Hello! I am a newbie and have been a CC addict for almost 3 months now. I pour over your pictures like crazy!

Anyway, I am just now branching out into using fondant, and have only used MMF. I am wondering - what are the differences/advantages/disadvantages of using regular fondant versus MMF?

Thanks!

"regular" as in wiltons tastes like crap!!! I use, as a home baker, mmf only. Not only is it cheaper but I love the flavor.

Jules: Would you mind sharing what recipe you use for your MMF? I've tried one of the recipes here, and it did NOT work for me!
TIA!
Lorie

MMF has marshmallows in it. tastes a LOT better!

I love MMF!! I also find the MMF to be easier to work with, i.e is easier to roll out, smooth out and sticks to the bc better.

MMF tastes much better than Wilton. True.

But in my experience, it stays kind of "chewy" and "tough" on a cake. Real fondant doesn't. It almost melts into your buttercream and is MUCH more pleasant to eat (IMO). Look up the recipe for Michele Foster's Delicious Fondant and give it a try.

I have a great recipe for MMF, and it has treated me well. I kind of like the taste, too! But I hadn't tried Wilton (or otherwise) fondant, and wondered if I was missing out on texture, etc. My first MM fondant bow broke, but I think that was my fault - it was really dry!!!

My recipe is just 16 oz mini marshmallows melted with a couple of TBSP of water, and then I knead it with powdered sugar until it's the "right" consistency. I've found that letting it sit over night isn't always necessary, either.

But as long as you're experimenting, buy commercial rolled fondants and try them. I like Pettinice, which you can find on-line in 5 pound bags. It tastes good and handles well. I have found the MMF recipes here to be a bit iffy -- sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't -- but Pettinice is very reliable and always the same.

I've never worked with MMF, but when I have tasted it I did not like the chewy texture and overly sweet taste. I use Satin Ice exclusively (unless I make my own fondant, which I rarely do for various reasons, but that's regular fondant, not MMF). I love the way it handles, and it tastes great.

Ditto PinkZ. SatinIce works great, is available precolored, tastes super and is easy to work with.

I made MMF once. And only once. While it worked well enough, it was more sticky, more messy, more difficult, and more expensive than making regular homemade fondant. Homemade fondant and homemade marshmallows have essentially the same ingredients, just different quantities and technique. So why go to the extra expense and difficulty of making MMF when homemade fondant is easier and less expensive?

For ready-made, I like Fondx and SatinIce. They're much more expensive than homemade, so I don't often go that route, but they are high quality products.

I like rolled bc since I have had problems with making my own fondant!

MMF is something you have to try a few times before you figure out what it supposed to feel like. Thank goodness it is so inexpensive to make!

For me, the perfect consistency is 16 oz PS, 16 oz MMs, 2 T water, 1 T glycerine. I worked with taste and came up with this recipe:
http://cakecentral.com/cake_recipes_rate-7262-5.html

It can get sticky if it is overheated when re-softening in the micro (just add cornstarch or wait til it cools off). It can get hard if you melt the MMs too long (60 to 80 seconds is plenty).

Weather also affects the outcome: In hot weather sometimes I need more PS. In humid weather I use less water.

So it is pretty finicky, but I've worked with it long enough that I've come to love it because it is so easy to roll out, cover a cake, and make figures with. And I love the taste when adding LoRann buter flavor (I now use 2 drams - my recipe states one dram).

Satin Ice is too dry and matte for me.

Fondarific is amazing for taste and for covering a cake, but not for making accents and figures (too soft).

I haven't tried FondX yet but one day I will, since it seems to rate better than SI and I can't stand SI.

Last week on AceofCakes Mary Alice read an article that was written about them in the local paper - it mentioned how gross the flavor of the fondant was. They use SI!