Have you made IMBC and SMBC? Which do you like better? Why?

What are the pros and cons of the different versions?

Which one is the easiest to decorate with (for piping flowers and details that you don't want to sag).

Can you cover both with fondant? If you do cover it with fondant, can you leave it out of the refrigerator? I have found fondant melts in the fridge.

Can you freeze IMBC and SMBC? How long do they keep refrigerated in a sealed container?

It depends on what recipe you are using for each. My swiss and italian both taste identical. The IMBC is a little more stable than the SMBC, simply because an italian meringue is a more stable meringue. I don't decorate in buttercream, so I can't say how it stands up for piping flowers and such (it does fine for dots, borders, strings, basketweave, etc). You can cover either with fondant. I refrigerate all my cakes, fully decorated, so i can't comment on that... I suppose it would depend on how long you are leaving it out (a few hours vs a couple days). I have never frozen it but it keeps quite well when sealed up airtight... although it never lasts long enough around my place to have tested the boundaries of how long it will keep lol.