Well I have my first adventure with fondant this past wee and I was wondering what is the best way to roll it out with out sticking. I tried PS and cornstarch. I ended up resorting to crisco but I did not like the look of it when it was finished too shiny. I thought of buying the Wilton mat but was wondering if you all had some better suggestions.

Hi, I think it depends on the fondant you use too. The one that I use only need a tiny bit of shortening. There is another fondant which requires lots of cornstarch. But at the end it comes down to what works best for you!

If you don't want it to be shiny, just wipe your cake with a papertowel and then dust it a bit of powdered sugar.

I bought a yard of vinyl from walmart for about 2.50 and it was the best investment ever! Fondant doesn't stick at all!!!

I use the Wilton mat (I like having the measurements on there), and I coat it with a THIN coating of shortening before rolling out my fondant (Satin Ice).

I have a silicone mat, which I absolutely ADORE, but people swear by vinyl, which is a billion times less expensive and seems to work well. As far as shortening and PS/cornstarch go, it's a matter of preference, the kind of fondant you use, and the effect you want. For the most part, I use PS lightly dusted, but for my chocolate fondant I always use powdered sugar so I don't have to deal with cleaning up the white off of my fondant later. Now, for nice cool days, I use shortening (softens the fondant better), but for hotter days when things tend to stick and melt more, I use PS. Like I said, matter of preference. Good luck!

I have the wilton mat and I love it for the most part. You have to remember to wet the bottom with water or it moves around a lot. As far as not sticking, Depends on the fondant. I use marshmellow fondant and when im ready to use it i use a little crisco to soften it. When I roll it out I use a powder sugar, but not a lot and it gets rid of the shine for the most part. Hope that helps.

ive taken to rolling my icing on cornstarch, i find its muchhhh nicer than powdered sugar, and when working with things on my hands, ive got very hot hands, the PS seems to melt and become even more sticky, but the CS, just keeps my hands smooth and lovely, i did two cakes this weekend with the CS method and it was fantastic! fondant never stuck once!

Caths_Cake -- I also have hot hands which makes it hard to work with fondant and gumpaste. I typically have used PS but that just absorbs in the fondant so I have to keep reapplying. Then I get PS marks all over the bottom of the fondant which isn't good if I'm flipping a large piece onto the cake. I'm going to try the CS and shortening and see which one works better. When I work with gumpaste, I only use shortening.

i don't like the wilton mat...it seems too thin and it moves too much..although i didn't use water underneath. i was thinking about the clear plastic that comes on a roll and you buy by the yard. is that the vinyl you are talking about? thanks

Yes, I was referring to the rolls of vinyl at walmart or most fabric stores

I'm new to using fondant (only made 2 cakes so far), but I've had trouble getting the cornstarch off the fondant once it's smoothed on the cake. When I tried to wipe it off, it ended up just smearing into the fondant. I use the marshmallow type fondant. Any suggestions???

Just use a small touch of Crisco on your fingertips to pass over the cornstarch once the fondant's smoothed to get rid of the powdery look. Literally, just a touch - you don't want to make a greasy finish!

I got a tip (I think on youtube) to put a 50/50 mixture of cornstarch and powdered sugar into a new knee high and tie it up. I've been using this tip and loving it. It sifts your mixture and only gives a light dusting. Works great.

I always use corn starch it works for me all the time!