Flowers

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Karen Marie on December 3, 2010 at 9:30am

Dorit, buttercream isnt that hard to use...you can make practice buttercream with shortening and powdered or confectioner's sugar and re-use it over and over again. You can store it in a plastic container at room temperature for a VERY long time. Use 1 cup of solid vegetable shortening to approximately 1 pound of confectioner's sugar. If it is too stiff you can add a little water to thin....one teaspoon at a time. Do not use milk or you will have to refrigerate it. Mix with a paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy. www.youtube.com has hundreds of tutorials on buttercream.


Dorit Tabori said:

Personally I prefer working with gumpaste to make flowers (the truth is that I don't know how to work with buttercream at all and am afraid to try). I have worked with fondant mixed with CMC powder (tylose) and with ready made gumpaste from Satin Ice and find that the ready made gumpaste is a little stronger than the fondant w.CMC, less breakage of thin petals. But you will have to try for yourself and see what works best for you.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Dorit Tabori on December 3, 2010 at 11:27am

Karen Marie, thanks for enouraging me to try out working with buttercream, I certainly will do that as soon as I have a little time. I just have to force myself to make some time to learn to work with buttercream. I usually only find the time for things like that when I have a project going. I am sure I will learn with the help of some of the ebooks I found online and YouTube tutorials. That's how I learned making flowers and figure modeling (I only started in April this year).
However, I have one question. You mentioned vegetable shortening for practice buttercream. Does margarine count as vegetable shortening? It is the only solid fat (except for butter) availble in my country (due to Kosher restrictions).
Thanks

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Neryl Johnson on December 3, 2010 at 12:50pm

Dorit is "Wessen vegetable shortening" not one of the brand names in Israel?
You could also ask any restaurant in your area where you can buy white vegetable shortening, I think!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Karen Marie on December 3, 2010 at 5:03pm

Dorit you can use margarine but just remember to refrigerate the practice buttercream after you are finished with it :D


Dorit Tabori said:

Karen Marie, thanks for enouraging me to try out working with buttercream, I certainly will do that as soon as I have a little time. I just have to force myself to make some time to learn to work with buttercream. I usually only find the time for things like that when I have a project going. I am sure I will learn with the help of some of the ebooks I found online and YouTube tutorials. That's how I learned making flowers and figure modeling (I only started in April this year).
However, I have one question. You mentioned vegetable shortening for practice buttercream. Does margarine count as vegetable shortening? It is the only solid fat (except for butter) availble in my country (due to Kosher restrictions).
Thanks

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Dorit Tabori on December 4, 2010 at 3:27pm

Hi Neryl,

Thanks for trying to help but "Wessen vegetable shortening" is not an available brand here (never heard that name before) but Karen Marie sais I can use margarine as long as I refrigerate it after use (lucky it is only for practice since I have stopped using margarine a long time ago).

Neryl Johnson said:

Dorit is "Wessen vegetable shortening" not one of the brand names in Israel?
You could also ask any restaurant in your area where you can buy white vegetable shortening, I think!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Melinda King on January 18, 2011 at 5:20pm

If you take a 50% coupon from AC Morre to Micheals they will give an additional 10% off so that's 60% off at micheals

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Diane Shavkin on February 15, 2011 at 8:40pm

Gum paste is best for flowers as you can get them very thin.  Nick Lodge has a fantastic recipe on his web site that uses Tylose.  Just surf the net by plugging in "Nick Lodge web site".  For figures fondant is good or a mixture of 1/2 and half which is half fondant and half gp.

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page