can someone help me with how to use these before i lose my temper and throw them in the bin??!! I cant seem to cut these out of fondant without them sticking to everybit of fondant and im so so keen to see these letter my cake boards.........help please anyone, tips, ideas???

hey, i have the exact same problem!! i have to add gum trag to the fondant first and let it rest a little.....then i roll it out fairly thin and keep lots of icing sugar underneath. then dip ur cutter into a little icing sugar just to help it to loosen!! i usually roll mine out and leave it for 5 minutes before i cut them out....the icing seems to firm up abit.
when ive cut out the letter i remover all bits that arent needed (like the middle of a O) with a cocktail stick. then i give the whole cutter a good whack on the side of the worktop until it fires out! it may take a couple of tries....i get frustrated too!!
also some coloured fondants are harder to work as they have fairly different consistencies (some are slightly stickier)
hope you get them out soon !!!

Oh those darn things. They are such a pain! the one and only time I was able to get them to work was by using lots of cornstarch. The fondant was very dry and fairly thin. I was also using premade brown fondant, the previous time when I gave up, I was using premade red fondant and the precolored ones do tend to be stickier than white fondant. I cut mine out, pulled out the little bits and let them sit for awhile. A few of them still stuck to the board a bit so I ran a really thin knife under it to loosen it. If they weren't so pretty, they'd be in the garbage!

You want to use a slightly dry paste, dust both your cutting surface and your tappit, rub your thumb across the cutter for good clean edges and them whack it on the edge of your table.

Roll your fondant thin, and the same width as the tappit. Dip the tappit in confectioners sugar or corn starch then shake to remove any excess before you press it into the fondant. If the letter sticks, use a toothpick or cocktail stick to ever so gently tease a part out, the rest will usually fall out easily after that. They take some getting used to but I adore my tappits!

I love my tappits, but yes they take some practice. If you have a pasta roller, roll the fodant thru 3 or 4. That will be pretty thin. Then let the fondant sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes to dry out a bit more Then press on the Tappit and then whack it (Tap it) on the counter and the letters/shapes will pop out.

There is a tutorial by Aine2 on youtube for the tappits. It is great.

I don't have any experience with them myself (although I'm longing to try them out!), but a while back I saw a post from somebody who covers the (thinly rolled) fondant with clingwrap and then punches them out.
Maybe give that a try?

jenny

http://forum.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=6114622#6114622
Heres another thread talking about the tappits

guys thanks so much for all your replies. im gonna look up Aine2s tutorial as she is fab on many other things too. Ive got the real baptism of fire tonight as ive got 3 cakes to use the tappits for, all for the same celebration lunch tomorrow - thanks goodness my two lovely kids are with their dad tonight as I think i need some time alone with me and my tappits to show them whose boss, ha ha

The first couple of times that I used tappits, I was so frustrated that I vowed to never use them again. When I finally could get one to come out, it would fly across the room. But once I calmed down, I decided that I wasn't going to let it defeat me So, I kept at it until I finally got the knack of it. Now I actually enjoy using them. Just takes practice like others have mentioned. Also, I absolutely agree that you should watch Aine2's video on how to use the tappits. It's great!!!

I love the look of the letters, but they are difficult to use. I do agree on letting the rolled out fondant dry for a few minutes and use plenty of cornstarch!