Help!!!!!!!
I've made a gift package cake to be delivered tomorrow and my fondant refuses to stiffen. Bows and tag were made yesterday, only 1/8" thick.....helpppppp - what can I do to speed the process?

You could try warming the oven a SLIGHT bit and then laying the pieces carefully directly on the rack to where the air is circulating completely around it.

For future reference, mixing tylose powder in with your fondant really speeds the drying process. I have been able to use a tylose/fondant mixture and combine the drying in the oven and get a piece that, as long as its not too thick, can be made and used the same day. It won't be rock hard, but will be very stiff within 24 hours.

sounds like you may have needed more powdered sugar.....

I would use a small fan to help it dry faster. Sometimes there is too much moisture in the air. Good luck

I mix gumtex with my fondant and it dries VERY quickly. Good luck!

Gumtex will help harden fondant, but for now you can place your pieces on a cookie sheet as a previous poster mentioned and put them in your oven under the warmest setting or proof them to let them dry faster. If you have a convection oven, use the convection setting to warm because the fan will help.

Good luck!!
They will dry in time.
Angie

I have another thread going on this but figure it won't hurt to ask this here:

My grandkids eat the mmf. Can you put gumtex in it and still eat it. If so, how much before it doesn't taste good? TIA.

Thanks to all for the help! I will remember it "all" in the future. As for now, Angela, so you're saying put it in oven at 170 (lowest setting) and turn convection fan on?

I agree with what the others have said. For the future, you might try a 50/50% gum paste and fondant. That will dry fairly quickly, and eventually really hard. I haven't tried to get 100% fondant for bows and such. Hopefully, all will be well by morning. Good Luck.

The convection oven setting works like a charm. I couldn't believe how fast the pieces dry.

You can eat the gumpaste or gumtex pieces. They are edible. They don't taste so great, though.

Angie

to get them to dry faster in the oven, remeber to flip the pieces after 30 min. (if its flattish pieces not bows ) keep on doing that until dry.

Someone will have to explain to me how this works! I put fondant in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it, so I assumed putting it in the oven would have the same effect, but obviously not!

Is gumpaste the same as gumtex??? I know I can probably look this info up but, really, it's just easier to ask the pros here.....

Microwaving the fondant for a few seconds warms it and makes it softer. The oven is only used to dry it, not bake it. They dry heat (especially with a convection fan) acts as a warm room to dry it faster.

GUMTEX is an ingredient that you can add to fondant to make it harder.
GUMPASTE is ready to go. You can use it as is, or add it to fondant for a 50/50 mix to help make your pieces hard.

Hope that helped.
Angie

Personally I have put my MMF into my oven at the lowest setting (170 degrees) and it softened the pieces and my bow loops lost their shape.

Maybe I did something wrong or maybe it's because I don't have a convection oven, but from now on, i just turn on the oven to preheat for a couple of minutes and then I turn it off and then put my pieces in there.

I guess different things work for different people.

It's been mentioned here before also to just use a fan on the highest you can without blowing away your pieces because it is the air circulation that dries them (ie: evaporates the moisture).

Dia

I've added the gumtex and used the fan to dry pieces. Both methods work well. I just recently mixed a 50% MMF/ 50% gumpaste, and loved it. It dried fast, and kept the shape. It was so quick.

Never tried the oven though.....still kinda scared with that method

DON"T PUT MMF IN THE OVEN! It does not have the same drying effect that it does if you put storebought fondant in the oven! The marshmallows will only soften , and expand. I'm not sure how to get them to dry quickly, but I put some practice pieces in the oven once just to see what happens, and it was awful!

Yep - figured that out real quick! So from now on it's 50/50! Thanks for all the help I learn so much from you guys! BTW-I made a tag out of cardboard off my printer (since mine melted in the oven-it was MMF not storebought-oops)...anyway she loved the cake and I'm smarter now thru the learn-by-error-process!

I use of my food dehydrater to dry out fondant. I had to break out the center of one of the trays so that it would have a bigger space to fit in larger items because the trays are very thin. It works great and it makes use of a kitchen item I rarely if ever used before.