Hiiiiii! 

Hope everyone is having a productive, and awesome new year!

I have a couple quick questions, i'm probably just a little paranoid....

I am using meringue powder for the first time to make my RI, I normally use pasteurized egg whites. i used a basic recipe from sweet sugar belle;

2 lbs confectioner’s sugar
1/3 c. plus one tablespoon meringue powder
about 3/4c. water

i beat the RI, for about 5-8 minutes after it was thoroughly combined. and then when i was dyeing my RI, so i can use it tomorrow, i noticed that it was a little foamy-er than the egg white RI that i normally use.and then i had flashbacks to the article i read about on sweetopia, of course i can't find it right now, saying how if you beat it for too long it's ruined forever! I'm pretty sure she said it has to be beating for about 30 minutes before it's ruined but i still wanted to ask so i don't have to guess, and i can know for future reference! 

is this normal for RI with Meringue powder(to be foamy)?

is there a way to tell if i over beat it without putting it on a cookie and letting it dry? 

i put a chunk of it on the lid to test it, hopefully that will help give me an idea! 

thanks in advance!!!!

it shouldn't be foamy--so far i can't see anything you've done wrong with your recipe or method--i have allowed ri to mix forever i'm sure and no worries as far as i'm concerned--i'd let it go because i was busy & didn't want to take the time to deal with it--if i kept it mixing i didn't have to stop and bag it up or cover it with a damp towel and plastic wrap--secure it--so i just let it go till i could get to it--didn't get foamy--didn't ruin it--

however did you beat it on high? it sounds like maybe just too much air got in there? you should be able to get it smooth by stirring--maybe add a little hot water to stir it up--

did you scrape the bowl well? while mixing?

yeah, i scraped the bowl through out, I'm just paranoid. haha. 

I tested the piece that i kept on the lid and it was perfect! no sponginess or lack of drying so i lucked out! 

i think it was from my switch from egg whites to meringue powder that made it the different texture, maaybe not foamy, but a little grainier? and i miss took that for foamy and freaked. haha. 

Thanks for your help!

another question, if i HAD mixed in too much air, is there any way to save it? 

 don't hate me for not figuring that out!

i feel like you guys are quick to shun, at least that's the impression i got from reading all these forums, and seeing people getting labeled for asking questions wrong.

dont shun me for thinking that either! 

and fwiw--there is a 'you guys' mentality where it is a community with a personality--but we are each just individual posters too-

and you're  right this community historically has a nasty edge but i think it's lessening up--but i getcha totally--

and by nasty i mean when a poster says "i'm not being mean" well guess what  that's the poster's gut telling them to soften up what they said, because "i'm not being mean" is an admission of it--not an effective disclaimer--then others defend that meanness by saying it's ok because look at how much help they give out -- srsly? 

it's like cutting someone on purpose --giving them the help they requested while admonishing them for being so ungrateful as to mention that they are bleeding--it's like mild hazing or initiation stuff or something--ego driven lord it over you something or other--i have some information you need so i can sh*t on you a bit--but don't come back here stinkin'--

and we get upset that peeps don't come around and say thanks--i think they are damn glad they didn't get 'publically' roto rootered and wanna get outa dodge while the getting's good--

anyhow--i think as a community we are getting a little kinder gentler but that history is there in black & white and all the other colors--

i'm not beyond reproach either--just editorializing here

i'm glad you brought it up--it's the elephant in the forum--been wanting to talk about it--get rid of it more and more and more and more

OP, the people you're talking about who "get labled" are the types who post a question expecting the sun and moon. They want people do do their due diligence for them and in one case tht comes to mind, specifically required posters to respond in metrics and euros (or something like that). In other words, if you were going to post a recipe or price, you had to first go convert them before reporting to her highness.

There is no call to come on here saying things implying someone is going to be mean to you for figuring out the answer and having the courtesy to come back to let us know. Why would that bother anyone?

You're going to meet all kinds here. Including people who are more concerned with looking nice and being loved than giving you the right information.

Well, I wasn't saying it's bad to search first. Just that there's no reason to complain if someone doesn't.

~~FromScratchSF, Have a question, I made royal icing for cookies, I colored it into the colors I needed. Still in the bowls I covered it with the wet towel and sealed it with clear wrap and let it sit over night before using. But when I uncovered it to use it I had like a sugar syrup that had separated and puddled in the bottom. It mixed back in ok but since I had to remix it I then mix the air back in. Now my question, do you know why it did that?

i'm not fs of course but your towel might have been too wet and it will cause it to puddle like that--

OK I will admit, I don't make cookies so my advice is strictly based on the books I've read and experience specific to cake, BUT, what kind of recipe and what kind of colors?  The recipe above calls for water - I never thin with water, ONLY fresh lemon juice if I need to thin but that doesn't happen very often.  The acid in lemon is essential to help strengthen the royal for what I use it for.  But I am careful not to make the mistake of making my royal it too stiff then adding lemon juice to thin then adding powder sugar then adding a liquid and so on.  If my royal is too stiff I add another egg white and powdered sugar and just make more royal.

As for adding color, I use gel or powdered color, powdered if I can help it because even if the color pigment sticks the extra liquid in gel can throw off and make a puddle like you said.  Yes you mix a little bit once you take the towel off but you are right, the longer and harder you mix the more air.  Your best bet is to make the icing the right way the first time and that takes experience based on whatever you are using it for.  I think Sweet Ambs, although I have never paid for her icing recipe, must be making it perfect because her cookies are extraordinarily beautiful and her recipe could quite possibly be contrary to everything I just typed, but I've never seen any of her cookies that have that take-tell crater of a popped air bubble from improperly mixing the royal or using the incorrect ratios for what she does.  Anyway I highly suggest HER advice as a master of sugar cookies.  Google her.

AThe puddle of syrup is normal. Just remix. It separates upon sitting

thanks everyone for your replies, I am working on some circus cookies for my friends that are clowns in the ringling brothers circus, that i'm going to go see them perform. 

Seeing that i was only making 13 cookies, i wanted to try meringue powder, instead of getting pasteurized egg whites(is PEW an actual acronym on here? bwahahaha, that sounds so funny. if it's not i'm writing PEW for pasteurized egg whites)  for only one batch of icing when i wont be making more for at least 2 weeks, i don't keep my RI when made with the PEW for longer than a week or else i get paranoid. 

I KNOW I SHOULDN'T HAVE TRIED SOMETHING NEW FOR SOMEONE ELSE BUT WE ALL DO IT AT LEAST ONCE! 

(no negative screaming intended k8memphis, only the nice kind :D )

So far they are coming along fine, i am making some RI transfers later on this evening to put on the cookies, and we'll see how it goes....

the blob that i put on top of the lid, as i said earlier, hardened nicely and i'm sure i was just super paranoid and being negative.

I'm sure that even if i did beat them a little too much, no one will notice and they will love them regardless! 

This is the recipe I use, It is Ali Bee’s royal icing recipe~~ Royal Icing 5 TBSP Meringue Powder 1 tsp cream of tartar 1/2 c. water 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp additional flavoring (optional) 2lb confectioners sugar 1 TBSP to 1/4 c. Light corn syrup Place meringue powder, cream of tartar, water and flavoring in the CLEAN bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached. A hand mixer will work for this too. Beat on medium high until the mixture is frothy. You can also do this step by hand with a wisk. Add the powdered sugar and start mixing on low. The mixture will quickly become thick and difficult to mix. Add the corn syrup till the blades begin to move again. The amount varies between 1 TBSP and 1/4 c. Mix on low until ingredients are incorporated then kick it up to medium and beat for 3-5 minutes. Again, this will vary on how much corn syrup you added. Beat until right before it starts getting shiny. If you get to a point where your icing looks like marshmallow fluff, you've gone too far. Keep an eye on your icing. When it's done, scoop it into a Tupperware, place a piece of saran wrap over the top and close the lid to store (if needed). I like it, it has a very nice flavor. And my towels were just damp, not wet. Thanks for your replies.