How do I get the cornstarch off of fondat? Last night i did little cut outs for my daughter's birthday cupcakes for school an they had the cornstarch on them. I used a little paint brush to brush them off but I'm wondering if there's a "secret" or "trick" to doing it or is brushing it off the "norm"? Thanks! 
Shortening...it doesn't get all sticky and just wipes right off! I have dvd's from cake professionals and that's what they do. hth!
I have heard you can take a small wad (or ball, I guess) of fondant and rub it over the cornstarched fondant and it removes it.
The easiest thing is to never have cornstarch on the fondant 
You can roll it on shortening and never have to clean up another powdery mess 
Rae
The easiest thing is to never have cornstarch on the fondant
You can roll it on shortening and never have to clean up another powdery mess
Rae
Agreed with you when you in the case of rolling out fondant but there are times when cornstarch is necessary. As soon as I lay fondant on my cake I dust cornstarch on it. Otherwise, my fondant smoothers just won't glide across the fondant to in order to make it nice and smooth. Also, if you like to use letter and number cutters like I do the only way to get them out is by making your fondant nice and dry with cornstarch. If you want to do any kind of fondant drapery or pleating you gotta use cornstarch or the fondant will stick together. I can think of a many, many other incidences when cornstarch is a must.
The easiest thing is to never have cornstarch on the fondant
You can roll it on shortening and never have to clean up another powdery mess
Rae
Agreed with you when you in the case of rolling out fondant but there are times when cornstarch is necessary. As soon as I lay fondant on my cake I dust cornstarch on it. Otherwise, my fondant smoothers just won't glide across the fondant to in order to make it nice and smooth. Also, if you like to use letter and number cutters like I do the only way to get them out is by making your fondant nice and dry with cornstarch. If you want to do any kind of fondant drapery or pleating you gotta use cornstarch or the fondant will stick together. I can think of a many, many other incidences when cornstarch is a must.
That's OK. I respectfully disagree.
I was taught to never turn my fondant over, so the surface of my fondant for cake covering is dry & shiny. My smoother glides over it very nicely.
For many types of letter & number cutters, you can actually stick your fondant/gum paste to the cutting surface with shortening, use the cutter, and have the cut piece ready to pick up off of the cutting surface with a palette knife. For more dimensional cutters, I dust the cutter with CS so lighlty that it doesn't adhere to the surface of the fondant. I let the fondant sit and dry for about 10 mins. before cutting. The items fall right out of the cutter and there's not CS residue stuck to it.
As for pleating & draping, again, because I don't turn my fondant over--or I've run it thru my pasta maker-- it isn't sticky and can be manipulated easily.
I very rarely reach for CS for any application. When making flowers, I sometimes like the gum paste to move on the board so that I get very clean edge cuts, so I'll dust the board using CS in a pantyhose, but I'm going to be dusting & steaming those flowers, so the CS isn't an issue.
Rae
The easiest thing is to never have cornstarch on the fondant
You can roll it on shortening and never have to clean up another powdery mess
Rae
Agreed with you when you in the case of rolling out fondant but there are times when cornstarch is necessary. As soon as I lay fondant on my cake I dust cornstarch on it. Otherwise, my fondant smoothers just won't glide across the fondant to in order to make it nice and smooth. Also, if you like to use letter and number cutters like I do the only way to get them out is by making your fondant nice and dry with cornstarch. If you want to do any kind of fondant drapery or pleating you gotta use cornstarch or the fondant will stick together. I can think of a many, many other incidences when cornstarch is a must.
That's OK. I respectfully disagree.
I was taught to never turn my fondant over, so the surface of my fondant for cake covering is dry & shiny. My smoother glides over it very nicely.
For many types of letter & number cutters, you can actually stick your fondant/gum paste to the cutting surface with shortening, use the cutter, and have the cut piece ready to pick up off of the cutting surface with a palette knife. For more dimensional cutters, I dust the cutter with CS so lighlty that it doesn't adhere to the surface of the fondant. I let the fondant sit and dry for about 10 mins. before cutting. The items fall right out of the cutter and there's not CS residue stuck to it.
As for pleating & draping, again, because I don't turn my fondant over--or I've run it thru my pasta maker-- it isn't sticky and can be manipulated easily.
I very rarely reach for CS for any application. When making flowers, I sometimes like the gum paste to move on the board so that I get very clean edge cuts, so I'll dust the board using CS in a pantyhose, but I'm going to be dusting & steaming those flowers, so the CS isn't an issue.
Rae
Rae,
Your cakes are beautiful and you are clearly a very talented decorator. If I've learned one thing in my years of decorating cakes I've learned that there are many different techinques out there and everyone needs to choose what works best for them. I personally have found times when I like to use CS. 
Yep, there's more than one way to skin a cat
Nobody's right all of the time.
Have an open mind.
Try it, you might like it.
What works for some, might not work for others.
Do what works best for you.
Rae
Wow - thanks for all the great tips! Question about the vodka though - does it leave a taste or does it just evaporate? I don't know if I would feel "right" about using it on a kid's birthday party cake...now using it on my liver during said kid's birthday party might be another idea
Wow - thanks for all the great tips! Question about the vodka though - does it leave a taste or does it just evaporate? I don't know if I would feel "right" about using it on a kid's birthday party cake...now using it on my liver during said kid's birthday party might be another idea
You would be using a very small about of vodka (just a mist or a few drops on your brush). Absolutely no taste and the alcohol evaporates.
I simply do not roll my fondant out on cornstarch!! I coat my surface with a very thin coat of Crisco and roll my fondant on that and then just peel the shape or whatever I'm cutting out off the surface. I've never really understood the whole cornstarch thing. I mean I know it stops the fondant from sticking but I like the results much better with Crisco. The fondant does "stick" to the Crisco but in a good way (it just gives it enough "tack" to stay put but not so much that you are scraping it off...It just peels off!!) and I have never had to worry about cornstarch sticking to my finished pieces or my fondant drying out!!
Wow - thanks for all the great tips! Question about the vodka though - does it leave a taste or does it just evaporate? I don't know if I would feel "right" about using it on a kid's birthday party cake...now using it on my liver during said kid's birthday party might be another idea
You would be using a very small about of vodka (just a mist or a few drops on your brush). Absolutely no taste and the alcohol evaporates.
That's right. The alcohol evaporates and I get just enough on my brush to get rid of the powder.
I know that this thread is about corn starch, but what about powder sugar? What would be the difference in using it? I'm a newbie and I've read and watched videos where some use PS while others use CS. Is there a reason you would use one over the other and would the same techniques apply if you use PS? TIA
I know that this thread is about corn starch, but what about powder sugar? What would be the difference in using it? I'm a newbie and I've read and watched videos where some use PS while others use CS. Is there a reason you would use one over the other and would the same techniques apply if you use PS? TIA
Check out this thread:
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-687641-cs.html+ps
I know that this thread is about corn starch, but what about powder sugar? What would be the difference in using it? I'm a newbie and I've read and watched videos where some use PS while others use CS. Is there a reason you would use one over the other and would the same techniques apply if you use PS? TIA
Check out this thread:
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-687641-cs.html+ps
Thank you!
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