AMy main question is, when you mix fondant with colors, do you use gloves? Do you do it for personal preference so your hands don't end up colored? Or for super sanitary reasons?

I personally don't like to because the gloves I currently have (which I bought from Sweet Wise, labeled as "Fondant Gloves" or something along those lines) have a strong latex smell. And I worked with once on a small handful of fondant and the smell tranfered to the fondant. Ever since, I choose not to. I just wash my hands with warm water and dry with a new sheet of paper towel each time I start to mix a new color.

What do you guys do? And do you recommend a different brand of gloves? If there was something less smelly, I would use it because a lot of times I end up with red/pink hands the next day no matter how fast I wash my hands! :-(

I wear gloves. I buy them at Costco. They are not food gloves, but medical. I have not noticed any strong smell. They fit perfect, I don`t even notice them on my hands, not like those clear polyetilene food gloves.

i put a nice sized pinch -- 1/4 of a cup maybe -- of fondant into a plastic sandwich bag and knead the super dark concentrated color into the fondant in the bag smooshing it back & forth --then when i transfer that small piece to my larger quantity of fondant  i can maneuver it so it combines into itself and not all over me -- 

also i can retain some of the original blob so i can have a perfect match later if needed -- without stressing i can make more -- well i can stress if i want to ;) i should have figured the right quantity in the first place but it's insurance -- i'm backing myself up in advance --

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one thing i did for airbrushing was keep polident tablets on hand and i'd pop one into a cup of water and dip my fingers in there and then wash them off before i started air brushing and during the session too maybe a time or two -- it works like magic to keep your hands and your nails from retaining the color -- still have to wash with soap a time or two afterwards but it really helps -- clears up much faster and out of the nails too -- so pretreat with polident -- but i don't know about kneading fondant right away with it on your hands -- even though of course you would have washed it all off -- i use the baggie for that

I make sure to get NON Latex gloves from GFS.  I am sensitive to latex.  

This got me to wondering: If one used latex gloves, would the latex transfer to the fondant, then cause a problem for someone who is highly allergic to latex, if they ate the fondant?

AWow K8, as usual you full of great advice!

I don't use gloves, but only because I haven't found a size that fits perfectly - I have pathetically small hands - and I hate the loss of control plus the fact that the excess glove keeps getting stuck to the wettish fondant.

On Monday I was called "smurfette" at the gym because I had blue hands (Thomas the tank engine) and today they are fluorescent yellow....got some interesting looks shopping yesterday afternoon! At least my children's school know and accept my multi-coloured hands, and the kids have voted me the "best smelling mum"!

I used to wear gloves.............until I colored 5 lbs. of fondant bright pink one night...................and then noticed that the tip of one of the glove thumbs was gone.  I spent a lot of time looking for it, couldn't find it, and had to pitch the fondant.

I now wash my hands very well, apply anitbacterial liquid, rinse that off, and then crisco my hands up to my wrists.

You've described some good reasons not to wear gloves.

@winniemog how would Papa Smurf find you if you weren't blue?

@maybenot  Lost a thumb. Dang I wouldn't ever have imagined that one!

@Lcubed82 good question, are latex allergies that sensitive?

@-K8memphis the baggie is a neat idea.  And if my teeth fall into the hand dip, it's a two-fer.

The gloves that I have are non latex.

@maybenot that happened to me a couple of times too.

AI use the blue, non latex, no powdered ones, by the Kleenguard brand. I use them for mixing colours into fondant and for making red velvet cake batter. What's polident? A denture cleaning tablet?

Yes denture cleaner

AThe HD in California sent out a letter that we HAVE to wear gloves whenever we touch food that will not be cooked. Bought mine at Costco, no overwhelming smell but they are a little bit big. So Polident can clean your dentures, porcelain sink and color from your hands - awesome!

A

Can I just state that I would be categorically happier if Papa Smurf could NEVER find me - that guy always creeped me out!

And yes latex allergies can be very sensitive - I remember asking my anaesthetist husband about it, they have only latex-free operating theatres now in his hospitals.

@winniemog

 thank you, wm, i mean smurfette  "voted best smelling mum" too funny!

AThe old Polident commercials from the 60's and 70's said it could power off blueberry stains from your dentures, why not blue food color from your hands?

When I took decorating classes, the instructor provided a valuable hint about removing the colour from your hands after mixing fondant.  After you've finished mixing, "wash" your hands with a good quantity of just liquid or dish soap...no water.  Rub it into the creases and folds where all the colour is.  Then add water and finish washing your hands.  It gets most of the colour off.  Amazingly, it works, except for the most ground-in colour.

That method works best with Wilton colours.  Americolor is more difficult to get out.

I've done the plastic bag trick, too.  Not so tactile, but it sure helps.  

My tip for cleaning your hands after colouring, is to use bar soap and warm water only. If this doesn't work, use a cheap shaving foam. I have found just using a bar of soap, rather than pump-pack style liquid soap does the trick in 99% of cases!

Also, re: 5lbs of pink fondant - I have had gloves split at the fingertips before. You probably didn't find it because there was not a missing piece? In any case, I recommend using the blue food service gloves...The reason they're blue is just for this reason - to find any remnants in food (which is rarely blue...except for Smurf-coloured cakes!)

AKathleenc is right -- it can be awkward to knead it in the bag you have to fold it and peel the plastic off and fold it again and repeat so you want the bag about twice as big as the fondant -- you need enough room in there

Aso the idea is fold it back and forth from corner to corner -- yes awkward and sticky

If I have to color a large amount of fondant I generally take a smaller piece of the fondant and make a concentrated color with powder free vinyl gloves.   After that is done, Crisco is the only thing I need on my hands to add the concentrated color until I reach the shade I need.