Royal Icing Is Not My Friend!!
Decorating By CreativeCakery Updated 10 Mar 2007 , 10:06pm by izzybee
Please have a hearty laugh at my expense! WHAT makes royal icing so darn hard to make? Does anyone else have problems with it? I've only tried to make it twice, and both times it turned out like marshmallow fluff. I used the Wilton recipe. Is it just my "untalent"? 
I'm stunned - it's really not tricky, I'm worrying about the recipe you might be using. Try 1llb of icing sugar, 1 dried egg white and whisk up with a little water - nothing else needs to be added and it should be dead easy. Wilton do seem to make things difficult for people - maybe their recipe is dud?
Ok here is my response to my ROYAL PAIN. I have had a very bad experience to ROYAL also. In fact I took course 2 twice because of my PROBLEM. This is what I have learned. First make sure your tips are grease FREE. By that I mean if you have used them with buttercream clean them with hot soapy water, then soak them in vinegar water, then again with the hot soapy water. Second do not use the 1 lb box sugar. When i used it My Royal was so wicked to me. I have made peace kind of with royal. I did finally make some flowers that were not melted 
Do I want to do them again no. If asked I will try 
They are not the best thing I can do. But I try and try again till I get it right. So ggod luck. And PS make sure any bowls and utensils are grease free as well
Are you sure you arent adding too much water? It doesnt take much for royal icing to go from a thick spackling paste to soup. I usually just start with 5 T of water and then add a few drops at a time until the mixture isnt crumbly balls and the royal starts to stick to the sides of mixer bowl. It should be like a thick paste at a stiff consistency.
Our instructor told us that anything used that will touch the icing MUST BE completely grease free as stated in another reply. That means bowls, mixer, spoons, tips, bags. She said otherwise the icing will be a complete mess. Don't know if that helps or not. Just my 2 cents! 
Amen to hating to make royal icing!! I have made it a couple of times and it never turns out. I have resorted to having a girlfriend do it for me!
You have to mix that stuff about 10-12 minutes with a good mixer-- no cheapie hand mixers please. No cheating on the time frame and use high speed with the wire whisk attachment. The trick is to incorporate enough air into the mixture of egg white and sugar and water. When you do it right, the icing will hold a very stiff peak, appear bright white in color and lose it's shiny appearance. It dries very quickly, so you must cover it with a damp (Not wet!) towel while using it. It will keep in the refrigerator, tightly covered, and MUST be rewhipped before re-using as the air trapped in the icing breaks down rather quickly when it sits. Use up leftovers within a week or throw away. Remember when using a raw egg product, that this is highly risky for salmonella contamination and resulting food born illness. Not worth it in my book. I always use powdered egg white (meringue powder).
I use the Wilton recipe only for Royal icing and have never, never had a problem. Now I am not a big fan of all things Wilton, but I taught Wilton classes for years and saw so many variations of results because students did not follow the directions exactly. You must follow the recipe EXACTLY!! Measure out the ingredients EXACTLY, use scrupulously clean tools, and mix EXACTLY according to the instructions in the recipe. Royal icing is a "must have" tool in your decorating skills tool chest. Learn how to do it right and you will have a friend that does not fail you.
Thanks everyone for all the tips. I am going to make up a batch soon and try, try again! I did know about the grease and I don't think that was my problem. I think I need to try and follow the recipe EXACTLY, and then make sure I mix it to exact time specifications. 
HOPEFULLY, it will turn out!!
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