One use for the flower formers, shared by another CCer, was to use them for marking equal lines around cakes for doing basketweave...I don't remember who shared that one, but it works great too (the plastic keeps its' rigidity and form better than pt tubes.

They came out with the new silicone tip covers...maybe they'll grip better...I usually use plastic and secure it with the coupler ring.

Useless for what it's being sold for, would be that brownie perforator....looks like a meat tenderizer.

That brownie pan with the insert seems like it would be neat to have....

how about those rubber bands that come on the end of the fondant roller, does anyone use them? I have quite a collection and never use them. I have to agree the wilton leveler is a joke...I use my late mother in laws serated knofe, and it works better, and she would love that if she only knew.

When I got married, one of my aunts gave me a set of spatulas at my bridal shower. They were nice, but they were teeny! Everyone knew that I'm into cooking, so I just thought it was a cute thoughtful gift. Then a few weeks after the shower I was making coffee with my new french press coffee maker for the first time (love it!!!). After I poured my last cup I realized I had to get rid of the coffee grounds but I couldn't just pour them down the drain. So I'm standing there with the wet grounds stuck to the bottom of the pot thinking, "All my spats are too big. How am I gonna get these out?" Total light bulb moment as the mental image of those teeny spatulas came into my mind! I've never been so thankful for a shower gift before!

The worst cake tool I've ever gotten though was actually from my mom. She bought me a pack of decorating bags. They were 8 inches. I don't know what the heck I'm gonna do with a bag that small.

A while back there was a thread like this...I can't remember the topic title, but it was something like "what was the decorating item you bought that was a total waste of money?" Many many people said this thing was their worst purchase (partly because it always fell apart when anyone tried to use it):
http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31A21B-475A-BAC0-51A3CBEF4593810B&fid=3E32F518-475A-BAC0-535818F5D52DA731

I am kinda surprised Wilton is still selling it.

Btw, I use my tip covers whenever I fill my wedding cake emergency repair kit. They work great for me.

My Great Grandmother gave my Mother a metal skewer... it was a long metal thing that looped up the top. It went rusty, so in the bin it went!!Though mum kept it for years as she couldnt part with it

Oh that's funny. The very first cake decorating tool I bought was the icing comb (the triangle one), thinking it was Just What I Needed to make nifty looking cakes!! I have never used it, not even once.

Any clever ideas for repurposing that puppy, I'm all ears. I mean, it was only like $1.50 but still, I hate throwing things away

My first fondant cake was my own wedding cake 2 years ago. I thought the lady in the shop was really helpful, but she told me I HAD to have a smoother, which is a thin rectangular piece of foam, covered in lycra. She told me to rub it over the fondant. I'm really not sure what it did that my hands didn't achieve and its nothing like the hard plastic ones.

I use it for shaping flowers, so at least it's not a complete loss!

I use the little metal cake tester for testing doneness of potatoes and yams boiled in their skins. You know how if you poke a tater with a fork, it might break apart in the boiling water and get all mushy? Doesn't happen if you test with the little metal thingy.

It's also good for poking steaming broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc.

Never use it for cakes, though.

Wilton had a six-hole decorating bag holder that never would stay upright. I tried for years to use that darn thing because I liked the idea, but it really was just useless. I finally pitched it.

When I took course 3 I did not buy the kit. I had been to the tent sale and bought some items, but others I improvised! I saw the fondant punch in that kit and said "this is stupid". Glad I did not buy it. I agree the flower formers don't quite give a natural look. I use egg cartons now. But, I use the siimple small cake leveler all the time. I don't make large cakes however. It seems to work ok for me.

yup!
I bought the icing sculptor when it first came out... couldn't wait to use it... talk about the worst thing Wilton ever made!!
so I left it at my old bakery I worked at since 1 /2 of the pieces were missing. .. not like anybody could use it.
And I have the mat from Wilton which I have used once and has been in my pantry ever since.....

Jodi

Wow! Some great, and funny, replies. And lots of ideas I've never thought to use things for, too. Love the idea of the paint palette for flower forms. I also don't like the way flowers come out in the 1/2 tube Wilton forms.

I have the icing bag holder, but the newer one. It works fine, until the amount of icing gets really low and you don't want/need to refill it. Then the bags fall right thru! The holes should be deeper and tapered, so that only the tip fits in the bottom.

I also hate the Wilton tip covers (the old white ones). I ended up taping them to the bags. I wonder if the new, rubber ones work better.

And, like IndiDebi, I`m wondering just how many people will think Brownies are the new Cupcakes for weddings and celebrations. All those `new`cutters they have, I probably already have in cookie cutters (and Lord knows I`ve got lots of those!. What I am considering buying, thou, is the `pops`brownie pan, to use for making `cake pops`for school instead of mini cupcakes. Something different.

But I think my second most useless item is the big cake leveler. It doesn`t go thru straight - it starts to curve part way thru the cake, so you don`t get a level cake. Worthless, but expensive. My DH has offered me his reciprocating saw - probably work better. I`m still looking for a really long bread knife (serrated) so use instead.

My friend is starting the Wilton series and bought the new 101 - blue tool caddy. It has some odd "tip reshaper" thing in it. It's two pieces & heavier than it looks. I tried it and the tip got stuck inside. The other pointy side didn't fit the shape of the tips at all.
I found it:
http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E30B71F-475A-BAC0-536EC8F935432ED1&killnav=1

I LOVE my cake tester. It's long enough so I don't burn myself when testing the cake. I keep it on a small nail hung near my oven so it's easy to find and right at my fingertips. For me, it's one of my best purchases!

I bought the new silicone Wilton tip covers. I used them for the first time last week. After having had those old ridiculous ones, I can say these new silicone ones actually work. The fit snugly and stay on and stretch to fit most tips. They're still kinda pricey, I think, but easier than keeping all my bag tips stuck in a moist towel when working with multiple colors. I'll probably buy another set of them soon so I have enough for multiple colors.

I saw some "nifty" (and I sooo use that term very loosely) plastic clippy things that "help" you squeeze the icing out of your piping bag (Wilton of course). I stood in front of it trying to calculate how much time it would take for me to say:

"Oops, need to squeeze out more icing", then unclip the clip, push down the icing (and probably squirt some out unintentionally in the process), re-clip the clip, remember where I was, etc, etc...when all I have to do is (brace yourself), twist the freakin' bag!

Oh! And that lame ribbon cutter from Wilton that tightens up as your cutting the fondant/gumpaste so you end up tearing it instead? Another great one from the Wilton Mafia. I swear I'm gonna pack up all the crap that doesn't work and ship it to the President of Wilton with a note saying he can have it all back.

The worst thing I every bought was the small Wilton leveler, threw it away on the first attempted us. Bought the big one and it works great for me.

The things I find silly are the bag holder (I just use glasses, I turn the tip up so it doesn't sit on the bottom and put the bag in a glass, also use this method to help me fill bags), the tip covers, all the specialty brownie stuff (I did buy the sifter cup thingy and I use it to sprikle corn starch on my work surface), and the Wilton mat, I dampen the counter so that I can get it to hold still but the corners still roll up and everything sticks to it. I use it under a piece of vinyl now, the size markings are useful at times.

I do have a cake tester, I've had it for years and I love it because it's longer than a toothpick. I use egg cartons for flowers (and for my daughters' paint). When I'm working with melted chocolate in piping bags I lay my heating pad on the counter, cover it with a towel and lay my bags on there when I'm not using them.

I totally agree on the Icing Sculpter!! A couple of friends and I were dying to have it when it came out and when we found it, all bought it and all hate it!

I agree the new tip covers are much better than the old ones. Great for covering your tips when you need to take the bag on a delivery.

i love my cake tester.. but it is not wilton.. had mine for years.. i love the flower formers.. the great teacher.. nick lodge.. uses these in his class.. love him.. i have never heard him talk against anything.. i admire him for that.. if he has.. i have never heard him.. we all like things for different reasons... some is handmade like indydebi.. some is bought.. whatever?

The only brownie item I bought was the brown silicone pan with the little squares. I haven't actually tried to bake cake in it (why not just cut a large brownie up into little squares?) but I have done a trial run for those sugar tiles someone did on a FN challenge cake. It worked excellent! It was my first run-in with sugar, so I'll need some practice.