Royal Icing Storage--Plastic Dishes Ok?
Decorating By Kelrak Updated 26 Aug 2006 , 3:11am by sugarbaker
You can use plastic as long as they are reserved only for Royal Icing. I have special plastic bowls just for my Royal Icing, and I never put anything with grease in them because plastic will "hold onto" the grease even if they've been washed. With separate bowls, I don't have to worry about it!
I have plastic bowls (that I bought at the dollar store) that I have written "royal icing" on and I use them for only royal icing.
I also place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the icing before putting the lid on, this helps it from drying out too quickly. If it starts to separate or anything, just add a few drops of water and stir and it's good to go.
I don't have very many glass containers for this type of thing, so I had to come up with something, and this was a suggestion of my Wilton Instructor a couple years ago.
I only use plastic bowls for my royal, however I do as ch0psuey does and reserve them just for Royal. try buying those disposable ones from ziploc or whatever. i find they stack well and hold up pretty well for royal in the dishwasher.
Julia
I've never heard such thing like that. I always use plastic containers and never had a problem with my royal icing.
It is true that if your container (no matter if its plastic or metal) is dirty (oil, shortening, butter) your royal is going to get runny and you won't be able to work with it.
My suggestion is to buy a plastic containers just for your royal, mark it with a permanent marker. I have a special kit just for royal, that way I don't have to worry about any grease on my tools (container, bowl, spatula and tips) and always use parchment paper bags with royal.
Well I had bought some plastic containers specifically for royal, but as life goes, they got used for other things. I still use them for royal (I do wash in the dishwasher though) and I have never encountered a problem. My question is are we all a little to fanatical about the "grease" thing??? I mean I havent ever had my icing break down, but i am pretty careful not to get grease in it ( I have icing bags specifically for royal) I know some people even use a little crisco on aluminum foil (in the lily nail) for the lily nail flowers using royal icing. I thought I had read in another thread where the whole "grease" thing was more specifically targeted at the royal icing using real egg whites (rather than meringue powder) and it really doesnt break down as much as the books and wilton classes seem to indicate. I would be interested to know what the thoughts are or if anyone else has heard something about that.
I always stor my royal icing in plastic containers but they are not marked and im sure have been used for leftovers, buttercream icing, you name it its probably been in there but I never seem to have a problem with my icing breaking down ...
I've made lots of Sugar molds and decorated them using RI threw the years, and make my RI with Wilton meringue powder and put it in my everyday plastic bowls and have never had a problem with it breaking down, I always use disposable decorating bags and if its loaded with colored RI I always keep/store it in that bag, kneed it and use it again on another project that comes up later on. But never had to keep special bowls or utensils to store my RI in and never had issues with it otherwise.
I think a surface or utensil would have to be pretty oily to break down a batch of RI...I've done sugar molding for 12 years now and never used special equipment for my RI...I do make sure my bowls and utensils are clean and not oily feeling ,but other than that I don't do or use anything special or set aside for my RI.
I read this on the WBB and thought it was the silliest thing I'd ever heard 
The implication was that somehow the petroleum products used to make plastics would leach out and destroy the royal icing. I countered that if that were so, we'd have greasy milk, greasy bread, greasy jams, etc. 
The issue isn't the plastic--it's the grease that may be ON the plastic, not the petroleum products the plastics are made from.
You can have break-down problems with glass, ceramics, or stainless steel if they are greasy. Since most of us would wash items in hot water and soap, it's probably not a big issue.
Using dedicated plastic containers is the simplest way to avoid the problem. I do that and I still de-grease (with hot water, soap, and vinegar) everything coming into contact with the royal when I'm making it: beaters, bowl, spatulas, couplers, tips, bags (if I'm not using parchment or plastic disposables).
It may be a bit anal, but vinegar is cheap and I get really long shelf life out of my royal--and that's my goal in the long run.
Rae
How long does royal icing last in a plastic container? I'm in Course 2 and my instructor said it only lasts a week. I was disappointed because I had made a big batch and I have a lot left over for the next class and I was afraid I'd have to throw it away.
But I'm reading here that it's lasts for a few weeks. Is that true?
Weeks at room temp and more weeks refrigerated.
Make sure that you beat it with a mixer or by hand when you want to re-use it.
Rae
I thought that royal wasn't suppose to be refrigerated...
I don't think it needs refrigeration, but I find that once stored in an airtight container, it lasts longer with refrigeration.
Rae
I thought that royal wasn't suppose to be refrigerated...
RI can be refrigerated..but to me if your gonna use it again soon, its better to use again if it sets for a week or so at room temp..other than that it will keep in the fridg for quite some time, just set it out for a while to get back to room temp before use...once you notice it crystallizing and drying out its time to make a new batch. Always stir it good before using again or if you leave it in the decorating bags kneed it real good before use.
One tip I use with all my icings is putting a really well rung out paper town over it before storing. I do this with all my icings while using them also, especially while dipping and making all my colors from the main batch...what that does is it keeps the icing top moist and from crusting in between usage or storage..if you store it with a damp paper towel the towel will draw some of the sugar and color towards it..No harm done, I just peel,toss,stir and re-use...it really works.
I have a question...Can you store the left over RI in those squeeze bottles as long as there is a cap on it?? Also do those work for outlining and flooding, or would a bag be better? TIA
after posting this I thought this might be more of question for the cookie forum... but I just go so wound up reading the posts 
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