Eons ago when I worked as a graphic artist, I had the opportunity to work with a photographer/food stylist.
The product we were shooting was ice cream. We actually made the ice cream using the same salt-flour-water mixture that we used to make our relief maps in grade school geography class. When scooped with an ice cream scoop, it had the same look and texture of real ice cream. We just used food coloring, glycerine and Pam to give it the look it needed. Real ice cream would melt under the hot studio lights, but this stuff lasted all day.
Nowadays, with digital photography, the lights aren't as hot and the results are instantaneous. Food styling has had to change with these changes. I guess now we could have used real ice cream.