Hi All!

I have a question for those of you that buy your meringue powder from Bulk Barn in Canada. Do you ever have problem with it when you make Royal Icing? Recently on a visit to Canada, I stayed with my in-laws and baked silly, but when we went to make Royal Icing flowers, the flowers just puddled and spread. They would not hold their shape. I'm wondering if it is the meringue powder from Bulk Barn, or does this happen when you encounter some grease from improperly cleaned supplies?

I brought a lot of it back with me (hey, it's cheap!), but I don't want to waste my time using it in Royal Icing. It works fine for buttercream!

Thanks so much!

Mirjana

I remember my Wilton Instructor telling us something about Bulk Barn's meringue not being very good, but I think it was more of a quality issue.

That sounds more to me like your royal came in contact with grease somewhere.

Purple petunia

I heard the same thing about the quality. I have used it a few times and not had any problems but I find that the Wilton meringue powder keeps fresh much longer. So shelf life is more the issue.
Absolutely any grease contact will stop your Royal Icing from reaching the correct texture. That means any traces of grease on your spatula, any of the utensils, your icing bags or tips. I keep separate icing bags marked with an "R" for use with Royal Icing. As soon as you use your bags for buttercream, there will always be a trace of grease left behind no matter how well they are washed. Your tips can be washed and rinsed and stay grease-free. Any metal surface can be grease-free. However any plastic or rubber surface will retain some grease traces.
Humidity and grease are the big enemies.
Hugs Squirrelly