AI can't make you happy. I give you the gelatin and milk you ask for, and you are crumbly and dry. I give you a little more fat to help you roll more smoothly by using cream instead of milk, and you're so unyielding it's like rolling out a rubber tire. This week, I followed the sage wisdom of a fondant master (AZCouture) and used half and half and 1 less tablespoon each of gelatin and glycerin. You did not appreciate my efforts. You're both too soft and developing elephant skin. I was feeling so bad about our demise that I even turned to another (Satin Ice, though she is too soft and smells weird, too). That was a failed attempt at solace and I kicked her to the curb too, ashamed at myself. I can't go on like this any longer. We both have failed one another. I am setting my sights higher, and asking Carma Massa to be my one and only fondant. Fare thee well.

Breakups can be painful but it is for the best.

Carma Massa is going to treat you so much better than any other, she's a definite upgrade. 

I always make Michele Foster's because people in high humidity areas kept saying how wonderful it is. I'm guessing these people have never known real humidity, because here in Puerto Rico, MF's fondant always becomes a shiny, sticky mess on me.

 

I know very little about Carma Massa, and unfortunately the little I know is that the recipe is not available and you have to order this very expensive fondant online. 

Carma is amazing for high humidity! But yes, you have to buy it.

 

I've been using carma for a long time now, I hate almost all other fondants. I have used fondarific with good results, but prefer carma's taste, I do love it's 'stretch' though.

AWell...damnit! I'm sorry you can't get it to work for you. Believe you me, if I could readily get Carma, I'd break up with her too!!

A

I don't know what my problem is! I am measuring everything with a calibrated scale and being very careful about temperature. Ordering Carma is expensive and takes forever but I figure I can spend the money of fondant or spend it on a psychiatrist exploring my inadequacy and anger issues. :/

AAnd I just eyeball and get it "close enough"...so much for being super careful! Well I am truly sorry again, cause it's such a good fondant. Dang.

AAnd yes, sanity is worth whatever it costs.

Have you tried adding white chocolate to the Michelle Foster's fondant? It makes it taste wonderful and gives it more elasticity. 

 

I've already started my love affair with Carma, she is an expensive mistress but totally worth it. I'm too lazy for Michelle Foster's so Carma is my choice. 

I've heard wonderful things about Mizz Massa. Oh, and I feel like the only person who still uses Rhonda's MMF  

AI made a cake last night and having no Carma on hand, went back to good ol' Marshmallow Fondant. It worked like a dream. No tears, no elephant skin, rolled out nice and thin. A total breeze! And then I decided I would use the left over Michelle Foster's for my accent work but was reminded yet again how wrong we are for each other. It's like slipping back to a quickie with your ex even though he's toxic for you. :grin:. I might try adding white chocolate to it on a test run basis, but until then I will not count on it to make a cake someone is depending on! I do think it is a humidity issue, to be honest. The last two times I have made it we have been battling lots of wet air. I wonder if your climate is a component of why it works for you, AZCouture? That and mad skills.

AMy new love arrived today and she is everything I ever hoped for! She smells wonderful, she tastes fantastic and wow...so smooth. No tears, no elephant skin, beautiful finish and such a lovely bright white. Worth every single penny! I paid $46.50 for 7 pounds and hardly used any to cover an 8x4. That's about $6.64 per pound, and considering that WalMart sells a pound and a half of Wilton for $9.97 for the colored stuff and $6.50 for the white, I consider this a no-brainier. I haven't broken down the per-pound cost of Michelle Foster's but what I gain back in time saved and reliability is no doubt an improvement. I will never be without Carma Massa!

ASPCOhio, may I ask where you purchased your fondant? After hearing such good things about it, I think I'll bite the bullet and purchase it:D

A

Nope! I've been using for 6 months not one real issue. Only time I had a problem was my fault

A

I ordered it from L'Epicerie. You can order lessor more than I did, so if you just want to try a little before jumping in whole hog you can order a 22oz container for just $11.70.

I'm wondering if using glucose instead of corn syrup will make a big difference in homemade fondant.  It's much more expensive and I have to mail order it.  I'm going to have to give a try.

AWell, poo! Hey, the kind you have now might as well be labeled unicorn tears, because it's the most flawless stuff available. My climate is dry, and when it's hot it's still dry, and on the rare occasion it's humid...the air con solves that.

I'm confused.......which kind do you mean AZ?

(everything that you do with your MFF is superb. So you are an example of a success with it.)

Wow - I'd never heard of Carma before this thread but I just did some quick digging and think I have to try it based on such rave reviews from you guys!  I found it for about $5/lb not including shipping, but it sounds worth the cost.

 

Anyone find certain tools/tips that work really well with the CM fondant?

A

Just pointing out the climate I'm in, is all. Maybe others are in weather that just don't make for working with the MFF a suitable experience.

A

Oh shoot, ok the unicorn tears...I'm talking about her Carma that she is using now. I would ditch my MFF in a heartbeat if it was a cost effective thing to do. That stuff kicks MFF's booty, kicks all the fondant varieties booty, to be honest. But I don't want to spend the money on it, so I work with the next best thing, as far as I'm concerned, the MFF.

♦ Yes I see ♦

thanks for explaining. 

Everyone peels the fondant off anyhow, so why put super expensive stuff on it to be thrown away any old how.

AOh no no no, I disagree with that whenever possible. I say, use the best tasting fondant you can, because whatever you can do to get people to stop being afraid it, do it! My MFF is delicious, and the carma type is too. But I know it's an uphill battle when people use bad tasting fondant. :(

AThe Carma tastes good! I have made MMF and MFF. MFF is definitely tastier than MMF but Carma is a very different bird. I had a non-fondant eater try it this weekend and she was shocked at how good it is, as was I. The only thing I don't like about it is not being able to say that I made it myself. :) I'm big on doing everything from scratch, but I'll just suck it up for this. The benefit, even when people don't eat it is twofold: 1. It handles beautifully! Easy to roll out, easy to smooth, cuts better than even modeling chocolate. 2. It is a brighter white color than I have achieved with homemade fondant and the texture is just slightly different, so it appears smoother to me.

The way I look at it, I can spend a few minutes ordering the Carma at a little over $6.00 a pound, or I can spend the time involved in gathering ingredients, mixing up the fondant, cleaning up the colossal mess I always make, and then letting it rest. Until I am better at churning out the MFF I have resigned myself to sacrifing money for sanity. :)

AIt's unicorn tears man, unicorn tears!!