Nuking fondant that has hardened
Just wanted to pass this along -- maybe it's common knowledge, but it was new to me. It's been about a year now since I started Wilton classes, finished them up in May this year. At that time, I had some lumps of fondant I'd colored intending to practice flower making.
Then I didn't get to do much over the summer because I had surgery and other stuff going on. So they were hard. I knew gumpaste lumps (which I also had) were too hard to salvage), but I wondered if I could save the fondant just to play with and practice. So I put a lump about the size of a hen egg into the microwave for 15-20 seconds and when it came out it was pliable. Even the outside which seemed harder than the inside kneaded back in.
Thought I'd pass this on to newbies like me who are on a tight budget and can get some more mileage out of their fondant and practice their flower making without having to purchase or make new fondant.
Then I didn't get to do much over the summer because I had surgery and other stuff going on. So they were hard. I knew gumpaste lumps (which I also had) were too hard to salvage), but I wondered if I could save the fondant just to play with and practice. So I put a lump about the size of a hen egg into the microwave for 15-20 seconds and when it came out it was pliable. Even the outside which seemed harder than the inside kneaded back in.
Thought I'd pass this on to newbies like me who are on a tight budget and can get some more mileage out of their fondant and practice their flower making without having to purchase or make new fondant.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Theresa Happe on
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Yes, I've found this does work, but sometimes there are little pieces that are still too hard that you need to pick out. That part's a pain.
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Permalink Reply by Sharon on
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This may shock you all but what I do with my fondant that I know I will not be using for a while is I coat it with Crisco, plastic wrap and then vacumn pack it and put it in the freezer,(no little hard pieces in it, when I thawed it) I just found a package of fondant in the freezer that I had forgotten about (was put in the freezer in May) and I left it in the vacumn bag on the counter to thaw and it was like I just made it. I just spent two days making a model of a little girl sitting on a rock with her little dog, bees, ladybugs and butterflies with this fondant. I will never throw even bits of fondant anymore...I will vacumn pack it and keep it in the freezer and if I only need a little bit of a certain colour, I will just get it from the freezer, rather then making a whole batch of fondant just because I need a little bit of a certain colour.
I have to admit that I did not try to roll out a large sheet to cover a cake but it was so nice I can not see why it would not have worked....I will try it though for I have about 3/4 of one batch left. Am I crazy???? hehe...hey it worked. It was homemade MMF by the way.
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Permalink Reply by jeri c on
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Just be careful... I had some in a plastic baggie... it was dk chocolate satin ice... put it in the microwave for 10 seconds and started to knead it in the bag and the plastic hit the fondant and melted the plastic to my hand!!!! Burnt the crap out of my hand. I only put mine in for 10 seconds at a time and never knead it in a plastic baggie any more. But yes.. you can revive hard fondant this way. I save all my scraps to make figures etc out of... makes it go a little further that way. I seal them in a double plastic baggie and store them in a big plastic container or in the buckets it comes in. It is amazing what a little warmth does for it. I have revived gumpaste this way too!
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Permalink Reply by Karen Marie on
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Ouch Jeri.....hope your hand is ok.....I never nuke my fondant for more than 5 seconds at a time....I dont want it to melt ....no recovery if it does....
jeri c said:Just be careful... I had some in a plastic baggie... it was dk chocolate satin ice... put it in the microwave for 10 seconds and started to knead it in the bag and the plastic hit the fondant and melted the plastic to my hand!!!! Burnt the crap out of my hand. I only put mine in for 10 seconds at a time and never knead it in a plastic baggie any more. But yes.. you can revive hard fondant this way. I save all my scraps to make figures etc out of... makes it go a little further that way. I seal them in a double plastic baggie and store them in a big plastic container or in the buckets it comes in. It is amazing what a little warmth does for it. I have revived gumpaste this way too!
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Permalink Reply by Lynne Salmon on
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The shorter the nuke time (5 sec) is MUCH better than longer.
You cannot nuke over and over. Usually once is all, then it gets weird.
Sharon's method is good. I do not vaccum seal it but do everything else. I just put it in a tight sealing plastic container after coating w/Crisco and wrapping in plastic wrap - usually 3 layers.
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Permalink Reply by Bunny Flowers on
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I thought it did harden back a bit afterward and maybe it is "weird" now, LOL, so I presume you have to nuke it right before whatever use you want to put it to. Of course, I was just experimenting the other day.
Wish I hadn't thrown out the gumpaste rocks -- but I may have more, and I may have some 50-50 gumpaste and fondant lumps. I will play Mad Kitchen Scientist and see what happens!
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Good for you! :) That's how we discover things for sure.
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Bunny once the gumpaste hardens you can't soften it again...the gums in the paste contribute to the stiffness as well as the sugar and eggwhites. Fondant doesnt contain gums so when you nuke it you are just melting the sugar crystals a little.
Bunny Flowers said:I thought it did harden back a bit afterward and maybe it is "weird" now, LOL, so I presume you have to nuke it right before whatever use you want to put it to. Of course, I was just experimenting the other day.
Wish I hadn't thrown out the gumpaste rocks -- but I may have more, and I may have some 50-50 gumpaste and fondant lumps. I will play Mad Kitchen Scientist and see what happens!
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