experiment in the kitchen. I hate if for him. He really wants this.

[kareng]

My kids are too old, so I went looking on line. I kept finding old ones from A.com. They think they are a collectors item? Not sure what a new one costs, they wanted $45. IF thats a lot cheaper, you could get the molds and equipment and throw out the mixes.

Might be able to find some molds (for candy or ice cubes) of bugs & brains left from Halloween. Mixing jello & Koolaid colors might be fun. Making hard candy on the stove to put into molds.

Unfortunately, these things are never as cool as they look on TV. Does he know someone who has one you could look at? And quiz the mom about?

My boys were more into making fudges & truffles when they were young. I'll ask M (15)when he gets home if he has seen a kit. If he has something to add, I'll put it on later.

[kareng]

Just looked at it on Walmart. Not sure why this subject intrigued me. It was only $20. Looks like you could use Jello or watered down jello (Sprite is yummy). I would try it if my kid wanted it.

Actually... if a 15 or 18 yr old wanted it, I'ld probably have to get them therapy!

[Jestgar]

Open Original Shared Link

This looks like total fun in food science!!

You could try it first with the mixes just to see what the consistencies are, then work on making your own mixes.

I would do the bubbling brains with pop rocks, and the bugs with knox blox (is that stuff still around?) Not sure about the barf.....maybe something with tapioca?

[Roda]

I was thinking of getting it for his birthday next month. He and his friends could make the food experiments at his party. Sounds pretty fun. I will get it now and set the actual zombie head aside so I don't contaminate it. It will also give me time to mix up the "experiments" in a glass bowl and come up with alternatives. I've been looking online and have found some promising things. Some of the science experiments called for dry ice, but the pop rocks would be so much easier! I thought about the Knox too. Keep the ideas coming, they are great. I might even learn a thing or two!

[kareng]

They make jello with less water to make Jello Jigglers. they are firmer. Baking soda & vinegar foam up nice. Would stink nicely, too.

[Roda]

The mixes have a "may contain traces" warning for wheat and other ingredients on the package. That doesn't even cover gluten free. Anyway I was looking at some of the ingredients on the powders and when I looked them up what I found was interesting. I ended up on a site that uses all kinds of gelling agents etc for modern cooking or gastrology. Mind you this is beyond me, so was hoping I could find someone with experience with that.

[lpellegr]

We got one of these or something similar a few years ago when my son was younger. It required full parental input, the parts didn't fit together the way they needed to, some of it never did work, and it wasn't anywhere close to being as easy and fun as the commercials make it seem. Which will not deter a child who wants one, admittedly. On the other hand, that same boy found that his sister's Easy-Bake oven could make cool stuff. You can find some homemade recipes for that online, although I can't remember if there were any gluten-free ones. But now that there's Betty Crocker gluten-free mixes, you can at least do that. Not the same, I know.

[Takala]

This is hilarious. Bwah Hah Hah ! A Dr Zombie !

You could just use jello gelatin, instant pudding mixes, or mix ice cream and club soda or soda pop for the various bugs, brains, and barf mixes. Maybe add some chocolate chips or dried cranberries.

We could have a contest here. Rice pasta would be interesting, too, mixed with peanut butter. Or how about some pumpkin puree out of the can, sweetened and mixed with cinnamon and nutmeg ? Try adding some xanthan gum to some of it to get it rubberized.

[Roda]

Well, we have come up with a sucessful replacement for the bubbling brains, zombie skin and bugs. For the zombie skin and bugs, I did a mixture of sugar, packet of koolaid and a packet of unflavored geletin. Mixed a couple of scoops with a few scoops of water. It worked great. I could have used just jello the same way, but we were having so much fun mixing up "experiments." The bubbling brains took a bit more time and we ate the mistakes so it wasn't so bad. I mixed up a packet of koolaid, packet of unflavored geletin, sugar, baking soda, and pasturized powered egg white. A few scoops of that mixed with a packet of pop rocks when mixed with some water, and BUBBLING BRAINS (popping too!) It foamed up and really did look like it. I had my oldest son writing down all the measurements as we went so we could mix things up again. Now we need to tackle the zombie barf. Wednesday or Thursday will be barf night! My youngest son, who wants this, wants to make bubbling brains for a snack after school. I told him we would experiment with mixes so, in the event he gets one, we will be set to go! He can't wait. My older boy wants to get the whole set.

[Takala]

Chia seeds mixed with water makes a nice gray gloopy gel.

You should see this bread dough I've been doing lately. Mixed in a few tablespoons of blue corn meal, along with soaked chia seed and a bit of soaked psylium gel, with some yellow colored flours, and it is the most disgusting gray or green color, and if it has seeds in it, it's lumpy and sort of bizarrely rippled from the gels. It turned green when I baked it. Tastes good, tho

New uses for Buckwheat flour. bwah hah hah! & Raisins and chocolate chips... marshmellows cut into chunks....

[Roda]

Chia seeds mixed with water makes a nice gray gloopy gel.

You should see this bread dough I've been doing lately. Mixed in a few tablespoons of blue corn meal, along with soaked chia seed and a bit of soaked psylium gel, with some yellow colored flours, and it is the most disgusting gray or green color, and if it has seeds in it, it's lumpy and sort of bizarrely rippled from the gels. It turned green when I baked it. Tastes good, tho

New uses for Buckwheat flour. bwah hah hah! & Raisins and chocolate chips... marshmellows cut into chunks....

The chia seeds and psylium gel may come in handy if they want the one that makes zombie snot!

[Jestgar]

Well, we have come up with a sucessful replacement for the bubbling brains, zombie skin and bugs. For the zombie skin and bugs, I did a mixture of sugar, packet of koolaid and a packet of unflavored geletin. Mixed a couple of scoops with a few scoops of water. It worked great. I could have used just jello the same way, but we were having so much fun mixing up "experiments." The bubbling brains took a bit more time and we ate the mistakes so it wasn't so bad. I mixed up a packet of koolaid, packet of unflavored geletin, sugar, baking soda, and pasturized powered egg white. A few scoops of that mixed with a packet of pop rocks when mixed with some water, and BUBBLING BRAINS (popping too!) It foamed up and really did look like it. I had my oldest son writing down all the measurements as we went so we could mix things up again. Now we need to tackle the zombie barf. Wednesday or Thursday will be barf night! My youngest son, who wants this, wants to make bubbling brains for a snack after school. I told him we would experiment with mixes so, in the event he gets one, we will be set to go! He can't wait. My older boy wants to get the whole set.

Sounds like a lot more fun than just the kit would have been. :D