Whats Your Favorite Royal Icing For Stringwork?

Decorating By wrightway777 Updated 5 Jun 2008 , 1:06pm by tiptop57

wrightway777 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
wrightway777 Posted 4 Jun 2008 , 3:34pm
post #1 of 5

Whats your fave RI for stringwork? I have lots of swags to do and I need the best recipe or technique that tends to break (while piping) the least. Any tips would also be most helpful.

4 replies
tiptop57 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
tiptop57 Posted 4 Jun 2008 , 4:28pm
post #2 of 5

I prefer one egg white, dash cream of tartar, start with a cup of PS and add the rest of the PS by tablespoons to right consistency. I beat on low speed on my KA and then sieve through a nylon kneehigh.

Now for my tips: For your smallest tips 00 and 0 everyone string you pipe three to four will break - it is just something you get use too. The longer the string the more likely it will break. The older the RI in your hand the more likely you will have issues. (Change the little tablespoon parchment bag routinely.) When you start your string sort of pipe it out and let the air dry it a bit before getting it to the finish point. Use PME or Berkenal tips you will be glad of it later. Keep a damp tiny paint brush handy to pick up your breaks.

Measure around the top of cake for perfect lengths and put a pinmark where to start and end your swags to get your swag loop lengths perfect measure from the bottom of your cake board up and put a pinmark on your lowest point of your swag between the top loop lengths.
HTH

Petit-four Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Petit-four Posted 4 Jun 2008 , 4:33pm
post #3 of 5

Tiptop has excellent advice.

An earlier post shared the idea that if the RI just runs and runs, it's too thin, and if it is hard to push, too thick. Pipe a drop string between two fingers, and shake it. If it just juggles and stays put, you have a good icing.

I was surprised -- a drove 50 miles through rain with a cake with RI stringwork on BC -- not a single broken string. The BC roses, however, were not happy.

wrightway777 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
wrightway777 Posted 5 Jun 2008 , 1:23am
post #4 of 5

tiptop57 - thanks you are always so helpful! I forgot about the pantyhose trick. Heard it a long while back on the Oklahoma Sugar Show.

Petit-four - good to know since I have about 30 miles to drive for that cake in late July....in Georgia....humidity...and at least 3 sets of RailRoad tracks

tiptop57 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
tiptop57 Posted 5 Jun 2008 , 1:06pm
post #5 of 5

You're welcome Wrightway777.

One last thing, stringwork is amazingly strong once dried and as long as you do not touch it directly. It's usually just fine for a good rock-n-roll trip over bumpy tracks. icon_wink.gif

Quote by @%username% on %date%

%body%