Wilton...i Want My Money Back!
Decorating By simplysweetcakes Updated 9 Mar 2007 , 5:27am by all4cake
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.
As stated earlier in this thread, I wanted to conduct a test.
I took Wilton's Snow white Buttercream recipe directly from the 2006 yearbook.
I made two batches...one with mp, one without(I found that water won't get stiff peaks on its' own).
EVERYTHING WAS THE SAME WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE MP IN THE RECIPE. I just wanted to make sure that that point was CLEAR.
I took pictures with the hopes of being able to share with ya'll what I came upon.
On the left side are the pics of the cake without mp in the icing...on the right, with mp.
For one, I used purple(purple seems to be one of the more problematic colors) I chose to make it dark because that is when I can see the blending issues best.
I hope the pics are clear enough to see this:
without mp:
the icing had a clearish appearance after being worked within the bag for a period of time...this was noticeable on the border and the white whatever-you-wanna-call-'em flowers.
the colorant did not blend well and the purple took on a slurpy wet look.
the icing began to exude oil(the heat from my hand caused it to begin to break down...this was with WHITE).
the petals on the roses were limp.
with mp:
the icing was stiffer(noticeable by the jagged edges on roses)
the icing was more receptive to the colorant...produced a richer color.
the white stayed white looking without getting that clearish look to it even after being in my hand for a lengthy time.
The recipe in both cases was extremely stiff. far stiffer than i woulda been working but for the sake of this test...i didn't make any additions with the exception of the colorant.
because of the stiffness of the icing, neither got a recommendation from me for friggin' stringwork.....BOTH RECIPES FAILED IN THAT CATEGORY! BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK.
I noticed a definite difference in workability between the two.
oh yeah...
NEITHER RECIPE HAD A PROBLEM CRUSTING! so, it ain't necessary for that.
If anyone would like a closer shot of any pic in this upload, pm me
HTH
Jeanne
I love my instructor, she would NEVER tell us to buy wilton products it they are not needed she doesn't push it.
I am fairly new to CC and have been following this subject. In Toba Garrett's cookbook The Well Decorated Cake she adds MP to two of her buttercream recipes.
all4cake:
WOW!! You need to be a research analyst for Wilton Products! LOL Great job and a lot of time and effort.
I still use MP (like I said...when I think of it) but, I never thought of the colorant/set-up/hold-up factor! I start teaching my Wilton Classes in April and if I'm asked....may I use your research as a reference? I'll give you FULL credit...I PROMISE!!
Beth in KY
I also did an experiment and realized that you DO NOT need the Meringue Powder to make your icing crust. However, I did have another question about using Meringue Powder. It is egg white. Once you add other ingredients to it, (reconstitute) it needs to be treated just like fresh eggs. If you used Meringue Powder in your icing, and it needs to be treated just as if you used fresh eggs, wouldn't you need to refrigerate the cake since the icing has Meringue Powder in it? It's confusing because I've seen icing recipes that call for Meringue Powder and yet you can leave it out for days. I did email Wilton and inquired about using the Meringue Powder in icing. I was told that you would need to refrigerate the cake or icing within 36 hours for safety reasons.
bethola, you may use any or all of it if you wish.
butternut, that would hold true for any cake..frosted or unfrosted...except grandma's pound cake which held up for long periods of time...oh yeah and the ever popular fruit cake!
This info is rather confusing,
I was under the impression that mp was processed in a way that took away the issues that fresh eggs have.
what about royal icing flowers that are dried and kept in storage? daaaaaaaaayuuuuuuum! a year later and i still lick on them bad boys!
they get stored, after drying completely, in airtight containers
This information comes straight from a top wilton instructor!
I ain't refrigeratin' nothin' daggumit.
OH MY, I'm sooooooooooooo confused 
I also wrote to the company of Just Whites. I asked them about using the powdered form and I was told the same thing, to refrigerate anything that you use the Just Whites in just as if you used a fresh egg. As for cake that is not iced, I thought that it could be left out for quite a while since everything was cooked in it. Hmmmm, maybe I just don't know squat 
I think we need to factor in the 'lawsuit factor'. If one of those companies told you that their product could be left out indefinitely, then you ate some, got sick within a short amount of time, then decided their product was the reason and you were gonna sue... there they'd be, with you having a paper trail that stated they encouraged you to feed people potential salmonella!! I think it's all about C.Y.A!! 
As for the sophisticated comparison that was done... wow!! All4cake, thank you for the serious effort and time you put into it. I often see cakes where the icing has that somewhat translucent look to it and wondered why it was like that. I don't like it, to me it looks like there is something wrong with it, like it's got too much grease in it. Now I know a potential reason it might look like that. I also understood that MP helped the shortening and liquid come together. As you know, oil and water don't mix, so this helps bring them together. Possibly that explains why the non MP version started to seperate as you used it. Great detective work my friend!!
[quote="Melvira"]I think we need to factor in the 'lawsuit factor'. If one of those companies told you that their product could be left out indefinitely, then you ate some, got sick within a short amount of time, then decided their product was the reason and you were gonna sue... there they'd be, with you having a paper trail that stated they encouraged you to feed people potential salmonella!! I think it's all about C.Y.A!!
Good point, Melvira...
Doesn't the lemon juice in the RI recipe negate the pH level that's necessary for bacteria concerns? That's my impression; that's why I thought it could be eaten (for those who care to!).
I had never heard that the MP frosting had to be kept in the fridge. I never do. I've been told that a bowl of it could set out for a couple of weeks without any problems.
I have never heard of anyone falling ill due to MP in the frosting that has not been kept cold.
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