Can You Put Rice Paper Sails In The Fridge? And Should You?

Rice paper sails are a striking thing to add to a cake, but the problem of refrigeration comes up any time you’re decorating with rice paper or wafer paper.

Since sails are less flexible than untreated edible papers, it seems like you should be able to put them in the fridge, but it’s always good to test these things out.

I did a real-life test to see what would happen if I refrigerated rice paper sails and wafer paper sails, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well they held up even though they weren’t 100% perfect.

This article includes affiliate links that will pay a commission if they’re used to purchase something. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

So after testing it out, can you put rice paper sails in the fridge?

Rice paper and wafer paper aren’t the same thing, and they don’t behave the same way.

Rice paper sails can be put in the fridge without worrying about damage, as long as it’s a home refrigerator with normal humidity. Commercial refrigerators that have higher levels of humidity might cause the sails to absorb moisture and soften, which could cause them to lose their shape.

The humidity outside the fridge needs to be taken into account as well, because that might cause damage to the sails when the cake returns to room temperature.

Wafer paper sails can be refrigerated, but the humidity levels in the fridge and outside of the refrigerator need to be taken into account. If the paper is exposed to high humidity as the cake warms up, it can soften and bend.

This could result in the sails losing some of their shape, but in average humidity they should maintain their form.

So what type of damage can happen, and what was the extent of the damage when I tried it refrigerating edible sails? It wasn’t as bad as it was when I tried it with regular wafer paper (read about if you can put wafer paper in the fridge here.)

But there was a little damage that was noticeable, so read on to find out what it was.

Rice paper sails on a cake in the fridge — Rice paper and wafer paper sails in the fridge

Rice paper sails in the fridge.

I started by making the rice paper and wafer paper sails to use on the cake. Click here for an article showing how to make sails.

Normally, wafer paper is very sensitive to moisture, and rice paper isn’t very flexible.

Both types of edible papers are made from starch, so when water is applied to them they swell, then contract slightly as they dry. They also end up being a lot stiffer than they were originally, and they take longer to absorb moisture.

rice paper sails on a cookie sheet — Rice paper sails drying on a silicone mat.

Because of this, I thought that the sails would be fine as far as standing up to humidity in the fridge. I refrigerated a layer cake with rice paper sails on one side and wafer paper sails on the other.

They were in the fridge for about 24 hours, and I took the cake out and left it on the counter for an hour to see if the condensation that formed on the cake soaked into the sails and softened them.

rice paper sails on a cake — No damage an hour after being taken out of the fridge!

After an hour, the sails were totally fine, and hadn’t softened at all. Wetting the paper to make the sails had made them stiff and it prevented the condensation from soaking into them.

Click to see my list of cake decorating and baking supplies in my Amazon shop.

Putting the cake outside on a humid day.

After that, phase two of the experiment happened, and I put the cake outside under a covered porch on a rainy day. It was only about 72 degrees Fahrenheit so it was a cool day, but it was humid.

I wanted to see if the sails would soften up and end up looking saggy after a few hours. I figured that would be enough to see any effects, and also would be similar to the time a wedding cake might have to sit outside during an outdoor reception.

bent rice paper sails — The round section had softened up and flattened out.

After three hours, there was a little damage to the sails but it was pretty minimal. The rice paper sheet that had a single layer thickness softened up and partially collapsed, so the shape of that one was ruined.

But the ones that had more thickness to them were still holding their shape, and were only a little softer on the edges.

The wafer paper also softened up a little, and one had bent away from the cake a little bit. But other than that, they were also in good shape because their thickness resisted the humidity.

Final conclusions.

Both the rice paper and wafer paper sails held up pretty well in and out of the fridge, and probably for longer than other types of edible paper decorations would. Keep the following factors in mind, though, because they’re not 100% moisture-proof!

Thicker sails will hold up longer than single-layer sails. The single-layer rice paper sail was the only one that totally lost its shape and noticeably sagged.
Home refrigerators don’t seem to damage the sails, but a commercial fridge might, due to higher levels of humidity.
The humidity when the cake is taken out of the fridge might soften the sails over time.
If you can attach the sails to the side of the cake, that can help to maintain the shape of the design if they soften up a little. Sails that extend up and off of the cake are more likely to lose their shape in high humidity.
Rice paper and wafer paper sails would probably be fine to use in “normal” weather for outdoor cakes, but extreme heat or humidity might call for a test ahead of time to see if they’ll stand up to it.
The longer the sails have to be outside or in a high-humidity fridge, the more chance there is of it absorbing moisture and softening up.

The wafer paper sails and the rice paper sails both held up really well, so I wouldn’t be afraid to use them on a cake and to refrigerate the cake. The main concern would be that thinner sails might soften and lose their shape if they sit in a very humid area for a long time.

Keep in mind that this was only one test, so if you’re not sure about whether this style of decoration will work for you, do a test beforehand to see how long the sails can be outside in your weather conditions before they start sagging. Indoor cakes in a climate-controlled environment should be fine, though!

Wafer paper supplies.

Wafer paper supply list:

Shop for materials to make wafer paper flowers on Amazon (#ad):