Ive heard of the wet paper towel method.. but i have no idea how to do it.. i only was taught to wait till the buttercreme dried and try to smooth it with a piece of parchment paper.. what are some other ideas please be specific in the way i should use them.. thanks PS I LOVE THIS WEBSITE!!!!
Use a dry paper towel not wet. (at least I have never heard of doing it wet) It works the same as parchment paper. Viva paper towels are smooth unlike the others having a design on them. You also can use a very hot knife to smooth out your frosting.
Good Luck
Wait a few minutes (2-3) after icing then use a dry paper towel the same way you would the parchment paper. Also, if you have a fondant smoother, you can lay the paper towel down, then run the fondant smoother over it just like you would your hand. That keeps you from getting finger prints in the icing. Get a paper towel with no imprint, like Viva, otherwise the imprint be on your icing. Which sometimes I do on purpose for a different look.
I prefer the Viva paper towel method on buttercream. I think it works better than the parchment.
After the icing has crusted over, take a Viva paper towel (dry not wet!) and lay it on the icing and gently smooth over it with your hand or fondant smoother.
This topic has been bought up several times..if you want, you can do a search using the word "Viva" and you will get a lot of information!
HTH!!
I use a little spray bottle and mist the water over it to smooth out my icing....
Betty
I keep reading about this method and never tried it (I usually use a icing knife dipped in really hot water) Does the icing get the little dimples from the paper towel? do you just lay it on and then rub? It does seem like it would be less work and less frustrating..
I keep reading about this method and never tried it (I usually use a icing knife dipped in really hot water) Does the icing get the little dimples from the paper towel? do you just lay it on and then rub? It does seem like it would be less work and less frustrating..
Viva makes a paper towel with out any pattern on it, which is what makes it work so well!
I, personally, don't use the paper towel method....I smooth my icing with a fondant smoother, once it has crusted over!
One of the keys to doing the paper towel is to make sure you do it soon after it crusts. You don't want to wait forever or you will never get it smooth you will just get wrinkles everywhere.
I like the paper towel and hand becaues I can feel any low spots in the icing and fix them. I also smooth the seam from top to side well with them.
And for that added something, you can always use a textured paper towel. 
I agree with Texas Sugar. I find that if I let my icing crust too long...it makes it more difficult to smooth. I can usually smooth within about 10 minutes.
If you can touch it with out it sticking you smooth it with the paper towel. I have found that sometimes how long it takes to crust depends on the weather or the time of the year.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%