Pme Snowflake Plunger Cutter ... A Cake Artist's Toy Of Torture
Decorating By NYAcupcake Updated 30 Dec 2013 , 12:02am by glow
I was SO excited to use my brand new PME Snowflake Plunger Cutter. Until I found that for every snowflake that came out perfectly, about 5 came out horribly...or didn't come out of the cutter at all. I tried so many things...dusting cutter with confectioner's sugar, dusting fondant with cs, adding tylose to my fondant. After about 2 frustrating hours, I finally got about 25 decent (not perfect) snowflakes. Anyone have any tips on making this cutter a bit more user-friendly?
I eventually turned the cutter over with the fondant in it, and basically pushed and scraped the edges with my fingers to cut it out the excess (a LOT of excess). Then I placed it back down and used the plunger to imprint the design into the snowflake.
I was thinking of getting one of these, so thanks for the heads up. My snowflake cutter doesn't have a plunger or open back, so I have to prise out every icicle bit with a pin. I find that giving the cutter a very liberal dusting with cornflour, rolling out the fondant thin and letting it sit for 5-10 mins to firm up a little helps.
AUse gumpaste. The instructions recommend it and the cutters were developed for gumpaste.
NYAcupcake & Daisyblue002: Don't give up! If I can use them, anyone can..............seriously.
I bought the PME snowflake cutters for a friend who wanted a snowflake wedding cake. I watched the Global Sugar Art video by Pastry Chef Allen T., then made my first gumpaste. It was a slow process but do-able.
**(I'm not much of a decorator, more of a candy maker & baker, so it's not fancy at all)
Some say thick, some say thin...
I say DUST IT, DRY IT (a bit).... and plunge! I LOVE these cutters. Keep trying till you get the "feel" for them. I really do love them (no stock in PME either). :)
AAlso, are you sure that they're 'real' PME cutters and not cheap, illegal Chinese copies?
There's a huge difference in quality and performance.
I love-love-love my PME snowflake cutters. I've used fondant, gum paste 50/50 mix and Mexican paste and always was satisfied with the results. It's unfortunate you had so much trouble. Don't give up on them. Just remember to dust.
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NYAcupcake & Daisyblue002: Don't give up! If I can use them, anyone can..............seriously.
I bought the PME snowflake cutters for a friend who wanted a snowflake wedding cake. I watched the Global Sugar Art video by Pastry Chef Allen T., then made my first gumpaste. It was a slow process but do-able.
**(I'm not much of a decorator, more of a candy maker & baker, so it's not fancy at all)
MBalaska your snowflakes look fantastic. The plunger has got to be better than what I'm using at the moment, so will definitely give them a go.
I have gone rounds with these as well. First I bought the cheapo ones on ebay from China, those were useless.
Then I bought the PME ones, big difference but still not fun.
I found that dusting the cutter and the fondant with some confectioners sugar and let it dry a few minutes.
Then I press in the cutter ( no plunger yet) and wiggle a bit , pick up the cutter, the snowflake should be in it, then I press the plunger into it with my finger in the middle to make the imprint, then pop it out.
Thanks for these GREAT tips. I really appreciate it. I added tylose to my fondant so it was essentially gumpaste. Maybe since I live in FL the humidity didn't help me any ;)
I will def not give up. I have too many Xmas orders to deal with!! :)
Thanks again!!
i use fondant + cornstarch + flavored oil because it's more fun to eat than gumpaste especially on cupcakes where one would expect to eat the whole thing but i use this on tier cakes too --
i knead in enough so that the fondant is dry enough that it cannot stick to the plunger but it has not crusted - and i roll it thick to thin depending --
but that's a pretty intricate plunger too --
if i had a problem with it--and my fondant was nice & dry -- i'd shoot it with a brief spray of oil
my favorite snowflake is piped white chocolate--because they melt like real snowflakes! ha!
I used Tylo as it makes the fondant more similar to gumpaste than just fondant alone. I will do gumpaste next time for sure though! Thank you!
They look great!!
I'm also having 'fun' with my snowflakes as well.
I have some more to make tonight, and it's a slow process of using a toothpick to gently ease the end/tips out and then they pop out.
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They look great!!
I'm also having 'fun' with my snowflakes as well.
I have some more to make tonight, and it's a slow process of using a toothpick to gently ease the end/tips out and then they pop out.
Yes, I used either a thin pointed fondant tool or an Xacto. But boy oh boy was it a special treat when they plopped out on their own :)
Funny, I have the cheapo Chinese cutters off of Ebay, and I have never had a problem with them. I use fondant with tylose, or just fondant. If one doesn't pop right off, I depress the plunger and pick it off with my fingers. I do rub the cutter on a mat to get all the little nasty edges off that don't belong, then pop them out.
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Originally Posted by Annabakescakes
".........I do rub the cutter on a mat to get all the little nasty edges off that don't belong, then pop them out.
with the gumpaste they popped out every time. I had to use toothpicks to clean out the outer perimeter of the cutter, in the tiny crevices, but not the insides.
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