I am really giving up on MMF!!!! I have made it and made it and only a few times did it come out right. I have NO IDEA what I am doing wrong! Everytime I see it on the internet it looks so smooth and beautiful, it makes me sick.
This is what I am doing. Melt 16 0z of mm with 2-3 tbs water. I sift 3/4 of a 2lb bag of p/s, and I put this on top of the melted mm after they have melted. (The rest of the p/s is put on a lightly greased countertop. I grease my hands and start mixing the mm and p/s in the bowl, once mixed I put it counter top and knead. I knead for about 5 mins or so. My fondant is usually flexible and stretchy, not not real firm.
I let it rest overnight. Before I roll it out, I lightly grease my countertop and add a dusting of corn startch. I grease my hands again knead just a little and roll it out. It gets a ton of air bubbles in it and it looks like a orange peel paint job on a car with little rips in it. It hardly rolls out nice and smooth. It's always the other way and shinny.
Please someone share with me exactly what they do to get great MMF. I use brand name MM and p/s. I've really had it with this MMF, and if I can't get it right I give up all together.

I had the same results as you, so I gave up too. I use Satin Ice now. It is more expensive, but saves me hours of work and labor, and it is consistent. I personally didn't like the MMF, it seems to be too stretchy for me.

How does satin ice taste?

I like it. It is rather sweet. I tastes notthing like MMF, so if that is what you are used to you might not like it.

Don't give up yet! I just recently completed a fondant test. I tried Duff's,Fondx, Fondarific, Satin Ice, Wilton, Massa Grischuna neutral, Massa Ticino Tropic and cocopan white chocolate. I have made MMF previously and found it to dry out easily, and wasn't thrilled with it, so I did not try it again. For each, I looked at the color, the taste, and ease of use. Cocopan (white chocolate) was very yellow, and I did not test it further, saving it for when I needed a white chocolate fondant. It tastes good, just like white chocolate. Duff's was a definite Ivory, Tropic was very white, and the rest were very similar light ivory in color. Taste wise, I liked Duff's and fondarific which both tasted like vanilla tootsie rolls, but Grischuna was close behind. My husband and son liked the Grischuna the best, finding the first two too sweet. I found the Tropic to have a slight chemical taste, but it dissipated, and when I tasted it on the final cake, it was very nice and tasted great - indistinguishable from the Grischuna. Satin Ice and Wilton were plain horrible and tasted like chemicals. For ease of use, hands down the Grischuna and Tropic are the clear winners. They were very easy to work with, smoothing beautifully with a porcelain-like finish. Duff's tore easily and was sticky. Fondarific was very sticky and stuck to The Mat (which I highly recommend). FondX handled well and wasn't a bad flavor - slighly citrus but had a less smooth final surface. Satin Ice tended to dry quickly, creating the crocodile skin effect. I let them all sit overnight before cutting. They all cut similarly, although the tropic cut the cleanest. I did not test the wilton. I have used it in the past and it handles nicely, but tastes so bad, I wouldn't use it on a cake. I will save it for covering cake boards and making figurines.

Bottom line, The massa grischuna neutral and Massa Ticino tropic were both great. The tropic is bright white, the Grischuna Ivory, which would be the only main difference. (Massa grischuna makes a white type called Americana which I have not tried yet). When I need to order more, it will most likely be the Tropic, although I may try the Americana.

Cost - I paid 64.00 for 10 lbs satin Ice (6.40 a pound) + 5.44 CA sales tax = 6.94 per lb
61.97 for 13.5 oz Grischuna (4.65 a pound) plus 25.00 shipping = 6.50 per lb
79.99 for 15.4 lbs of Tropic (5.22 a pound) plus 15.00 shipping = 6.20 per lb


The two Massas are not available at your local store and need to be ordered online. The Grischuna is ordered through Albert Ulster imports. No tax, but delivery is about 25.00 Customer service is great, and I got it in 2 days. Tropic can be ordered from a number of suppliers, and shipping varies depending on how fast you want it. Again no tax, so costs are similar. I don't remember how much I paid for shipping, maybe 15.00, but took 2 weeks to get.

If you still have the energy to give it a go, try one of the Massa. I truly believe it will change your feelings about fondant. Good luck!

Sorry my previous post was so long - A few more thoughts

Powdered sugar may work better than cornstarch for rolling out, but if you VERY lightly grease a silpat mat or use The Mat system (which I highly recommend) you don't need either and then you are not adding any powdery substances which might mar the surface.

Also, I think my conclusion was confusing. My top overall pick was Massa Grischuna neutral, with the tropic being a close second, and moving to the top spot if a pure white fondant is desired. Again, good luck. Have fun and keep baking!

Give macsmom's mmf a try. http://cakecentral.com/recipe/marshmallow-fondant-macsmoms-bc-flavored-variation
I use to have the same issues with other mmf recipes. I gave up like you and started using Fondarific. Although I loved it, both taste and workability, it just got too expensive for me to use on every cake. So I decided to try this recipe and I love it!! Good luck

I use Wilton to cover cake boards, and it smells like straight up vinegar.

I only use Massa Grischuna neutral , I have tried all the others and either you got alligator skin or they tasted horrible.

I strictly use Satin Ice. My customers like it. Personally I'm not a fan of Fondant. Wilton fondant is gross. The taste is horrible. I think it is personal preference. Good luck. Don't give up. Try different Brands and Recipes until you find what you like best. I tried making fondant but found the time involved wasn't worth the hassle, I have enough to do without adding fondant making too. Just my personal opinion. Happy baking.

I look forward to trying Macsmoms MMF. Thanks for the tip. One thought about MMF - my son is and many of his friends are vegetarians. MMF is not vegetarian because the marshmallows contain gelatin.

I do not use brand name marshmallow. The 1 and only time I did, the results were a million tiny air bubbles and after it was on the cake it became sticky. I usually use Target store brand or the generic at my grocery store. Once I used dollar tree marshmallows and that was bad also, fondant was pitting.

I've never used anything but homemade MMF, and it's always works great for me. In fact, I've never even tried store bought fondant. If you want to give it another try, I have some ideas.

Only use 2 Tablespoon of water per 16oz bag (use mini marshmallows). If you add Lorann Oil, adjust the water so that only 2 TB. of liquid are going in.

You don't have to sift the powdered sugar. I never have.

If possible, make the MMF right before you cover the cake, and then put it on immediately - don't let it rest for a day. MMF just isn't the same the second day. I've had the same problems you're describing when trying to use old MMF.

Skip the cornstarch, and just use white Crisco. I've tried cornstarch a few times, and it just doesn't work with MMF.

Here is a link to the instructions for MMF that I was given when I started. I've never had to try anything else:

http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=87638

I hope this helps!

Also, don't be afraid to knead the MMF for five minutes or more.

When I get the fondant onto the cake, I use a bit of Crisco to help smooth it all down. That keeps it from tearing, and the "shine" from the Crisco dries off and goes away in a few hours.

Because MMF is so stretchy and can show lumps, it's super important that the buttercream or ganache on the cake is as smooth as possible. I'm sure you already have a technique to do that, but just in case you don't, here is a good link. It is for ganache, but it works great for buttercream too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgrXxYLm0Sk&feature=fvwrel

You should try making Michelle Foster's Fondant recipe (the updated one in the documents). I used to be a satin ice and fondx fan.

This stuff is AMAZING! Tastes AWESOME! You must follow the instructions to a T. The liquid you use can vary.

I am telling you, this is my go to fondant recipe and everyone eats it!

Thanks for the tip! I think I'm going to try Michelle Foster's Fondant! I like MMF, but if there's something even better out there, I'm all for it!

You need to add some corn syrup to the MMF to keep it pliable and I don't use corn starch. use ps or just plain crisco to prevent sticking. Never had a problem making my own that way.

I've never tried Satin Ice, but I have used Fondx and thought it was absolutely disgusting, in smell and taste. It was the black stuff, so I don't know if that makes a difference, but I'll never use that stuff again!
I make MMF and like it...sometimes it comes out too dry, but I just knead in some Crisco and that fixes it. If it's too soft, I add more powdered sugar. It's kind of a trial and error thing. But I'm going to give Michelle Foster's fondant a try, since I've heard nothing but good things about it!

I almost always use my MMF the same day I make it. If I need to use it the next day I often will microwave it for just a few seconds to soften it up.
When mixing I use my KA w/ the dough hook. Then I'll transfer to the counter and kneed it until it's smooth. I grease my hands and the counter first. After that, I don't use powdered sugar or shortening ever again. When I roll it out for a cake I use my silicone mat.

Aren't you suppose to add your own flavor to store bought fondant?

My mmf recipe is:
16 oz mini marshmellows
2 lbs powdered sugar (use 2/3 of bag)
1 TBSP water
1 tsp corn syrup
1 tsp clear extract of your choice (I use vanilla or butter)
melt mm in microwave with water. Once melted stir in corn syrup and extract. Pour over sifted ps and stir together (may have to use hands toward the end). Grease a mat/surface/hands and knead fondant til thoroughly mixed. Place ball of fondant in a sealable bowl, grease top and let set overnight. (Don't refrigerate) Color as needed. I always grease my surface/hands when rolling out. Tastes good and works well.

I gave up on MMF fondant over a year now. Used the same recipe posted in the beginning of this thread. Got a cake with rock hard fondant (wonder how they even cut into the cake...probably with a chainsaw) and that strange orange peel skin. Was almost like Roman bread. I swear I could knock the fondant in the cake. I only use Satin Ice black to avoid any drama of colouring fondant. It is the only brand of fondant sold here so to me it tastes great. Kinda surprised to see people likened the taste and smell to a kitchen cleaner. Makes me 2nd guess my taste buds! I like the taste and chewiness of Satin Ice and its gum paste but if you are in the U.S. you better take advantage of the proliferation of fondant brands up there to try. I have heard great things about Pettinice and Fondex.

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-676080.html

Your MMF sounds like the consistency of mine when I was adding too much water. Is it humid where you are? Maybe the excess moisture in the air is causing it to be too wet for the amount of marshmallows, causing you to add too much PS, causing the rips (that's what mine did exactly). Back off the water and see how it goes, if you are willing to try again. Also, double check that you are using the 16 oz bag of marshmallows not the 10 oz size. HTH.

I had a crap load of problems with MMF, so I switch to Michele Foster's Fondant (MFF), the recipe is in the recipe section.
It firms up like traditional fondant, rolls out really nicely and I am now able to get nice sharp edges.

It's a bit more time to make then MMF, but so worth it!

I had the same problem with my MMF but now I add more p/s than I think I need, usually the whole 2 lb bag and my MMF turns out much better now. I don't get near as many air bubbles when rolling it out and the texture is soft and smooth, and looks like a soft matte finish instead of shiny. I've also found it rolls out much better if I use cornstarch instead of p/s or crisco. I personally haven't had much luck with Michelle Foster's recipe, unfortunately. I'm probably doing something wrong, but my fondant never has hardly any stretch with that recipe.