I have one of the FMM ribbon cutters and I just can't get a smooth cut. Both the plain cutter and the rick-rack cutter leave very ragged edges. Is there a trick I'm missing. It's not pressure because I press really hard.

Thanks!

Could it be the surface you're cutting on? Some bench tops are just slightly textured, which means no matter how hard you press, if you don't wriggle the cutter as you go (which you obviously can't do with a ribbon cutter) the cut will not be perfectly smooth.

Hmmm I generally use the small silicon baking mats from wilton when I do small fondant work. Any suggestions on what I should work on?

Thanks for the quick reply.

Are you also letting your rolled fondant sit for about 5 mns to firm up a little...
By doing this the cutting wheels will glide better and give you a sharper edge..

Works for me...hope this works for you.

As a side note - its the same as when i am cutting out shapes or designs - i allow the fondant to *air dry* for 5 minutes - that way there is no movement when i do cut the shape out.

Bluehue.

How thick are you rolling your fondant? If it's too thick You won't get clean cuts either.

It's the silicon mat. You need to have a really firm surface to cut on. The silicon mat is a little squishy and won't give you a clean cut.

VERY lightly dust the counter with corn starch and make your cuts directly on the counter top and you will have much better results. I sometimes have to run a pallet knife under the strips to get them off the counter as it can stick at the cut edges, but not always.

The silicon mats are made to roll out fondant, but are not the best for cutting.

I transfer my piece of rolled fondant to a smooth plastic place mat to cut my fondant strips. I also taped two place mats together so I can cut really long strips. I dust the mats with a little cornstarch and then I can roll up the strip without it sticking to its self. Then I unroll it around the cake.

Like lilmissbakesalot said, you can dust the counter and do the same thing on the counter.
I hope this helps you!

Thank you so much everyone. This is really helpful. Sadly my counters are tile so I can't roll directly on them. I will have to look for a smooth plastic place mat.

This will really save me time because I spend a lot of time cleaning up my edges

Thanks again.