Duff's Fondant..are Ya Kidding Me?
Decorating By Irish245 Updated 28 Feb 2013 , 4:21am by ibakeinheels
It was me I guess who gave the impression that I didn't like Duff. I never said that. I just get tired sometimes of seeing more plastic than cake sometimes in a project that's all. But I understand that sometimes looks are far more important to a client than actual eating purposes. And I got raked over the coals for just joking around about the fun loving people on the Wilton forum for going crazy over the new Duff products. That's where the "dislike for Duff" sprouted from" I guess. No hatred towards anyone from here, Or Duff, honestly. I honestly was just stating a fact that I wasn't impressed really with his new products, just like all of you are right now. I mean, really, if I want to succeed in my business, am I really going to stock up on $8 cake mixes for a wedding cake??
Please stop this. All I said was, "Not cool." That's not raking you over the coals.
Hey Irish..thanks for the info on making the fondant in the KA mixer. I'd hate to lose mine! I might need to start mixing it by hand too then.
Hey Irish..thanks for the info on making the fondant in the KA mixer. I'd hate to lose mine! I might need to start mixing it by hand too then.
I do mine in my mixer, however JUST the beginning. Just until it's thick, but still somewhat liquidy. I find I get less PS bits in there when I use my mixer for some reason, plus the really messy part is in the mixer, not on my counter and stuck to my hands. Honestly, my mixer struggles more with royal icing. lol. If you only do it partway in your mixer, you will probably be fine.
Oh, and common guys. This is a lighthearted thread. Can we leave it that way? 
No one meant anyone any offense, so we can move on. 
Cheatize, I'm just explaining things. Nothing aimed at you. I just didn't want people to think a certain way about me, and I wanted to clear the air. It's bad enough that we have enough regulations in this country, and It just pisses me off that we can't even say anything anymore without someone always waiting in the wings ready to come down on everything you say. ANd for the second time now, you are chastizing me once again for my post.
chefjulie - what does the fondant taste like? And when you mention hard to work with...is that b/c of the elasticity? What fondant do you normally work with? Why didnt you like the offset spatula?
goodiegoddess - interesting! Wilton - I bet thats why chefjulie doesnt like the fondant its probably just a glorified wilton fondant and we all know that EVERYBODY just LOVES wilton fondant (I think I just ralphed a little writing that).
I'm looking for a small rubber spatula- whats your favorite? By the way if you all are ever tempted to by the blue ones from wilton....DONT....I have a habit of tapping it on the side of the KA bowl...well in less than a year the neck is splintering plastic! I have an ultra cheap one (regular size) that still looks like the day that I bought it.
It's DEFINITELY NOT like Wilton fondant... in fact, it's the total opposite!! It tastes phenomenal and is AWFUL to work with. I absolutely LOVE Wilton's nasty fondant for making figures because it's sooo easy to work with and no one is going to eat it 
The Duff fondant was REALLY hard for me to transfer from the mat to the cake (kept tearing and sticking).
I didnt like the spatula because it was too thin for me. I think I'm just used to my wider Pampered Chef one (I bought the Duff one because I just moved and couldnt find my normal one ), so working with the Duff one was a PITA.
I have a very strict "anti-celebrity-endorsed/produced product" policy. I don't buy Martha Stewart/Rachel Ray/Bobby Flay/Paula Deen/Duff/ etc., ANYTHING. I know it's weird, but I cannot justify giving MY money to those who need it the least. They have such an advantage in the advertising department, given the exposure they get from their shows. (Not that Wilton doesn't have the market cornered at Michael's and Joann's!) I watch their shows (some, anyway), but don't buy their products, which I think are way over-priced.
Mindy - I don't mind if you like Duff or not, each to his own. However, what's with calling us regular Wilton's forum posters "wackos"? As I said, I am a regular forum member there and the people on there are no where near the "wackos" as you called us. Cheatzie was just saying "not cool" to that, and I agree with her, it was not cool.
As for the fondant, I can get my Satin Ice a bit cheaper. However, I will buy the black and red since with the coupons it's cheaper than ordering it online. I bought his impression mats and the wires. They were very reasonably priced especially
I just meant wacko over his new stuff! That's all! Crazy over his new products! Look, I post stuff over there all the time! I love that forum! I have already apologized for this! It was totally taken the wrong way, and I am sorry! I don't know what else I can do! What do you want me to do about it? Goodness!
I just meant wacko over his new stuff! That's all! Crazy over his new products! Look, I post stuff over there all the time! I love that forum! I have already apologized for this! It was totally taken the wrong way, and I am sorry! I don't know what else I can do! What do you want me to do about it? Goodness!
Well, then if that is what you meantm it didn't come out like that. Apology is enough. Happy caking
Please believe me when I say, I have the best time with those people. I have never had a class in decorating, and I would not be where I'm at if it wasn't for the kind people on that forum. I remember when you couldn't post anything on the weekends, or after midnight and if I was in a pinch, there was no one to help me. There is no way in heck I would insult the likes of Cakes 06, Jeanne, Di'sCakes, or the rest of them. You learn so much and I would never ruin that bond or connection.
Please believe me when I say, I have the best time with those people. I have never had a class in decorating, and I would not be where I'm at if it wasn't for the kind people on that forum. I remember when you couldn't post anything on the weekends, or after midnight and if I was in a pinch, there was no one to help me. There is no way in heck I would insult the likes of Cakes 06, Jeanne, Di'sCakes, or the rest of them. You learn so much and I would never ruin that bond or connection.
I understand. It's easy to become really good friends with all of them. It was the first forum I ever joined and love it there. So one can get a little defensive about them. So all is good. I know now what you meant and no hard feelings. Are you Mindy on there as well? I'm N8sMom96 on Wiltons. I look forward to posting with you on both forums.
Price wise , it works out cheaper for me than if I use a coupon so I'm totally willing to try it and Michael's is 5 minutes from my house vs my cake store which is 30 minutes from my house and closes at 6pm everyday (arrghhh)..so honestly I'm so thrilled I could cry. I can buy pre-colored black, yellow purple...at my corner store.
And feel free to call me a wacko any day
I consider it a compliment...cake nut is ok with me too
Satinice/pettinice for me is 5lbs at 23.50 an extra three pounds than duff is offering for the same price, last i checked that 3 lbs is vital on a three tier cake for the 12 inch tier alone... It probably tastes great, and i want to SAMPLE before I would buy it, but if the price is high, then its high-really this sounds like the coach/ Louis Vitton of fondant for cakes,-so now we have a name brand to pay a higher price for... maybe the quality is better if the taste is?
Im not trying to down it by any means, but gosh cakes are expensive enough! I say leave it up to your customers what they like for the money... i would honestly say "hey try this and this, tell me what you like, ...ok, these are the price differences, yes maam or sir I'd love to use whatever you like in consideration of the price being higher or lower..."
but thats me... I Love using the best quality and I wont skimp out, but there are ways to be more diy and save too...
I have a very strict "anti-celebrity-endorsed/produced product" policy. I don't buy Martha Stewart/Rachel Ray/Bobby Flay/Paula Deen/Duff/ etc., ANYTHING. I know it's weird, but I cannot justify giving MY money to those who need it the least. They have such an advantage in the advertising department, given the exposure they get from their shows. (Not that Wilton doesn't have the market cornered at Michael's and Joann's!) I watch their shows (some, anyway), but don't buy their products, which I think are way over-priced.
If a product is good then its good and worth the price, but I agree with you totally and I don't like to buy things just cause of the name attached either. I don't even like microsoft except for their contribution of the xbox.
I have heard that paula dean has an egg seperator where the whites ooze out of a plastic nose-sounds hilarious! but Idk if its her product or just one she uses. I just think its so funny-but i just separate my eggs in the shell!
It's DEFINITELY NOT like Wilton fondant... in fact, it's the total opposite!! It tastes phenomenal and is AWFUL to work with. I absolutely LOVE Wilton's nasty fondant for making figures because it's sooo easy to work with and no one is going to eat it
The Duff fondant was REALLY hard for me to transfer from the mat to the cake (kept tearing and sticking). I didnt like the spatula because it was too thin for me. I think I'm just used to my wider Pampered Chef one (I bought the Duff one because I just moved and couldnt find my normal one
), so working with the Duff one was a PITA.
Interesting! Curious, do you use shortening on your mat or PS/CS when rolling out your fondant? Also when you tried Duffs was it the white or was it a color? Good to know about the taste! How was the drying time (compared to Satin Ice)?
Compared to Satin Ice, the taste was much better. The smell is also incredible Seriously, I would eat it straight out of the container!
I typically only use a VERY small amount of corn starch when rolling fondant (satin ice), but with the duff I tried corn starch and shortening and nothing seemed to help. The shortening was especially disasterous!!! It did take quite a bit longer to dry than SI- couldnt really give you an exact time because I've never really paid attention. I just know that it was sticky for awhile.
My two disclaimers are that I didnt microwave like the package said to do and I live in Houston, where humidity is almost always off the charts. I don't know how much either of those factors could have effected my results!
Thanks chefjulie for the great info! Could you post back whats on the tub where it was manufactured or if there is any clue as to the company that produced it? I know about "Gartner" thats just the marketing side of it (www.gartnerstudios.com).
Heres two other sites talking about Duff's fondant being perhaps Fondarific. You'll have to copy/paste the 2nd link.
http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=6&threadid=138096
http://www.cricut.com/%28S%28fe1jsfmbbo0venbr3ecgkozb%29%29/messageboard/tm.aspx?m=6692995&mpage=1&key=
http://tinyurl.com/25qanke
(Mod edited to provide this unbreakable link for above.)
fyi - Heres a cake where the lady said it was fine to work with:
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1682301
ya know...I just noticed after being confused by some CC posts back in March-May that supposedly Duff's fondant was being produced by Satin Ice. But I soon ran across this explanation by Mom23Angel:
http://forum.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=680931&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=15
now thats interesting!!
I find it odd that his fondant is anything other than Satin Ice, as that's what is often visible in his shop.
I did see his products also, didn't even bother to look at the prices because I knew what they would be just because its an "Ace of Cakes" product... I personally enjoy the show more for the fact that the group of people on that show are amazing artists and sculptors. I have heard them say on the show that they are not bakers (although Duff did go to culinary school), and I've seen them call local bakeries when they had an issue they couldn't deal with. Not to mention, I don't think anyone trying to make a living decorating and selling cakes is going to buy Duffs products. They are probably geared more towards the mom who is trying to make her daughter a sweet 16 birthday cake on her own and can afford to pay extra for a hyped up product... to each his own I guess!
I think it's great that he has his line of stuff. Wouldn't buy any of the fondant though, I get my for $60 for a 20 lb bucket. Alot cheeper than anything else, and it tastes like vanilla tootsie roll.
I give the whole crew props! Everyones got to make a living somehow! And that is a seriously good deal on buying fondant! I may have to look into that!
Okay, so I'm going to eat a lot of my words now!!! I don't know if my black was a bad batch, or if it's just weird because of all the coloring they have to add, but I used the red yesterday and had no problems at all with it!! It was a little stickier than I'm used to, but not NEARLY as bad. I would absolutely use it over SI because the flavor is soooo much better!!
ya know...I just noticed after being confused by some CC posts back in March-May that supposedly Duff's fondant was being produced by . But I soon ran across this explanation by Mom23Angel:
http://forum.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=680931&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=15
now thats interesting!!
I found this on fondarifics website. It talks about Duff using Fondarific on his Lost cake.
http://fondarific.com/blog/?page_id=447
I think they still use both. Thats gotta be obvious since they are sourcing two different companies for his fondant.
lol ya, I had someone joke around the other day calling me "ace of cakes" and I said, " don't ever call me that" I don't want to start using plumbing pipes and toilet parts in my cakes, etc. lol WHen people have to start looking the cake over from end to end just so they can see where to cut a sliver just to get a bite, then you have a problem. I have a real problem with that.
Other bakers do the same thing though. Cakegirls have used pvc pipes as their structure.
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