I know this question has to be in here somewhere, but I am too lazy to search. Grin.
This discussion came up in my house and you know, I don't really know the answer! What does make buttercream crust? Is it the shortening, the sugar? How do you make it crust less or crust more? Or not crust at all?
Just curious!
originally, i was told by my wilton instructor that it was merinque powder...but i did a class at earlene moore's and she said the same as mentioned above....sugar to fat ratio.....and with no MP, it still crusts! i was quite disappointed in my wilton instructor but then, who stands to gain while the MP sells?
my vote: sugar to fat!
sally
So based on having a good crusting BC for 25 years, I'd have to agree and say that MP has nothing to do with it! 
Meringue Powder
"http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--184/Egg-Products.asp"
"Meringue powder is basically dried egg whites with the addition of sugar and gum. Meringue is created when the powder is added to water and is then whipped. Like all other uncooked egg products, meringue powder is pasteurized so it is very useful when preparing dishes requiring uncooked meringues. It also has a long shelf life (over one year)."
I got this off the above page & I've also used the Wilton meringue powder in their buttercream recipe & what's the purpose of it, I don't get it...I was told it was like a stablizer, is that true?
originally, i was told by my wilton instructor that it was merinque powder...but i did a class at earlene moore's and she said the same as mentioned above....sugar to fat ratio.....and with no MP, it still crusts! i was quite disappointed in my wilton instructor but then, who stands to gain while the MP sells?
my vote: sugar to fat!
sally
Don't be too hard on your Wilton instructor... she was just doing what they are trained to do....... 
Meringue Powder
"http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--184/Egg-Products.asp"
"Meringue powder is basically dried egg whites with the addition of sugar and gum. Meringue is created when the powder is added to water and is then whipped. Like all other uncooked egg products, meringue powder is pasteurized so it is very useful when preparing dishes requiring uncooked meringues. It also has a long shelf life (over one year)."
I got this off the above page & I've also used the Wilton meringue powder in their buttercream recipe & what's the purpose of it, I don't get it...I was told it was like a stablizer, is that true?
It is a stabilizer!...This is true!...when you do stringwork you add the merengue powder to the RY as a stabilizer and makes the strings strong!
I guess the same goes for buttercream
Edna 
I was told that meringue powder was a stabilizer. It helped keep the icing from breaking down and keeps colors from bleeding. Our Wilton instructor told us that there's a lot of meringue powder in red food coloring to keep it from bleeding and that's why red coloring has a "taste" to it. I just smiled and nodded.
wow thanks guys! Whenever I have time, my step son and I are gonna play...make buttercream with less sugar and more fat and visa versa and see how they change. hahaha! So I assume that all butter buttercreams do not crust as easily as all shortening buttercreams?
I am actually sitting in Sacramento, CA in my hotel room after finishing up a WMI training from this weekend.
It is said at every meeting by our trainers that it helps it crust.
I have done so many variations of bttercream over the years that I can't say if it's true or not anymore but I know years back (when I was in my mid teens and learning to decorate) I did have a difference in my frosting crusting when I used it and when I didn't.
At times it would crust more than others.
Making icing isn't an exact science and honestly even in perfect weather conditions it could go screwy on you if the moon is in line with saturn on a day that ends in a y on the 13th of an even numbered month while the chunky man wearing pink striped pant with plaid suspenders crosses on a don't walk sign.
originally, i was told by my wilton instructor that it was merinque powder...but i did a class at earlene moore's and she said the same as mentioned above....sugar to fat ratio.....and with no MP, it still crusts! i was quite disappointed in my wilton instructor but then, who stands to gain while the MP sells?
my vote: sugar to fat!
sally
Don't be too hard on your Wilton instructor... she was just doing what they are trained to do.......
We stand nothing to gain by what you buy or don't buy.
Honestly, many WMI's are repeating things like this from their training so don't be to harsh on her.
There is so much thrown at us with catch phrases like that at seminars and meetings that we go by faith what we are being told has truth to it.
Bottom line, if you feel it's useless then don't buy it. If you feel it is an essential to your frosting to make it turn out then buy it.
There's no right or wrong answer to this one. 
I just tried Indydebi's wonderful buttercream recipe the other day and it crusts very well...much better than the wilton recipe, which has been my old faithful for the last ten years. I had never tried adding the meringue powder to the wilton recipe until recently (hadn't bought the Wilton yearbook since 2002), and I did notice that it seemed to make the Wilton recipe take color better, and not break down as fast from the heat in my kitchen.
Anyhow, if you need a good crusting buttercream, Indydebi's is the way to go. I used it on a family cake that I let my daughters decorate (my kitchen is still pink and purple ), it stood up well to my 6 year old piping borders, and everyone was crazy about the taste. My husband stood in the kitchen scooping it out of the mixing bowl with his finger and eating it until I had to whack him with the spatula. Even my mother, the pickiest woman alive, gave it rave reviews.
You'll have to post her recipe for us then! (or Debi can! grin) I didnt see it in the recipe search.
I wanted to try SugarShacks recipe for just birthday cakes, but I haven't found a consistant recipe for it...some say 5 lbs of hi ratio, some say 5 1/2, some dont have how much creamer to add, some say just 3/4 cup (doesnt seem like enough!) and I don't know where to get wedding bouquet....and some said it was a special mixture she had. Would love to see a tried and true recipe for it. And can you use whipping cream instead? I hate the smell of non dairy creamer...yeck!
You'll have to post her recipe for us then! (or Debi can! grin) I didnt see it in the recipe search.
It's in there. http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-6992-Indydebis-Crisco-Based-Buttercream-Icing.html
If you put in "Search for: Indydebi" and "Submitter: Indydebi", it comes up.
I use zero-trans-fat crisco. I never even knew crisco had made a recipe change until I read about it on CC. Didn't notice any difference at all.
It is the ratio of sugar to fat that determines whether the icing crusts or not, but meringue powder added to an icing will stabilize it and make it crust faster and firmer than without. It does help prevent color bleeding, too. I add MP to my BC for outdoor weddings, longer deliveries in hot weather, and for designs that involve using plastic mats to imprint desgins in the BC (so it crusts faster and the imprinted design is crisper), or when making dried BC flowers.
and for designs that involve using plastic mats to imprint desgins in the BC (so it crusts faster and the imprinted design is crisper),
I've been wanting to try the impression mats but wasn't sure how it would really work on BC (I'm a BC only person). Thanks for this tip!!
and for designs that involve using plastic mats to imprint desgins in the BC (so it crusts faster and the imprinted design is crisper),
I've been wanting to try the but wasn't sure how it would really work on BC (I'm a BC only person). Thanks for this tip!!
In my experience Impression mats leave a better impression in buttercream than in fondant. Not that they can't be used on fondant but it needs a lot more pressure to leave the impression
Edna
I've been wanting to try the but wasn't sure how it would really work on BC (I'm a BC only person). Thanks for this tip!!
Oh Debi, go for it!! Here is a cake I did using the diamond impression mat and buttercream. I've had the mats for about 3 years now and am just getting around to try it out. HeHe.
I meant no disrespect CarolynGwen
I was a WMI for over 12 years, and attended many of those training seminars.
when I was replying last night I was exhausted from AIM/DCD back to back and thinking of the 10-12 hour drive home and hope I didn't come across snarky.
I was drained mentally and physically and the pizza delivery person was 20 minutes late at that point.
So in return, I hope I didn't offend either. It was the end of a very long weekend.
We got home about an hour ago and I'm still wiped out. BLEH
So in return, I hope I didn't offend either. It was the end of a very long weekend.
We got home about an hour ago and I'm still wiped out. BLEH
I remember all too well how exhausting those seminars are Out of curiosity, what position are the trainers taking on the Crisco zero transfat issue? What do they recommend now, if anything? thanks...
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