Wilton...i Want My Money Back!
Decorating By simplysweetcakes Updated 9 Mar 2007 , 5:27am by all4cake
When I don't use MP the icing is not the same. I Always use the Wilton BC recipe, love it. Our instuctor told us she was required to show us what was available thru Wilton, but we could substitute if we wanted and use what ever best suited us.
The temp and humidity in my area can reach 120+ with 73% or more humidity, just moving cake from home to car is enough to make the frosting slide off the cake no matter how cold home and car are! Trust me, it is a factor.
Here's the thing I wonder. Has anyone ever seen a recipe for buttercream (besides wilton) that adds meringue power? I personally havent, but i havent been around that long. Personally I think the ratio of fat to sugar makes the icing crust. Maybe the meringue powder will help, but I dont think any more so than the powdered sugar, they both have cornstarch in them. I believe it is somewhere around 1 cup fat to 4 cups sugar and your icing will crust. I really dont know if the meringue powder helps in high heat or to keep colors from bleeding. But if it is a matter of crusting, I dont think it is necessary. Personally I havent had my colors bleed and I dont use it.
Thank you peajay66! That was the word.
I say...
why not put it to the test...
make two batches of wilton class buttercream....
one with and one without mp
do everything the same ...EVERYTHING
time mixing...adding ingredients in the same order... ice two cakes the same...and decorate the same...
We ain't allowed to bet on here but if we could...
I'd bet ONLY ONE PERSON(LOL)5 bucks that it won't be the same....at some point it would be...I assure you you would see a difference either while decorating...gotta make sure you make some roses with each too now....colored ones....
or you will see the difference the following day.
Here's a question for all of you to answer yourself. Have you ever seen a wilton corporate person come and inspect you teaching or learning? Nope! The instructor gets to tell the students whatever they want. I would go over the book and tell people what wilton had to offer, I did give my advice. Instructors learn from other instructors not wilton per say. Have you ever been in a job where they do something for so long everyone does it that way, even though it takes five extra minutes? The only reason they do it that way is because so and so showed me how to do it this way so that's how I do it. That's my theory of mp.
Well I use a BC recipe that I got off here that uses dreamwhip and also flour and it taste great and crust also. Everybody who has eaten it says good things about it. So no you don't need MP to make a crusting BC. But to each his/her own.
The only time I ever used MP in my BC icing is when I took the classes. I have a BC recipe (from this site) that crusts with no problem and I don't use MP in it. Crusts and smooths wonderfully.(is that even a word?) 
For everyone saying they still use the meringue powder in their royal...all you need is the juice from half a lemon in an average sized batch and you can have the satisfaction of never buying meringue powder again! he he he The royal recipe I use for my stringwork (like the yellow fondant cake with the string swags in my photos...) came from a master pastry chef and all you need is icing sugar, water and the juice from 1/2 a lemon and voila!!
For everyone saying they still use the in their royal...all you need is the juice from half a lemon in an average sized batch and you can have the satisfaction of never buying again! he he he The royal recipe I use for my stringwork (like the yellow fondant cake with the string swags in my photos...) came from a master pastry chef and all you need is icing sugar, water and the juice from 1/2 a lemon and voila!!
You dont need the egg white?
CarolAnn, I too use the Wilton Buttercream recipe tweaked a little. If I changed I would lose all my customers. I am told all the time that I make the best icing ever. I don't however use Wilton MP I use CK because It is $5.99 for a 1 lb bag. My Wilton instructor told us I have to tell you to use Wilton products and teach their methods but I will also tell you if I have learned any tricks to help you achieve the final result.
I learned to make BC from my aunt about 40 years ago. She never ever used meringue powder. When I took the Wilton class 3 years ago was the first time I ever heard of it. Seriously. I started using it and then thought to myself, "Why?" I do find, however, that my roses do better when I use it so I usually make a seperate batch for those and use it.
As far as what the Wilton instructors tell you, I am sure they are doing what they have been told. I tell anyone taking the course to not rush out and buy everything they tell you that you will need. I tell them to wait and see what you will really need. There's a reason they hold those classes in places like Michaels and Hobby Lobby where all the products are sold. 
Diane
I have found that MP really does help stabalize my icing during the summer. Here in Alabama, the heat and humidity get out of control and I always add MP. But I am curious to see just how much it is helping. I can't really experiment with it now obvioulsy because it is not in the heat of the summer. I guess I won't need to be adding it though through the winter months. I know the stuff is expensive but I always use my %40 off coupon at Michaels when I buy it.
As far as what the Wilton instructors tell you, I am sure they are doing what they have been told. I tell anyone taking the course to not rush out and buy everything they tell you that you will need. I tell them to wait and see what you will really need. There's a reason they hold those classes in places like Michaels and Hobby Lobby where all the products are sold.
Diane
I was thinking that, but you said it before I finished reading this thread. You're taking a class at a store...a store...where they sell stuff they want you to buy.
I haven't used MP in over 6 months, and I don't miss it. I might have a new recipe that requires it, and I'll buy it. Til then...not worried about it.
I really can't tell the difference, but with spring coming I am using springy colorings. When it comes fall I will take the test and see if there's a difference. But for now I don't use the powder.
Just my 2 cents.
Patricia
Just a note here- I am a Wilton instructor and I always tell my students they DON'T need everything. There are things I recommend and things I tell them are a "if you really want it" item. I also give my students tips and ideas from things I have learned over the years. Yes I try to stick to the book as much as possible- but it's important to share your trials and tribulations with them too and let them decide what they want to spend...
Just a note here- I am a Wilton instructor and I always tell my students they DON'T need everything. There are things I recommend and things I tell them are a "if you really want it" item. I also give my students tips and ideas from things I have learned over the years. Yes I try to stick to the book as much as possible- but it's important to share your trials and tribulations with them too and let them decide what they want to spend...
Same here, especially if I know that someone is not in a place financially where they can go hog wild. I help them determine what is imperative, and what's just a convenience, etc. I also help them find the best prices, even if that's not the store I am teaching at!
Aww heck, I use meringue powder instead of egg whites all the time, If I need topping for lemon meringue pie I use the powder, if i'm making a meringue based icing, I use it.
Buttercream crusts because of the ratio of p.s. to fat. So I don't use it in bc. O well.
I just have to chime in....I just finished course 2 and I accidentally forgot the meringue powder in the icing I used for my final cake, and it was a mess. I didn't have a problem getting it smooth, but it never crusted and was just sort of soft and sticky. Of course, I could have done something esle to cause the problem, but I'm going to be using the meringue powder on my next cake.
I do live in a very high humidity area...even in winter, so that may have been a factor too.
I am so confused. I took the Wilton classes back in 2000 and no one ever told us to put meringue powder in the buttercream recipe. This is the first I've heard of it. It this something new they teach? I even looked in my course one book and I see no recipe. It does say to add meringue powder to cake mixes to make them rise higher. Has anybody tried this or is it another sale tactic? I also live in the south where humidity is high, and I have had problems before with my border sliding off my cake in hot weather. Does the mp help icing in 90 degree weather?
I read a forum last week regarding how is NOT required in BC for it to crust...well I tried it this weekend and my BC crusted just fine and actually I could not tell a difference in the icing at all. I will no longer spend the extra money and time on . Our Wilton instructor told us it was a necessary component in the BC recipe...I am here to tell you it is not! It must have been a ploy to get us to buy more Wilton products
I didn't read the whole thread, so I don't know if this was mentioned but I was told in my Wilton class years ago that it was mostly for helping the colors into bleed into each other.
I don't recall being told that it was for the crusting... Maybe things have changed.
I was told that MP is a stabililzer; I learned this from an ex-Wilton teacher who now teaches the classes through adult ed. I was taught to use it, so I do. I guess I'll have to experiment.
I was rercently told that the MP interferes with coloring--it doesn't take the colors as well. I'll have to experiment with that, too.
I recently took the wilton classses and she told us the mp is to stabilize your frosting for making things like roses. So I questioned her as to why i would want to use it if I was only frosting a cake or not making a decoration that I do not need the frosting that stiff for. Just trying to cut back on cost! Because it didn't make sense to me to add it to make stiff consistency, then to add water to make it not stiff any more. She just told me to do what I wanted. So I don't use it in my buttercream anymore. But we will see maybe in the summer I will need to.
The base of meringue powder is egg white. Egg white is a drying agent in baking and so MP may aid with the crusting of BC in high humidity areas.
For everyone saying they still use the in their royal...all you need is the juice from half a lemon in an average sized batch and you can have the satisfaction of never buying again! he he he The royal recipe I use for my stringwork (like the yellow fondant cake with the string swags in my photos...) came from a master pastry chef and all you need is icing sugar, water and the juice from 1/2 a lemon and voila!!
You dont need the egg white?
sorry merissa...you're totally right and my head was on crooked!! The recipe is 4 egg whites (NOT WATER...yikes!), about 900grams of icing sugar and the juice from half a lemon....sorry about that...I was on my way to bed when I wrote that 
Just to add to the discussion - the MP helps with stabilizing, and is intended to help with color bleeding. In a sense, you can think of it like adding a touch of royal icing to your icing, so it might add a bit of stiffness to the icing (as egg whites would), and it might dry out a bit more like royal icing would. BUT, MP is not needed for crusting - as has been said, the fat to sugar ration is what causes the crusting.
And another interesting note - the Wilton class buttercream icing did not used to include the MP. I have the course book from the 1980s, and the class buttercream is the same icing without the MP (the 1/2 butter, 1/2 crisco version), and it does crust. I believe it was only in the past few years that Wilton added the MP to their class buttercream recipe. Just an interesting history note to put things in perspective - for those of you who like adding it, or feel that it has a stabilizing effect, by all means, continue. For those of you who do not like spending the extra money or who do not feel it adds anything, you do not have to use the MP!
I find that the meringue powder actually adds "body" to my icings. I use the Wilton's Snow White Buttercream recipe (sort of)...
I was having trouble with my meringue powder about a year ago. I switched brands, and ended up tweaking the recipe to suit my needs. I live in Texas and the humidity can be a nightmare around here. I swear there are days you can walk thru my house and the carpet even feels moist from the amount of moisture in the air. Plus, the heat can get to 100-110 degrees farenheit in the summer (and the crazy brides love those outdoor weddings!)
I stand be the meringue powder in my icing, perhaps in other areas you CAN get away with leaving it out. But here, I have to stick with what I know works! I may try a batch without to see how it works, but I know I would always have the fear of the icing melting during the party...and I just couldn't allow that on one of MY cakes!
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