Read the threads, watched the video, waited for them to come out with one with measurements on it. Finally gave up and ordered it in time for this week's wedding. Conditioned it as instructed and even marked "out" on one side of each so I'd always have the same side in--touching fondant--in case any scratching occurred. On the plus side: it is definitely possible to roll a nice thin layer of fondant that isn't exposed to air, PS or CS. On the negative: if you do roll the fondant thin (1/8") it sticks to the mat so horribly that it stretches and tears when trying to remove it. The "falling away from the mat" as shown in the video only happens if the fondant is thick enough that its weight will pull it down off the mat. Another downside is that the vinyl likes to buckle and fold as you're trying to get the fondant to release. There is already a small hole in one of the mats as a result of this creasing, and I've only used it for one 4-tier cake. (Mind you, it took two hours to cover one 10" cake because of all of the problems, so ultimately I probably "covered" twice that.) The price is great if this would work and be somewhat durable, but is awful if I have to replace it once a week.

Ordered mine Jan. 12, still have not received it. I called them and I guess they misplaced my order. So I wait again.....Maybe it would be better if I did not receive it! Sounds like that.

I have had mine for about a month and so far I love it. I do know what you mean about when the fondant is rolled thin..but other than that it works fine and since my hubby rolls out my fondant he can do that and let it sit till I'm ready to put it on the cake. sorry to hear about your problems.

It's very important to me to be able to roll it thin because of the mouthfeel. People even like fondant if it's thin! If anyone knows how to get past this obstacle I'd love to hear from you. And yes--being able to roll it ahead of time and let it set is great.

I'm all ears too I prefer to roll mine really thin.

I don't have one but I've been researching the heck out of it - question, did you "season" it with shortening? I've read that this is a commonly missed step when you 1st get it that leads to problems.

Jen

I did season mine

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Yes, I did season it but quite thoroughly wiped off the residue (even used a cotton cloth in stead of paper towel so as not to scratch it). Because I wiped it off so thoroughly I seasoned it again after several times of the fondant sticking so bad. That seemed to help slightly, but not nearly enough. I don't see a way around this since the rolling requires a lot of force, and that in turn makes it really adhere. I even peeled off one side of the mat, layed it back on, flipped it, then peeled the other side, but only the first one came off well.

Could it have been the problem with Satin Ice Buttercream fondant, and not the mat?

Nope. Tried it with Pettinice and Chocopan. And room temp. was 68 degrees with low humidity, so that wasn't it.

I don't have one, as I just use the cheap vinyl mat, which I love by the way.
Lately I have been having trouble, and wonder if the 'MAT" would eliminate the problem...

My problem is, when I roll the fondant on the mat, it seems gloriously thin, and perfect, and I flip the mat over, onto the cake, but the underside of the fondant (now the top) has had seams and imperfections and such....

Does this happen with the MAT? What causes this, do you think?

I love my Mat!!!!

snowbuns-- I think you could eliminate this by flipping the mats over part way through the rolling process. You could also make sure that after you initially knead the fondant that the smooth, rounded side is down.

dellababe--what thickness are you rolling to?

I have a question and I don't mean to hijack this thread , I am currently using vinyl from the fabric store and I am planning on ordering the mat, but I was curious, does the mat stain from red fondant? My vinyl has a nice pink tinge stain from red fondant, will The Mat do this?

I'm wondering if you wiped too much of the shortening off for the first time seasoning. I had great success with my Mat on the first attempt this past week. I would say I rolled it a little more than 1/8 inch thick. I peeled back the top piece in a rolling motion as they suggested and, after freeing the front edge a little bit with my fingers, the rest just rolled off smoothly as in the video. I followed their suggestion to use the rolling pin motion from the center out, and I suspect the outer edges were a little thicker than the rest of it as a result -- maybe you put too much pressure on the outer edges and made them too thin to peel away. I don't understand how you got holes in the Mat -- I thought it was pretty heavy-duty stuff. I think you do have to try to fold it back away from you in a a steady, even motion. How did yours get folds and ripples in it?

Although I tried to fold it back in a level, steady motion, it tended to fall and buckle sometimes. Seems like it was more prone to do it on the smaller cakes. It was one of those times when it folded itself into a point that it broke and now has a tiny hole. It actually worked best on the 16" round. At one point I tried dusting with PS which actually worked quite well, but I want to avoid that if I can.

What's "the Mat?"

Always love new toys!! Is it different that Silpat or Ateco fondant mats?

Yes, it's clear vinyl.

hoosierhobbiest, to find more info on the mat, check their site: www.Sweetwise.com

I've never measured the thickness but when I hold it up to the light I can see the light through it!!!

Wow dellababe--that's fantastic! What's your secret to getting it to release smoothly?

Yeah, handymama, I don't think they advise using powdered sugar with the Mat at all -- and that is likely to make it sticky I would think.

No, they don't, but I was on a timeline with a wedding cake and needed to do something. It did help some the one time I used it, but I didn't want to keep doing it since part of the purpose of the mat is to NOT have to use PS or CS.

I watched the video on it and I was less than impressed. What is the difference between the Mat and a piece of vinyl from Walmart, besides the price plus shipping?

Just recd. my mat today, planning on using today also, should I Crisco both sides (the insides of the mat touching the fondant)?

I seasoned both sides even though I marked "out" on one side of each.

I have no secret on getting it to release from the mat. I do it exactly like she does on the video. I do make my own fondant if that makes a difference!!!

Good idea to mark the "out" side!