Well, today I tried the MMF recipe for the first time. I think I did it wrong ... must have added the water/vanilla at the wrong stage (directions were unclear on when to add those ingredients). I goofed up and mixed ALL of the sugar in right away instead of allowing the MMF to mix with just the first 1/2 of the sugar.

My Kitchenaid Ultra Power mixer got very hot and started to smell bad. Now, when it's turned on ... it makes kind of a grinding noise. I can't believe I did that! I am so unhappy with myself right now. The directions clearly said that sometimes even Kitchenaid mixers have problems with this recipe .... I shouldn't have attempted it with just the Ultra Power version!

I hear that the 6 quart mixers have metal gears rather than plastic. Hopefully DH gets over this soon enough to get a new mixer in time for the anniversary cake we are doing in August. AAAAAAAAACK!!

That MMF recipe sounds great, and I really want to try it ... but I am scared to do it again! The MMF turned out very hard, I have not tried to roll it out yet.

Anyway, there's my miserable story for the day, LOL!

Sorry to hear about your mixer. I don't think you are supposed to mix it in a mixer are you? I have only made MMF by hand. I know it takes awhile to knead all the sugar in but I would never attempt it with my KA. I hope you can get a replacement KA soon!!

~Luraleigh~

what is a MMF

Tats,
MMF is Marshmallow Fondant. It's marshmallows melted and mixed with powdered sugar. A lot of decorators prefer it to regular fondant. Personally, I don't care for it and neither did my guinea pigs (friends and neighbors), but it's very popular on wedding cakes.

4bugz,
I'm so sorry about the Kitchenaide! My heart goes out to you!

Debbi

Sorry to hear about your mixer. I was reading another discussion about Amazon haveing a sale or something on KA. I will see if I can find it. The price was really really low.

Here it is..

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopic-5278-0-days0-orderasc-ka.html...

I have a KA heavy duty mixer. I also think mine is showing wear and tear from making fondant. I am looking at a DeLonghi Mixer. http://www.delonghi.com/delonghi/data/int/usa/Prodotti.nsf/b912ead30a9700cdc12569d000402e05/dd26bd047c077b8385256ed700541d49?OpenDocument They are pricey but 980-Watts and 10 year motor warranty. Check out the reviews at epinions.
http://www.epinions.com/pr-DeLonghi_DSM7_Mixer/display_~reviews
Does anyone own one of these already?

I have been looking at these too, there is also Viking and what I really want is a Hobart.

gma1956,

I believe KA is made by Hobart.

~Luraleigh~

4bugzinarug, sorry to hear about your experience
I mix my MMF w/my KA all the time .. you have to start out w/the paddle when you mix HALF of the confectioner's sugar then you switch to the dough hook for the second half .. if it's too thick, you may need to add just a small amount more water (probably no more than about a 1/2 teaspoon at the time) .. you don't want it to be too moist .. it's very dry and very very thick .. you don't have to mix for very long .. once all ingredients are incorporated, turn the KA off and take it out of the bowl ... if you continue to mix, it would be very hard on the mixer

i have tried making MMF just by hand and i didn't find it hard at all..

I believe that if you break a Kitchenaid, you can return it to them for a repair or replacement. Give them a call and see what you can do with/for it. (You bought it new and registered it, right?)

I had a friend who had one of the 6qt models... they wanted to know what she did to it because they couldn't believe she'd managed to kill it.

Illy

Thanks for all your responses ... I will send my mixer your regrets, LOL!

I will try contacting Kitchenaid, but I think this only had a 6 month warranty. This was actually purchased refurbished almost 2 years ago from Amazon.com ... I paid something crazy like $69 after discounts/promotional codes. It only has a 325 watt motor - I think 525 watts would be better for some of the things I do anyway.

Thanks for the tips on how to give the MMF another try! I might do that, but due to time issues am also considering Satinice ready made. We don't have a cake supply store in town, I hate to order Satinice without trying it first - but it can't be any worse than Wilton!

Thanks again!

Jennifer

I have tried Satin Ice its not bad I have mixed it with the fondant I made some cakes with it it sets up pretty good it doesn't taste bad either in fact the cakes I'm talking about were at a brithday party their was another lady their that makes cakes and had never tasted it she liked it

Theresa

Wow talmas, that mixer does sound impressive!! I don't wish for my KA to go out, but if it did, I'd consider one of these DeLonghi.

I dont know how many of you are aware of the website PastryScoop.com, but I was on there recently and was going through the transcript of an online chat they hosted with a famous NY wedding cake baker, Ron BenIsrael. Someone asked him about fondant and he replied that he uses Satin Ice exclusively I have not really worked with fondant. Just thought you folks who work with it a lot might like this little tidbit of info. I am waiting for a copy of the Whimsical Bakehouse cookbook to arrive in the mail. When it does I am going to experiment with one of the "mad hatter" type cakes. I will be giving the satin ice a try then.

Wow, thanks for the tip on the Delonghi mixer! My DH was sold on a 6 quart KA 600 until I showed him the Delonghi 7 quart ... see DH drool. What is it with men and motors?

So now we have one more thing to save up for

I have one on order from here.
http://newsite.pagecomputers.com/store/Product_accessoriesx.asp?catalog%5Fname=Unclassified&category%5Fname=32g32c302s1287&product%5Fid=640956
It was the cheapest I could find. I haven't received it yet but my DH buys computer stuff from them all the time without any problems. BTW, I tried to buy an extra bowl but they were out of stock.

Your DH may get a kick out of the blender attachment. A 980 Watt blender.

I just had a problem with my newly purchased refurbished KA. I was very surprised when KA customer service told my husband not to worry about it, that they would send me a replacement and have the other one picked up by UPS. I only had it a few weeks when it just stopped working altogether. I purchased it off Ebay and found out it was actually an item sold through Amazon. I was really worried about the warranty. KA delivered a replacement of the same make and color within a week and a half and it was another two weeks or so before UPS came by to pick up my broken one! So, you never have to worry about getting the same mixer back! Another thing the customer service lady said was that since it messed up so early within my 6-month warranty period, they would start the new 6-month warranty period from the date of shipment of the replacement. So far so good! I too have the 325 watt 5qt. I would not try to make fondant in mine though, because I just don't have the resources to make it another week without a mixer if I happened to break this one!!

Since I am new to baking, I really don't know about mixers and such, but I saw a Wolfgang Puck 800 watt stand mixer with all the attachments, splatter guard, and two bowls for like $179.00 at Sam's Club. I kept thinking that was "too good to be true". Does anyone have any idea on how well that holds up?

oookay, that's it!!! I am NOT using my KA to mix MMF.. I have done it a couple of times by hand and will continue to.... I don't want to take any chances on ruining my KA.... It was a gift from my husband and won't be able to afford one like that for a while....

I love my Delonghi mixer. This weekend was the first chance I have had to use it. It was great. The whisk is adjustable so it actually reaches the bottom of the bowl. Splash guard is wonderful. No more getting sugar vapors up my nose. The hole to add ingredients is much better than the kitchen aid version. Sorry gals I think I like this better than my KA.

I haven't had a chance to make some fondant. I will keep you posted.

There are places to have them fixed for not that much. Marvac in Kansas City is one of them I did almost the same thing and it was a $25 repar for new brushes. I could have fixed it myself if I had the part.

My mmf never looks quite as smooth as regular fondant. And I have only tried the faux fondant once ( i wasnt great with it..lol) I am gonna try homemade fondant next!

I'm definately not an expert on making MMF but why does everyone use a mixer anyway?? I don't use a mixer at all. I just incorporate the marshmellows with a spatula until it's cool enough for me to use my hands and then I knead it until it's the right consistency. I'd rather do it that way instead of breaking my mixer!!! I think I'd die if I did.


Sorry, I guess I'm a chicken!!

Sorry about your mixer!!!
Satin Ice is really good. Everyone here loves it. They are always worried after having what everyone else uses in the big bakeries.. but they like mine after they try it. Good luck!

Sorry to hear about your mixer.Just a little FYI. A couple of years ago I made double batch of Royal Icing that made my KA poop out. I (I was in a hurry, my fault ) I bought mine at William Sonoma. Last month, I bought the BIG DADDY. It's awesome! it will automatically turn off when the motor is over worked. The only thing I don't like about it is it's loud.
Anyway's, I told the store about mine pooping out and they replaced it for me. W/O a receipt, no questions asked. I recommend anyone making large purchase to consider shopping @WS. You can't beat a life time guarantee!! . Yes ,now I have two. But I am sure I can find some use for it!
Michelle

I followed the directions for MMF perfectly. Started out with the paddle and half the sugar, then changed to the dough hook with second half of the sugar etc. My KA struggled with it, but did the job. Then when I started to twist my bowl off the base it was stuck!! The wobbling motion of the thick MMF wedged the notches on bowl beyond the "normal" position. Hubby had to "fix" it for me!!