I Have $100 To Amazon, Is Toba Garrett's Book Worth The $65?
Decorating By my2sunshines Updated 11 Feb 2007 , 7:23pm by cakemommy
I'll start by saying that I love this hobby. I definitely put out more money then I take in though LOL . I am self taught and am looking for a book to teach me more step by step and help me tighten up my basic decorating skills. I have $100 gc to amazon. Toba's book is $65 which takes a big chunk out of my $ but if it's worth it and I am will to splurge since it was a gift I will. Can anyone recommend one more book? I already have Debbie Brown books, but I am looking for something not so much w/ fondant since I haven't mastered it yet.
Thanks for the help 
Kim in NJ
cakewalk by margaret braun
cakes to dream on -and- birthday cakes by collette peters
tobas book is very detailed and educational. her style seems to be very traditional, working alot with fondant and royal icing/stringwork. gumpaste florals etc...
i learned alot from the book (library) but it is not my personal style so i wouldnt go and buy it...but that is just my taste. go to your library and if they dont have it, ask if they have an inter library loan, it cost me 1.75 for shipping to have the book for 3 weeks, sent from another library. cheaper alternative to see for yourself if you really want the book.
Here's my amazon review for this book:
I bought this book hoping that it would be a peek at Toba's amazing cake work, she is an incredible decorator and I wanted the book to reflect that. I was very very disappointed - the book is a hardback but the paper quality is very low, almost see through wafer thin pages give the book a cheap and flimsy feel. The book runs as a course on cake decorating split into lessons with test questions and activities to do at the end of each chapter - but if it is a cake lesson it's one taught by frilly fussy ladies in their eighties as the techniques are so old fashioned, over fussy and sometimes plain ugly looking. Her modelling work, particularly to cutesy animals, looks amateurish. I saved up for this book and just felt totally disappointed. If you're looking for inspiration go for Colette Peters or Margaret Braun. If you're looking for lessons go to your library and pick up any 1970s cake decorating manual - it's basically the same as you get in this book.
Which Toba Garrett book is it? If it's "The Well Decorated Cake", I just bought that on Amazon, used, for $16.
I just bought that book from Amazon, but I bought it new from one of the other vendors for $39. I think you can still use the amazon gift certificate. It is very much like a text book, very detailed instructions. It is different from any of the other books I have. I wouldnt say it is my favorite book, but I am sure it will be a wonderful reference.
Get tha Cake bible, all the recipes you will never need.
Toba Garrette is good is you are a beguiner, not so much if you allready know cake decorating with fondant
Thanks so much for the input. It does sound like Professional Cake Decorating bt Toba Garrett isn't what I am looking for right now. I am going to order Colette's Cakes to Dream on, Cakewalk by Margaret Braun, and the Cake Bible.
Thanks so much again for helping me make the right choice
Kim in NJ
Thanks so much for the input. It does sound like Professional Cake Decorating bt isn't what I am looking for right now. I am going to order Colette's , Cakewalk by Margaret Braun, and the Cake Bible.
Thanks so much again for helping me make the right choice
Kim in NJ
i think the cake bible would be a good first choice for recipes. then cakewalk, then if you still have money - collette peters. i think that cakewalk is better than cakes to dream on because although margaret is elaborate...she is more willing to explain HOW TO. at the beginning she goes through several techniquess step by step....(painting, starbursts, paisleys, lattice, etc...then shows you several cakes. if you look closely, you can see alot of her different techniques in each cake and understand better how to put a cake together tastefully. collette peters is awesome, but some of the things you kind of have to figure out yourself.
What type of style is the cakewalk book? What is inside the book? I will have to check it out.
I dont have a lot of books yet, but of the ones I have I like the mich turner book. I think the cakes are beautiful (kind of wedding cakeish) but I love the style. I also have a collette book (cakes to dream on I think) Nice book, not exactly MY style, but fun to look at.
What type of style is the cakewalk book? What is inside the book? I will have to check it out.
I dont have a lot of books yet, but of the ones I have I like the mich turner book. I think the cakes are beautiful (kind of wedding cakeish) but I love the style. I also have a collette book ( I think) Nice book, not exactly MY style, but fun to look at.
Thanks melysa. Would you say her style is similar to Collette peters?
similar but m.b. has more of a royal sophistication about her cakes. she seems to take alot from architecture and culture (she traveled alot). collette peters (i love her too) does alot of whimsical stuff in addition to all the fondant and painting with dusts.
If you have a chance go to your local bookstore and/or library and see if you can find books that are your style, or that interest you. Eventhough I bought Toba's book on CC when it was on sale, I wish I had kept my money. I already had her first book; her latest book repeats all of that book but added as above e-mails, chapter activities and, etc. I was dissappointed. Money would be better spent on the Cake Bible, Sylvia Weinstock, or Dede Wilson.
Who is the author of the Cake Bible? I can't find these on Amazon??
Thanks.
Rose Levy Beranbaum
http://www.thecakebible.com/index2.html
Here's my amazon review for this book:
I bought this book hoping that it would be a peek at Toba's amazing cake work, she is an incredible decorator and I wanted the book to reflect that. I was very very disappointed - the book is a hardback but the paper quality is very low, almost see through wafer thin pages give the book a cheap and flimsy feel. The book runs as a course on cake decorating split into lessons with test questions and activities to do at the end of each chapter - but if it is a cake lesson it's one taught by frilly fussy ladies in their eighties as the techniques are so old fashioned, over fussy and sometimes plain ugly looking. Her modelling work, particularly to cutesy animals, looks amateurish. I saved up for this book and just felt totally disappointed. If you're looking for inspiration go for or Margaret Braun. If you're looking for lessons go to your library and pick up any 1970s cake decorating manual - it's basically the same as you get in this book.
Emma, you could not have said it better. That is EXACTLY how I feel. Especially of the paper quality and photographs. . .Thumbs down. 
In my opinion both of Toba's books which I have are for the advanced decorator OR someone with good experience wanting to expand on their techniques.
I LOVE these books as this is the style of decorating I love. As far as the feel of the pages in the book. If you remember your text books from school, the pages in this book are just like that. It is text book format! I didn't notice the pages being see-through. Maybe my light wasn't that bright, who knows but regardless of the paper quality if you are looking to expand on your techniques are far as stringwork and border techniques you are in for a treat.
I should also add that I did not want to pay $65 for the book and another member here told me where to get it for $39.00! I do not remember the site as I ordered it back on Thanksgiving!
Amy
How in the world could Collette Peters' style be of any simplicity compared to Toba's???? I have two of Collette's books and I just do not have the time or patience to create something like what she creates. She is definately inspiring none the less!
Amy
In my opinion both of Toba's books which I have are for the advanced decorator OR someone with good experience wanting to expand on their techniques.
I LOVE these books as this is the style of decorating I love. As far as the feel of the pages in the book. If you remember your text books from school, the pages in this book are just like that. It is text book format! I didn't notice the pages being see-through. Maybe my light wasn't that bright, who knows but regardless of the paper quality if you are looking to expand on your techniques are far as stringwork and border techniques you are in for a treat.
I should also add that I did not want to pay $65 for the book and another member here told me where to get it for $39.00! I do not remember the site as I ordered it back on Thanksgiving!
Amy
Amy, the site was www.cooking.com . 
Yes, the information is very valuable. . .I just would've preferred that for the ticket price of $65 that it'd be of good, "cake decorating-book-like quality"- if that makes any sense. Thick, shiny pages w/ good photographs; I think all of that makes for a great book.
It's a textbook, yes (even some culinary institutions use it as their textbook for cake decorating in their baking and pastry courses), but even my textbooks have nicer illustrations! 
The information is invaluable though. If you're not a freak like I am that gets discouraged by the paper-quality, by all means buy it!!
Get tha Cake bible, all the recipes you will never need.
Toba Garrette is good is you are a beguiner, not so much if you allready know cake decorating with fondant
I really don't think a true beginner can accomplish the techniques in Toba's books in a short amount of time. Define beginner. Are you referring to someone who just started a few months ago or someone who has been decorating frequently to hone their skills for at least a year? If the later then yes, this "beginner" can attempt and conquer Toba's techniques. Her techniques are definately not "beginner" techniques.
Amy
Why Nick, you are correct! That was it! You get an A+ for your memory skills!
The title of the book alone "Professional Cake Decorating" should lead one to believe that this is an instructional book. The quality of the pages is irrelevent to the wealth of information the book has to offer. If anyone is to learn from this book then paper quality shouldn't hinder what so ever. If anyone feels that the paper and picture quality of the book drastically hindered the quality of the instruction then by all means, email Toba and let her know.
Amy
Why Nick, you are correct! That was it! You get an A+ for your memory skills!
The title of the book alone "Professional Cake Decorating" should lead one to believe that this is an instructional book. The quality of the pages is irrelevent to the wealth of information the book has to offer. If anyone is to learn from this book then paper quality shouldn't hinder what so ever. If anyone feels that the paper and picture quality of the book drastically hindered the quality of the instruction then by all means, email Toba and let her know.
Amy
Thank you. You are one funny mom Amy. Perhaps we should contact the publisher instead?
Get tha Cake bible, all the recipes you will never need.
Toba Garrette is good is you are a beguiner, not so much if you allready know cake decorating with fondant
I really don't think a true beginner can accomplish the techniques in Toba's books in a short amount of time. Define beginner. Are you referring to someone who just started a few months ago or someone who has been decorating frequently to hone their skills for at least a year? If the later then yes, this "beginner" can attempt and conquer Toba's techniques. Her techniques are definately not "beginner" techniques.
Amy
Hi Amy,
What I Meant to say is that if you have never worked with fondant before, or if is this your first book, youll get something out of this book, but is you already know fondant or you have some other book about fondant theres nothing new in this book to take you farther.
The number one book for inspiration is Margaret Browns, definitely my favorite, see in my pictures there are cakes inspired by her work
Paola
How in the world could ' style be of any simplicity compared to Toba's???? I have two of Collette's books and I just do not have the time or patience to create something like what she creates. She is definately inspiring none the less!
Amy
Not sure if you are referring to a past post, but the comparison noted earlier in this thread was collette Peters to Margaret Braun not Toba.
i think that it is merely a matter of personal taste and style. like i said before, i dont like this style BUT the book IS educational. She goes into great detail to actually show you how to do a technique. now my favorites are margaret and collette, but i dont think collettes books come close as far as in depth teaching. so i really think that the price is fair IF you like that style. i agree that the pages - thin or not- isnt exactly what the book is sold for, its the learning process that you go through. everyones style varies, and if i liked that style, i'd paid it...period. just because i may think that stringwork is boring, it doesnt mean that it doesnt take skill. she is one of the best at that...i just dont have an interest in it. i did though read through the entire book and appreciate the other information i did gleam (?is that a word ? lol) from it. anyway...i thought nothing bad of the books quality, its just not my style - thats all. however, even though it may not be my "style" i think the skill in and of itself is important because you can take that and incorporate it into your own whatever style. (note in both the other books referenced that they have alot of the same techniques incorporated...if you look closely, they just APPEAR different. )
am i rambling? lol--
p.s. not everybody likes m.b. or c.p. ...some find them overly fussy and unpractical- again...a matter of taste
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