Ultimate Fondant Application System
Decorating By fairmaiden0101 Updated 17 Oct 2010 , 1:58am by JustGettinStarted
I discovered this mat on youtube and was just wondering if anyone out there has it and how they like it? It sounds like a great product, has anyone had any problems with it? TIA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu6QpimDDDQ&feature=player_embedded
That's the same as the craft store vinyl that she apparently doesn't like, Of course she doesn't like it, or she wouldn't sell her "system." Just go get a sheet of vinyl from the fabric store, it's cheaper and easier to replace if you need a different size for bigger cakes.
There is another thread on this you might find interesting:
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-695866.html
She did say this one was food safe, not manufactured with something (can't remember the ingredient, lead?) and the vinyl at the craft store contains this ingredient. Also it is ,axe in such a way that the fondant is supposed to release easier. Are these two statements not right?
I'm curious because I might get one, or at the very least some vinyl at the craft store.
It is "food safe" on the other hand I don't see any evidence anywhere that says that the "metals and toxins" in vinyl are transferred to fondant when you roll on a sheet of fabric store vinyl. I am going to give it a shot, not much more than vinyl from a fabric store and well it is a local business and I like that.
I am thrilled that someone has taken the initiative to manufacture this type of tool in food safe materials. There are so many items that us cakers use that were not intended to be used in contact with food. I have heard these type of materials (craft store vinyl, contact paper) referred to as "downstream" plastic products, meaning that they have waste/material in them that is not present in food-grade plastic.
I am thrilled that someone has taken the initiative to manufacture this type of tool in food safe materials. There are so many items that us cakers use that were not intended to be used in contact with food. I have heard these type of materials (craft store vinyl, contact paper) referred to as "downstream" plastic products, meaning that they have waste/material in them that is not present in food-grade plastic.
EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've made many posts over the years about personally rolling on vinyl from WalMart. I had no source of food safe vinyl available--and I scoured the Internet looking for it, too 
I wasn't overly concerned about what I felt was "incidental" contact, BUT now that there is a FOOD SAFE alternative.....Well, I ordered 2 sets of the MAT within 10 minutes of reading about it and seeing the youtube video (and I'm as cheap as the day is long!).
I feel very strongly that if there IS a FOOD SAFE alternative available, then it SHOULD be used whenever possible.
JMHO
Rae
I have one of these mats. Her store is based here in Nashville. I used the mat tonight for the first time and it was wonderful...and best of all unexpensive
Thanks everyone for the tips! I think I am going to purchase one, I too am wondering when the deluxe version will be released-think I will e-mail the co.
This is interesting...http://www.vinylnewsservice.com/MainMenu/Factsheets/FAQs.aspx
an article about vinyl.
"Are products containing vinyl or PVC safe for human health?"
In doing some research, it seems vinyl and pvc have alot in common. We use pvc all the time in the kitchen. Just FYI....still researching. BTW Just bought double polished vinyl, a huge piece,at WM made by Kittrich Corp. for $3. Have some info coming from them.
Blessings
This is interesting...http://www.vinylnewsservice.com/MainMenu/Factsheets/FAQs.aspx
an article about vinyl.
"Are products containing vinyl or PVC safe for human health?"
In doing some research, it seems vinyl and pvc have alot in common. We use pvc all the time in the kitchen. Just FYI....still researching.
Blessings
Not totally true. Some vinyls contain phthalates, an agent that keeps the vinyl soft and pliable, that have been shown to cause cancer. This was a big issue for some vinyl teething rings and baby toys a few years back.
The pvc (polyvinylchloride) products used in the "kitchen"--water pipes, etc., is either rigid, or kept flexible using something other than phthalates.
The more valid point is, again, the origin of the components IN the vinyl. If it's made from from food-grade components, then it's NOT food safe.
Similar arguements have come up regarding using canned air. The propellants mix with the air. If the propellants aren't food safe, then what mixes with them isn't food safe.
Garbage bags are plastic. Sandwich bags are plastic. Garbage bags aren't food safe because they're made from plastics that aren't food safe--they may be made from mix, recycled plastics. Food that will be eaten shouldn't be put in direct contact with garbage bags. Sandwich bags are made of food grade plastic and are made specifically to be used in contact with food.
If you watch the youtube video and read on the website, you'll see that they had regular vinyl tested, worked with specialty resources to have a food safe vinyl manufactured, and made sure that it was double polished in order to create a super smooth surface.
You can order it over the phone. Info at sweetwise.com
Rae
I have a regular sheet of vinyl that I use occasionally, but for me it's really just easier to roll it on a clean counter and put it on the cake. Any kind of vinyl sheet tends to pick up stray fibers etc and it gets tricky to keep them totally clean.
The amount of any kind of non-food grade chemicals that could be transferred from a vinyl mat is so negligible it's not a concern for me. When they were worried about chemicals leaching from soft plastics it's always because those plastics are either microwaved, or because babies were chewing on them for extended periods of time.
I hope that if anyone is worried about chemicals transferring onto cakes they never use fresh flowers on their cakes, because there's a much higher risk of pesticides, dirt and unregulated fertilizers from South America (think of the septic tank) getting into the icing from flowers being placed on the cakes. Even if the flowers are organic, would you want to drink the water they had been sitting in? That's more of a concern to me than rolling a piece of fondant onto a mat for five minutes. 
I purchased this mat a love it. I did not want to get something that was NOT food grade. We as a society are putting some many harmful chemicals into our bodies and we don't even realize it. We think that the Food and Drug administration is looking out for us. They are NOT.
After seeing a segment on The Dr.s show I am taking control of my on life and what goes into my body and not waiting or depending on someone else. I would rather spend a little more and be safe.
Well, I just caved and bought one...I had been using the Wilton mats but the fondant sticks to them so what the potint? I wasn't thrilled that the shipping was almost as much as the product, but what the heck...I also like supporting an American business.
Cathy
I want to add that vinyl, even "safe" vinyl can have many harmful effects. Babies whose mothers are exposed to "safe" vinyls can have decreased testosterone levels (male and female), which can cause many side effects. Plastics that are used for containers that contain PVC are one of the methods of exposure. It has become such a problem that it is illegal to use PVC in baby products, not just the ones that contain foods because breathing in gases released from the plastics can cause harmful effects.
What does this have to do with our cakes? If PVC is too dangerous to put baby soap in, don't you think it is too dangerous to put on our cakes?
I personally am looking into the Mat (I am taking a trip to Nashville and will be visiting the store 
) because I have a 9 month old and the last thing I want to do is serve him a cake at any point in his life that I know can harm him.
I personally am looking into the Mat (I am taking a trip to Nashville and will be visiting the store
) because I have a 9 month old and the last thing I want to do is serve him a cake at any point in his life that I know can harm him.
There are a lot of things in the environment that can harm kids waaaay more than ingesting something that had incidental exposure to a piece of plastic that wasn't being heated (which is how a lot of chemicals are releasesd from plastics--that's why they tell you not to miocrowave plastic containers.) I'm not saying that you shouldn't try to minimize exposure, I'm just saying that there's a thing as being too paranoid.
Some things to watch out for if you're really concerned for your kids are pesticides, lawn services, swimming pools (chlorine is a respiratory irritant), cleaning products including bleaches, food colors, "artificial" drinks like sodas, fried foods and hydrogenated fats, including cake mixes since they have them added in. As Joe Jackson said "Everything gives you cancer." 
Oh, also, carpeting and paint on the inside of your house, they can give off really bad fumes. And new furniture and walking around outside in the air where there's car exhaust.
Oh, also, carpeting and paint on the inside of your house, they can give off really bad fumes. And new furniture and walking around outside in the air where there's car exhaust.
You have some very valid points here. We have to be very careful with things like this for my son. I won't go into a personal history on here.
We are currently remodeling my son's room with Low/NO VOC products including the floor.
I did order the mat though but haven't had a chance to use it yet. Can't wait to drive to TN to take some of their classes
Yes, I agree it's possible to be over protective; however, why use something that I know is harmful? I don't use scented baby wash because of the phthalates in it and it only goes on his skin. I'm definitely going to be more cautious of things going inside him. That's just my opinion. My point is, why would you chose to use something that has harmful materials, especially when there food safe options out there?
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