I want to try to make my 1st fondant cake today and was reading through everything I have to do. I don't however have a Roll and Cut mat is there anything else I could use instead? (I have an unusually large kichen island my DH said to use but I'm not sure if that would work)
The large counter will work fine for the work area. I use the roll and cut mat in order to get the size that I need for my cake. If you can eye ball it and get the size rolled out that you need you should be fine. Make sure that you keep powdered sugar or corn starch on the surface that you are working on to keep it from sticking.
I use 4 mil thick vinyl sheeting (Frost King brand) that I buy in rolls at Home Depot. I tape it to my 8 foot work table with double stick foam tape. I can slide a cutting chart under it and it works much better than the mat and won't slide. My son made me a cutting guide sheet and printed it out on his blueprint printer.
If you are rolling out dark colored fondant you can use Crisco or a spray to keep your fondant from sticking. I always blot the surface with a paper towel first so I don't get oily fondant. That way your color won't look dusty.
If you have the cake divider mat, you can use that too. Just measure your fondant with a ruler to ensure that you have enough to cover the cake (top and both sides.)
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totally agree with eveything said, mats, and measuring but just keep maikng sure it does not stick to your work surface because there is nothing worse then rolling out the perfect piece of fondant and then having it stick to your wrok surface 
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Thanks everyone...all this info is helping me as well. I'm also a fondant newbie I'll be making it for the first time in the coming week. Has anyone used the easy fondant made with the marshmallow fluff? Is it just as good as the recipe that calls for regular melted marshmallows?
totally agree with eveything said, mats, and measuring but just keep maikng sure it does not stick to your work surface because there is nothing worse then rolling out the perfect piece of fondant and then having it stick to your wrok surface
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Sooo true!!! I make a puffy thingy using 1/2 cornstarch and 1/2 confectioners sugar. Mix them together in a bowl and put into a nylon (knee-hi panty hose thing) and dust dust dust!! 
.[/quote]Sooo true!!! I make a puffy thingy using 1/2 cornstarch and 1/2 confectioners sugar. Mix them together in a bowl and put into a nylon (knee-hi panty hose thing) and dust dust dust!! [/quote]
bobwonderbuns i use the exact same thing 
Yes, I've found that the mixture of both corn starch and confectioners sugar doesn't dry out as fast and has an infinitely better taste! 
Hello
speaking as someone who has used fondant I do prefer it to buttercream. I don't get on well with smoothing BC, seem to end up going over and over and making things worse rather than better. Think fondant is brilliant for achieving a smooth look. Once the fondant is on the cake I gently but quickly polish the fondant with my hands to create a sheen on the surface and then use a smoothing tool, to create as near perfect a surface as possible.
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