Good morning everyone,

Just wondering if there is any one best fondant?
There are so many out there and it would cost so much
to try them all. Wondered what some of your thoughts
were on what and why you like them. I want to try them
all but like I said, it would cost so much. Maybe eventually
Thank you for your input.

Jerry

This is a matter of opinion, and you'll be getting many different ones, but I'll be happy to give you mine. The best fondant I've ever come across, both for taste and ease of use, is Carma Massa Ticino, but it's VERY expensive, so I only use it if I know I can pass the cost along to my customers. I've also used FondX, which is nice, and Satin Ice red and black (I never try to tint fondant in these colors). The Satin Ice has a strange, but not altogether disagreeable, taste to it, probably because of the amount of coloring it takes to get those shades. I must say I'm kind of limited by what's available here in Mexico, so I don't know about other brands. My favorite home-made isn't any of the marshmallow-based fondants, but Michele Foster's Fondant, a couple of versions of which are in the recipe section here on Cake Central.

Thank you for your comments. I have only used Satin Ice and
just wondered if others tasted better or is it that texture that some
like or are some softer than others, etc. Just wanted to know which
ones tasted the best, easiest to work with, and has the best texture
or softness to it.

I do not like the Satin Ice fondant it leaves a elephant skin. I used it when I made my son a 3-D cars cake and it was very dry and brittle didn't stay soft. I use the MMF recipe from here. It is very good and pliable. I did order a sample of Fondarific Fondant and it taste good you get 6 samples for $6.00 and they have many flavors and colors. It is harder than most fondants or my samples was, but it softens pretty easily, but I haven't used it on a cake though. Supposedly you use less when you use it and you don't have to use cornstarch or powdered sugar to roll it. I like the MMF and it is much cheaper.

After trying 5 different brands, I find Massa Ticino is the best fondant, moreover here in Italy it's not too expensive (around 6 Euros / kilo, but you must know that other brands can cost up to 10 Euros / kilo here, since cake decoration is still quite new here!). Anyway, I think Massa Ticino tastes quite good, it's very pliable and doesn't dry too quickly. Moreover, it's very stable, even if you add a lot of food coloring!

I envy you, FrancescaTranslator. Massa Ticino costs me $100 for a 10 lb. bucket, while FondX costs about half that (and the cost of living - read "average income" - is a lot lower than in Europe). I live in hot, humid Cancún. Heat and humidity are the archenemies of all fondant, and there's a thing called Massa Ticino Tropico which is specially formulated for this climate. I wish I could afford to use it for everything!

*gulp* Marianna, it's really expensive!!!
I got 30 lbs for 44 Euros (it should be around $63) in a specialized shop last month!

I love Satin Ice. I've never had a problem with it. To me, it has the perfect pliability without being too stretchy and I think it tastes pretty good. I used Fondarific recently and it's ok. I like it better for covering a cake than I do for cut out or sculpting work since it is very stretchy and doesn't cut or pinch off as well as other fondants. I've made MMF and I like it to cover, but not for small, cut out or sculpting work, because *I* personally, have issues with consistency between batches and have just found that I get crumbly edges on small work, that I don't get with purchased fondant.

I haven't used any other brands, and am just a hobby caker.

Here is a reciepe i found while browsing the net and it has been a HUGE hit here in KY. It's on www.thecookduke.com.

Ingredients:
¡1 Tbsp of unflavored gelatin
¡1/4 cup of cold water
¡1 tsp of almond extract
¡1/2 cup of light corn syrup (If a corn syrup is not available, you can substitute it with a sugar syrup made with 1-1/4 cups sugar and 1/3 cup water, boiled together until syrupy)
¡1 Tbsp of glycerin (some recipes say itfs optional, believe me, itfs a must)
¡2 lbs 10X confectionersf sugar
¡1/2 tsp of white vegetable shortening

Directions:
¡Sprinkle the gelatin over cold water in a small bowl and let it rest for 2 minutes to soften
¡Place the bowl in a microwave for 30 seconds on High, until the gelatin dissolves
¡Add the Almond extract
¡Add the corn syrup and the glycerin and stir until the mixture is smooth and clear (if the mixture is not turning smooth and clear, microwave it for an additional 15 to 20 seconds on high and stir again)
¡Sift 1 1/2 pounds of the sugar into a large bowl
¡Make a hole in the sugar and pour the liquid mixture to it
¡Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes sticky
¡Sift some of the remaining 1/2 pound of sugar onto a smooth work surface and add as much of the remaining sugar as the mixture will take
¡Knead the fondant, adding a little more sugar if necessary, to form a smooth, pliable mass
¡Rub the vegetable shortening on your thumbs and knead it into the fondant
¡Wrap the fondant in plastic wrap and place it in a tightly sealed container to prevent it from drying out
If the icing dries out and harden it can often be revived by popping it into a microwave oven for a few seconds and then kneading it back to life



I have changed a few variables in my homemade now. But this was a great starting!!!

i like choco-pan and for some things, satin ice.

I am in Canada and I usually make my own fondant using a similar recipe to the one posted above ( meaning fondant from scratch and not made from marshmallows). However for red and black I buy Virgin Ice fondant, and it works perfectly for me. I don't really like the taste of any fondant, but I dont find the taste any more or less offensive then my homemade version. And like the previous poster mentioned, I don't bother trying to tint red or black on my own, it's too hard! It's very soft and pliable and covers cakes beautiful. Doesn't dry out fast either.