Yep, leave out the glycerine for flowers and decorations - those you want to set up hard! And, yes, it's sweet - it's PURE sugar 
!!!
Icing bags can also be a problem. I keep separate bags for RI, or else use disposables.
My recipe involves just using 1 egg white and 500 grams/ 1 pound of icing sugar and mixing it slowly with a paddle for 10-15 minutes.
Works every time.
I found that if I wipe everything down with white vinegar, it is a wonderful degreaser!!
I think you'll find that most of us Brits are a font of knowledge when it comes to Royal Icing, we use it a lot and, yes, we cover whole cakes in it too! If you can get pasturised real (wet) egg whites, use those instead of meringue powder - it makes a world of difference to how long you have to mix and the results you get. I have tried meringue powder, and I never will again, in pales in comparison to the real deal. For those who can get pasturised egg whites (or who aren't concerned about using normal raw egg whites), here's the traditional recipe:
1lb icing sugar
10ml lemon juice
2 egg whites
plus (if you don't want it to get too hard), 2tsp glycerine
Whisk egg whites and lemon juice together for a few seconds, gradually add the icing sugar and beat until the mixture holds firm peaks and you can stand a spoon up in the icing. Add glycerine if using and breifly beat again.
Try this and see if it works better for you!
Edited to say: the traditional way to smooth RI is with a palette knife (spatula) dipped in hot water, used wet!
You're right . I used egg white and glycerine in my RI. It is so much easy to get that peak for roses. I swear by it... But make sure to use pasturised egg. 
Does anyone know where to get pasturized eggs in the States? I've been checking the local grocery stores, but haven't been able to find them.
Thanks Mac. I didn't know that. So can we safely use normal grocery store egg whites in our RI then?
www.aeb.org
This is the website for the American Egg Board, in it you will find lots of food safety information including just how rare salmonella contamination is in eggs (it's pretty rare).
It's waaaay easier to contract salmonella from eating at a sadnwich shop or fast food restaurant than it is from eating normal eggs.
The eggs you can buy in the grocery store are not pasteurized unless they are labeled as such. They must be labeled if they are. Not all grocery stores carry them and you can expect to pay around double what regular eggs cost if you do find them.
Just to elaborate on my previous, the following is taken directly from the section on Egg Safety at www.aeb.org:
"The inside of an egg was once considered almost sterile. But, over recent years, the bacterium Salmonella enteritidis (Se) has been found inside a small number of eggs. Scientists estimate that, on average across the U.S., only 1 of every 20,000 eggs might contain the bacteria. So, the likelihood that an egg might contain Se is extremely small 0.005% (five one-thousandths of one percent). At this rate, if youre an average consumer, you might encounter a contaminated egg once every 84 years."
I GUESS THAT I'M GONNA HAVE TO STICK TO THE POWDER, I JUST CAN'T THINK ABOUT USING RAW EGGS, I DON'T CARE IF THEY ARE PASTEURIZED & I KNOW THIS IS ALL IN MY HEAD -- I FEEL SURE THAT I EAT DESSERTS WHERE THEY ARE USED, BUT NOT THE ONES I FIX--I KNOW I'M CRAZY
naaaa daltonam - you're not crazy just paranoid!
I have a question to add to this topic. I tried making RI in my new Kitchen Aid today. It seems really thick to me. It had to keep stopping the mixer and remove the RI from the mixer and side of the bowl. This is the first time I have use a stand mixer. I kept thinking I would have burned out my hand mixer. Is this suppose to happen? I am taking the Wilton Course 2 so I need it for class next week.
Thanks
wow reading through these post is nuts, so many different version of this.
so here is mine:
Takes all of 5 minutes at the most to make...I've been known to do it 2 minutes before running out the door on a cake delivery.
sorry I've got no measurments for ya though I just go by look and since I've been making it for so long I just toss it all into the mixer and go.
I put Powdered Sugar in the mixer, add pasturized egg whites and then add Cream of Tartar. Mix it to get the bumps out, if its too runny add more sugar, too stiff add more whites. This will dry nice and hard, unless you taking it out to a high humidity area and then it will soften again but will hold form.
to pasturize your own egg whites put in a bowl over a double broiler and let them heat to 160f. Cool down and your good to go.
wow reading through these post is nuts, so many different version of this.
so here is mine:
Takes all of 5 minutes at the most to make...I've been known to do it 2 minutes before running out the door on a cake delivery.
sorry I've got no measurments for ya though I just go by look and since I've been making it for so long I just toss it all into the mixer and go.
I put Powdered Sugar in the mixer, add pasturized egg whites and then add Cream of Tartar. Mix it to get the bumps out, if its too runny add more sugar, too stiff add more whites. This will dry nice and hard, unless you taking it out to a high humidity area and then it will soften again but will hold form.
to pasturize your own egg whites put in a bowl over a double broiler and let them heat to 160f. Cool down and your good to go.
Why do you add cream of tarter? I'm just curious! What does it do to the Royal?
I used the powdered sugar, cream of tarter and 2 egg whites for my first attempt at Royal last nite and now I'm so addicted! It adds a whole new dimension to my decorating! Now if I can just figure out how to make the flowers with it, then I can move on to gum paste!!! Life is so full new goals and challanges!
it's 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tarter per pound of powdered sugar and 2 large egg whites. I just threw it in my mixer and let it go for about 7-10 minutes. I also used the wisk beater as well. It was a beautiful thing..I tried the Wilton recipe with the merengue powder and it just didn't work for me. I saw this on one of those baking shows on the Food network. The baker who makes the wedding cakes @ Disney did it. So simple!
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