Seems like Satin Ice works okay fresh out of the bucket but after a few days it dries or something...I dunno...I"m so frustrated today. Working on a competition cake (mostly dummies) and this stuff is ripping, bubbling, doing elephant skin...all the fondant horrors are coming upon me! I do not have time or fondant to keep trying and trying again so I'm going to do the best I can with what I have right now....and hope at least some of the decorations will cover up my terrible fondant job.

But...I need to find a more forgiving fondant...easier to work with...and not TOO expensive because I do go through kind of alot of it, although usually novelty cakes with not as high of a profit margin as a wedding cake.

I'm not happy with Satin Ice today!

You're not the only one- and Satin Ice can vary greatly between buckets too.
I add modeling chocolate to it (Jennifer Dontz's recipe, so I can't give it!) and it seems to help it a bit.
The only stuff that is the best to work with is Massa Grischuna, or Massa Americana. But it is a lot more expensive!

I have the same problem with the satin ice when I first used it about 3or 4 years ago I though wow this is great, because I was using wilton which I dont like or making my own which is a pain when you need a lot of different colors. The last cake I covered in satin ice was a night mare. it seems like the texture isn't the same. where can you buy massa americana I would like to give it a try.

I don't know what's going on with SatinIce. I haven't had the crazy problems some of you have had. it does seem that SI is inconsistent.

I tried a bucket of Fondex this weekend and liked it fine. It rolled out nicely and went on the cakes easily.

The oddest thing was, though, that it tasted like . . . nothing. Seriously it had no taste at all to me.

I used to use FondX and then switched to Satin Ice due to it being a little more cost effective, and bigger buckets.

Usually I'm ok with Satin Ice and this particular bucket started out nice and fresh earlier this week. And I always cover it back up after I take some out. But today I'm using the end of the bucket and its like just the bit of exposure it has to air causes it to dry out or age or something and now its a nightmare.

My competition cake isn't going to win a THING because my fondant work looks like an amateur, and I don't have time to redo it. Lots of elephant skin and small pockmarks, etc.

Plus dummies are hard to cover, especially topsy turvy ones...

For dummies I always use Wilton that I buy with coupons. It's really the only thing that stuff is good for. But it's easy to use.

Hub looked at the weather and discovered 33% humidity...which is fine for alot of states but very dry for here...maybe I'm not used to working in the dryness. Just a few days ago it was so hot that the fondant was sweating and practically melting...today its drying out and cracking...and the end result is WORSE than the hot weather I think!

I'm not kidding, my fondant work today is terrible. *sniff*

Eating junk food right now to alleviate the stress...I'll deal with the stress of being fat later. haha

I use MMF for dummy cakes with glycerin and it's wonderful to work with...
no elephant skin... no ripping... very pliable

hth

Glycerin...that's the second time I heard of that...gotta get some! Too late this time though....

If you want to do 50-50 fondant and modelling chocolate it does make it a little more malleable. I don't know anything about Jennifer Dontz, so I'll give a recipe using the candy melts:

1 bag candy melts (14 oz)
1/3 cup corn syrup

Melt the candy melts in the microwave, then add the corn syrup to it. Stir it just until it seizes up and all the candy melts are incorporated. Don't overstir it or the oils in the candy melts will separate out. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it set overnight. The next day you can knead it 1:1 in the fondant. You can color the candy clay with oil-based candy colors or powder food colors.

massa is available at Albert Uster imports (you have to have an account) but you can give it a try at Epicurious. I think a pound is about $10 in the small container. But seriously, that stuff is amazing and worth it, but totally crazy expensive. $75 per 13lb bucket. However, a 13lb bucket can do just about as much as a 20lb bucket of Satin ice. You can roll it that thin. And it tastes amazing.

I still use satin ice mixed with modeling chocolate though for most things.

btw- use corn syrup, about the same as glycerin.

ha ha nevermind- not the same, I'm thinking glucose.

I bought a new bucket last week and had similar problems....elephant skin. I was thinking that it was me. I have never had any issues before, but this bucket was a diaster to work with.

I think maybe it goes stale quickly? I"m not sure...

glucose will losen it up a bit, but it used for making it too. I also have found some shortening will help a bit too.

I totally use the Wilton stuff for dummies...haha it works great on styrofoam! I only use choco-pan, it is reasonably priced and tastes similar to the Massa (I think a little better!). I went thru a SI bad spell and just can't go through that again!!

I use the michelle foster recipe - but I get the elephant skin sometimes...I have a feeling it is more what I do with the fondant than the fondant itself. I always thought SI was good stuff and thought maybe getting some would alleviate my awful fondant jobs! LOL!

I can't say for sure, but the problem could be with your distributor. Ours once placed the satin ice in the Non a/c part of their warehouse, for three months, found it and shipped it to us. They only discovered the problem when we called to tell them the problem. If you can not find what the problem is with your distributor, call Kevin at Satin Ice. I am sure he will track down the problem. If something was wrong with your cakes, wouldn't you rather have people call and tell you so you could fix it.

Kita, can you microwave it for a few seconds to soften it to rework it???

I have always had a problem with Satin Ice. Each bucket is different from the next. It starts out way too sticky and you need to keep adding cornstarch until you've dried it out. It's terrible stuff.

I like Pettinice. It's always soft and pliable without being sticky and it doesn't dry out quickly. And in the sizes I buy (not super huge bulk) it's cheaper than the satin ice in the store I get mine in. The only thing is that it doesn't come in colors. It comes in white and chocolate. The chocolate is brown and is so yummy too. Like tootsie rolls!

I second Choco Pan - so easy to work with, can roll very thin and tastes great - the dark choc is great !.....I only have problems when we have very hot temperatures - late summer. Massa is my all time favorite, but sooo expensive

Cuteums - what does the white Pettinice taste like? Does it take color easily ?

You can actually use gel colors in modeling chocolate/candy clay - though it makes it a little softer.

I always found Pettinice rather hard/stiff to work at first. Maybe I should try it again.

Or maybe its just that we had a super dry day. I feel like I'm getting elephant skin within seconds, almost, of using the fondant (and I've been doing this for several years now...roll out quickly, put it on the cake, smooth on as fast as possible...)

I dunno.... lots of royal icing caulk tonight. haha.

Still up btw...long night!

why do I always read that is so much expensive, if wilton fondant is like 8.99 lb. and the new ace of cakes fondant is almost 20 for 2lb. massa comes for less than 5 a lb. (if you buy $200 free shipping! lol ok maybe 200 is a little too much but i dont think is too expensive for the quality. IMHO

Satin ice ends up to be about $3/lb

I like Fondarific. I bought some at the OSSAS this past year. It doesn't dry out. You can pop it in the microwave. You can freeze it. It has a shelf life of at least a year. You can roll it out much thinner so by the time you calculate the difference in amount you use to the cost it acutally comes out cheaper for me. It has a "stretchablity" that others don't. I am new and don't always get the right size but I can stretch and pull a little and problem solved. I also really like the taste. The colors are really good too. I tried Cocopan but I don't like the flavor as much. I've tried Satin ice but sill like Fondarific better.

I have sworn off satin ice. it used to be superb a few years back, but I am convinced it has changed. no more for me.

Hmm. Glad I found this thread. I bought a new batch of SI (20 lbs) a month and used it to cover both a dummy and real cakes. I usually don't get the elephant skin but the last two times I did, I was really having trouble with it. The more I kneaded it to get it soft, the harder it was to get it smooth. I don't know what the problem was. The other batch that I used (bought around 4-5 months) didn't have this problem. =(