With the plunger cutters, I've never had to use anything other than the plunger to get the fondant or gum paste out of the cutters. I only have to use a pin or toothpick to clean the outer crevasses since they are very fine and can get build-up.

I used the PME snowflake cutters for this cake this week.

I don't like the molds for the snowflakes.  I have more trouble with getting those out, even frozen, than I do the PME plunger cutters.  I've tried everything I can think of to get those out in one piece, but so far nothing has worked.  Any one have any ideas for those?

I have cheap Chinese plunger cutters that I also bought on ebay.  I just dust the edge with cornflour and I have never had any trouble getting straight fondant out of them.

i'm not alone in this by any means but i used to take paper punches when they started making all those really cool intricate ones--they were metal but--i used to make itty bitty snowflakes and leaves and then the manufacturers started putting out 10,000 different shapes of sprinkles to buy so the thrill was gone but...there's that too

I use those all the time and don't have any problems with them. Definitely use gumpaste, not fondant, and roll it thin. Press down on the counter and shake/shuffle the cutter a little against the counter to rub the edges of the cutter and really separate the cut section from the sheet of gumpaste. If the snowflake doesn't come off of the plunger easily then dust the surface with cornstarch before cutting it. If they stick to the counter use a spatula to remove them.

I can't see these working well with fondant, especially if it's rolled out too thick.

Also, make sure that there isn't excess gumpaste stuck in the cutter when you're using them, that can keep the snowflake from coming out of the cutter well.

That's the exact mold that I have.  I love the intricacies of those flakes, but I couldn't get some of the more frail ones out without parts of them breaking off.  Someone suggested freezing them, then removing the snow flakes while still frozen.....that didn't work either.  So, you didn't freeze them, just thinned out the gumpaste some, and you were able to get the snow flakes out without breaking the tiniest parts of them off?  I will definitely have to try your method.  I was able to get a couple of the bigger flakes out, pretty much, but not the one in the upper right corner (using your picture of the mold) and the lower left and right corners.  The smaller designs were the worst, though.  The one you demonstrated with was the one that broke the most frequently, along with the one just above where you demonstrate placing the gumpaste in the one mold.  Will have to give this method a try.  Thanks for sharing!

 I ended up making a ton of the snowflakes using fondant w tylose so that I would have enough for what I needed for the holidays, and to account for the fact that there would be lots of casualties (like pieces of the flakes falling off after they'd already been put on top of the cupcakes..bleh!). Gumpaste was not an option as there were kids who'd be eating these cupcakes and I didn't want them to spit out any snowflakes. It was long and a bit time consuming but from the reactions of my customers, it was worth it. So I am pleased. I am, however, quite glad that Christmas is just once a year :)

Adorable cake, @gscout73 !

I've never had any problems with the snowflake cutter.  I add some tylose powder to my fondant, roll my fondant out and let it sit for about 5 minutes, dip the cutter in powdered sugar, plunge it and wiggle it around, then cut my snowflakes out.

Wow so someone else had the same issues with this plunger. Even the reviews on amazon showed other people had issues using it.

I bought the set last year and it has been a pain time-wise to use ever since. I used it with gum paste and the key to getting it with clean cut outs is to keep removing the gum paste that gets stuck in the crevices with a sharp tool.

I used it with thin gum paste and corn starch dusted gum paste and still had too many issues. It wasn't releasing easily from the plunger. I had to keep pushing it over and over to release from the cutter and I found it didn't cut clean with sharp edges unless I slammed it down on the gum paste like literally I had to stab the gum paste with the plunger to get a clean cut.

Definitely my least favourite plunger cutter set.

I know. I made way to many snowflakes just to avoid having to deal with the plunger again. So now I have about a dozen snowflakes with no homes sitting here. LOL. I did end up using a lot of them...but NOT looking forward to doing it again next year.

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ARoll the fondant thin on nonstick, plastic rolling mat. Dip plungers in corn starch. Shake the excess off by slaping them on the table gently. Then dive in the fondant. Plunge the shape. Get it off the mat. Clean the intricate parts if necessary. Plunge it out. Let it dry a bit before putting on the cake.

Winter Snowbear cake...even the bear is annoyed by those darned snowflakes. HA!

even for those having trouble with them, they make such lovely snowflake cakes. very nice to all.

Very nice cakes, Chinchin and NYAcupcake!

There is one other snowflake plunger cutter, by Longzang which has rounded edges, sounds Chinese.

I used it with white chocolate MC and it popped out the tiniest snowfakes easily.  The build up is outside the mold that needs to be cleaned with the toothpick.

I put them on my holiday eggnog cookies.

there is also an Ateco snowflake cutter, that is shaped more like a star with an imprint. Just don't give up the snowflakes, they are all pretty.

AI was in tears trying to use mine for the first time. I discovered two things. A tad of Crisco works better than powders sugar and clean off the cutter often. Hope this helps others! [ATTACHMENT=1418]20131214_133741.jpg (1,486k. jpg file)[/ATTACHMENT]

I rolled my fondant out thin.  It had a good coating of starch and let sit out for a couple minutes.

After I had pressed the plunger/cutter into the fondant I did NOT remove it.  

I then used the plunger part and pressed into the counter (for the design) and let go.

Lifted the plunger/cutter up about 6 inches into the air and pressed the plunger - out comes the snowflake.

I made about 40 snowflakes of various sizes and only wrecked one!