I am going to be using black and i am thinking the cornstarch is going to get all over the black and make a mess...any tips please?

I use shortening on my work space to keep it from sticking!

HTH

I usually dust it off with a BARELY damp paper towel...I'm talking like maybe 2 tiny drops of water sprinkled on it. Sometimes a dry paper towel works, but it depends on how much is on there!

rub it down with shortening, or dust off then airbrush with vodka to remove white residue.

I use a soft brush to dust it off and have never had a problem. I think I've read on here to use clear alcohol like rum or vodka. It dries up so it wont leave any sign of being wet behind. I have never tried that though.

I brush with a small amount of vodka, it does dry, but it will leave it shiny.

You can put crisco on the roll out sheet(plastic) instead of corstarch? Thanks for the tips.

I roll mine out on a sheet of clear vinyl table cover (from wally world fabric section) without anything underneath. I then turn it upside down over the cake and peel it off. It keeps it clear of cornstarch and prevents drying too soon. Many top decorators use this method. Hope this helps

Thank you so much. I wish I knew that before I bought that expensive fondant mat LOL. You learn soooooooo much in here.

If you want a shiny finish, use the clear vinyl method posted above. If you are not so worried about a high shine, you can use unsweetened cocoa powder and brush off the excess. If you use powdered sugar or cornstarch, the shortening trick works well.

Cornstarch is not the best medium for rolling out fondant. I highly recommend using an Ateco silicone mat and a very light dusting of powdered sugar in a puff. Cornstarch is very drying and will cause the fondant to crack. All makers of fondant recommend powdered sugar-not cornstarch. Alan

I used the plastic sheet to roll out and peel back method and the next day the collar on my leather jacker cake was all cracked and falling off.........did I do something wrong? I kept it in a electric oven OFF of course, but did not wrap it....was that the problem....for next time what do I do

Was you over light on? If so, you dried out the fondant. Also, there is a lot of residural heat in an oven if it is part of a stove top. Every time you use the stove, the oven gets warmed up and would dry the fondant. Alan

No, the light was off and its a wall oven, thats why I thought it the perfect place to store it.

Don't use cornstarch for rolling out fondant. It has starch in it and will cause spoilage when it comes in contact with moisture. This might be okay for some people with cakes that are going to be eaten within a day or two. It is best to get in the habit of using icing sugar or white fat.