The heat & humidity is going to be the death of me! Every cake I've done in the last few weeks has had issues from the heat. Wilting fondant and gumpaste... pieces look like they're firming up but then they get soft and sticky. I've kneaded in cornstarch, rolled out w/ cornstarch, laid on a bed of cornstarch, put in the bedroom w/ AC, closed up all the windows and put in front of a dehumidifier, put under a fan, and put under a lightbulb. I've tried pretty much everything I can think of, short of installing a $10K central air system!! How do you guys who live in the South do it? Maybe I just need to give up until the Fall.

you've answered the question>>>

$10K central a/c

AND you don't want to see my electric bill!!!!!

Okay, I do not have an answer for you but you are scaring me! I just moved to Alabama from Washington State and was wondering what problems the humidity will cause!

Mine has run non stop for the last month. It is going to be 100+ here by Wednesday. Maybe that's the trouble with the fondant roses I'm making today!

Oh Doug! Stop! You're scaring me! LOL I refuse to spend $10k for something I'd only use 2 months out of the year. Besides, I have electric heat and I pay the electric company too much as it is! Momof4 - I can't imagine 100+ degrees!!

We definately have central air here in FL but i had my fondant covered cake in a tupperware and it still melted. my AC is going all day.

LOL That $10K a/c is not a bad idea. You use your a/c much more than two months out of the year...... over half the year, in fact.

I move to WA state from Ohio.....don't miss the humidity one bit

Hey dinkadoo...It was 97 here today (central Ohio) with HIGH humidity...I didn't even drip dry after getting out of the pool! I tried to decorate this morning and gave up on roses and settled for my trusty star tip!

We're going on day #4 at 102! We cannot live in Texas without air conditioners! It's still hot and does take a toll on the cakes - transporting, etc. I kick my thermostat down a few notches when decorating to keep the kitchen cool. But have to put it back when I'm done, our electric bill was $435 this month - highest EVER!

I hear ya greenhorn!! Talked to my dad in eastern Ohio today and he said he didn't dare step foot out of the a/c'd house. 75 and beautiful here in Olympia... GO BUCKS!!!!

It has been 100+ for a several days here in Arkansas. Right now it is 7:40PM and 99F. We have a nearly 3000sq ft house and our AC runs constantly. You definitely don't want to see our electric bill.

I'd love to live in the northwest, except for the 350 days of rain every year.

It's about 85 here and I'm dyin! Too hot!

I'm in Alabama and I turned my air down from 78 to 75 to decorate and then back up when the cake was gone. That's the only thing I would know to do....

I know how you feel, it's been extra humid lately. When I did my 4th of July cakes, my buttercream flowers didn't harden after a week- still squishy. I threw them in the freezer for a few days and took them all out to decoratate. A few minutes later, before decorating, I had to throw them back in the freezer to harden again- they were all soft in a matter of minutes! I was doing it for a party and had to take one out of the freezer at a time, and it was still a rush to get them to the cake in time! I thought it was just me since this is my first summer decorating! This week it's supposed to go in the high 90's and be very humid on top of that. I don't think I'll be doing any practice cakes!!

Where I am it's 83 with 46% humidity at 10:40pm
I run my air all day. I live in a townhouse; the top is always hot. We run ceiling fans & regular fans to keep it cool. My elec. bill is around $ 100.00+ a month. The humidity is a killer for cakes. I keep a fan blowing on me when I do a cake. The fan I use I keep wiped down with disinfectant and dried. It's only used for when I decorate. It helps some.

We are right near Lake Michigan in western Michigan. We have had 90+ degrees and very high humidity the past few days. We don't have A/C, so I do my baking after 11 at night, and decorate in the morning. The shower cake I did yesterday turned out pretty much ok...I made the roses four at a time, left them directly on the flower nails, put them in a block of styrofoam, then into the freezer for ten minutes to harden enough to transfer to the cake. Luckily, I had only about a dozen roses to go along with the daisies and drop flowers! Each tier was taken out of the fridge to decorate, then put right back in until I left to deliver. Although I had the car cooled off and kept the A/C on, the icing on the back of the middle tier was drooping by the time I made the 30 minute drive! Luckily, the family are friends of mine, and they werren't at all upset...and the cake table was right against the wall! I really think I may decide that I will not do any speciall occasion cakes next year in July and August, maybe just a few birthday cakes...or maybe I will just take the two months off and go camping with my girls!

Actually......Cleveland, OH gets more rainfall in a year than Seattle.....the rain thing is a big myth!

Wwwwwaayyyy down the bottom of the world its chilly winter time....YEAH! No worries for decorating for me at the moment!

48 here today - wrap up with the fire going!

The hottest it gets where I am in the summer is about 91 - with no a/c, its almost impossible to decorate when the weather is doing that!

Oh, and where I am we have almost no humidity (and no ozone layer) so during the summer you NEVER go outside without sunscreen, clothing and a hat (unless u want to look like a cooked lobster in approx 10mins, lol)

well, way down here in south louisiana, it is about 98degrees with 100% humidity. You will not feel anything worse! MY AC NEVER stops running, central air is nesecary around here, haven't had probs with any cakes but i use all crisco buttercream for that reason. A few summers ago we went to New Mexico and although it was very hot, we were soooo comfortable because there wasn't humidity!!!! When you step outside here it takes the breath out of you!! Anyone want to come and visit??LOL.

Oh man! I don't know how some of you live in that heat! LOL. It's not just the installation of the AC, but I won't be able to afford the electric bills! We pay .19 KWH! Ouch!

I've been thinking of giving up for the summer too. We're hitting 100 today. Actually I'm headed to Tx tomorrow to see grandkids and not looking forward to even hotter temps. I lived there (Dallas area) for 8 yrs and I never got used to it NOT cooling off at night! At least we do cool off a bit after dark! But it has been so humid. I had a choclate cake with a fondant baseball that melted terribly. At least it was for DH and not a customer!

Woo Hoo!! I just made regular member when I went back to view my message!! I guess we know that means I spend way too much time on here!! But I love it!!

Samsgranny, I live a couple hours south of you in
the burbs of L. A., and boy was it muggy! My daughter was sitting in a plastic chair outside of the landromat and when she stood up she looked like she had an accident, if you know what I mean. Anyway, the newspaper said that record highs were set in the area yesterday and it's only beginning! Shoot, we are looking for any and every reason to go to airconditioned places!

Dear Maude, it's hotter'n fourty hel....

Let's just say this summer has been EXTREME over here in Knoxville. The past two weeks have been steadily getting hotter, too. We only had one day of rain, and it lasted about ONE HOUR!!

My thermostat stays set on 69 degrees. On days that get to about 87 or hotter, it gets up to like 85 in the house, though! The dang thing runs steady from 10 am to about 9 at night. My last electric bill was $200! I'm used to that, though.

Wanna know what's really tearin' me up? We just had our old AC system/Heat system (electric) serviced...yeah. Dude tells me she's on her last legs. She was put in in '93. Wanna know what a NEW one's gonna cost?!? Ummmm. Yeah. Like $8,000!

It's nice to see other Ohioans out there!! It was 94 yesterday and more of the same today. I HATE IT WITH A PASSION. I get cranky when it's hot. The AC has not stopped the last 3 days. I can't live without it.

I know what you mean, though. I had my first heat related trouble with a cake I did Saturday. It didn't help that I had butter in the buttercream, but I refused to sacrifice taste.

Hang in there. Fall will be here soon. (My personal all-time favorite season!!!!!!!!!!)

Angie

Houston. 80 degrees when the sun comes up. Humidity pushes the heat index to way over 100 by mid-day. Last electric bill was $379!!!

I've renamed summer to "Crisco Season".

No Loriemoms, I don't live in the South! I'm in NY. It only gets really hot up here for two months.