Has anyone had any trouble using the fondant Mat by SweetWise?
Every time I use the Mat, the fondant sticks to the Mat, even though the specific purpose of this Mat is for fondant to release very easily from it without sticking. Despite my best efforts and following the advice from the kind salesman I spoke with on the phone at the company, I am still having this problem. I don't know what I am doing wrong and really want the Mat to work for me as well as it does on the tutorial video. Any advice is very much appreciated. Thanks!

I have found that different types of fondant can react differently on the mat. With some I have to add a very light dusting of powdered sugar to the mat and with others I have to reapply a light sheen of shortening prior to rolling out the fondant and with others I don't have to do anything and it works great. I just try to remember what to do with each type and apply the appropriate technique!

I've had one since Christmas. I don't make too many cakes but so far I haven't had any problems. Did you watch the video?

... Thanks so much for the reply, Hearts. I'll do as you've done and play around with various fondants to see which technique works best for. Thanks again for the help!

I just got mine after taking a class with them. The fondant used in the class was fondx and it worked beautifully. My mmf was horrible when I used the mat at home. Bought some fondx and back to beautiful.

Yes, Goreti... I've watched the video several times to make sure I was following the directions exactly, that's why I'm confused about still having the same problem with fondant sticking. Thanks for replying.

Oh Wow! That's an interesting fact, Pbuder. I wonder why the Fondx works well, yet others may stick. Which is actually kinda surprising since it's specified in the video ( I believe ) that the Mat is supposed to work well with any kind of fondant and shouldn't require any dusting or shortening. It seems many have been experiencing the sticking problem, which is a shame since this Mat is advertised to do the exact opposite. It's very surprising to hear all this, and I thank you for replying and helping to sort out the problem! I'm a little disappointed in the Mat, as I really wanted it to work as well as it promised to. Again, thank you for the help!

I have used THE MAT with mmf many times and have not had any problems with it sticking make sure you brush the mat with crisco and that should do the trick

what kind of sticking do you have? as in, can't get the fondant off of the mat at all? I have found that i have had to peel my fondant off slightly in order to get it on the cake...but it is like they show it in the video. kinda like getting it started and then you have to use gravity to pull the mat off and let it fall onto the cake. does that make sense? used it many times now with no problems!

Yes, thank you Crystal.. I have used the Crisco but it didn't seem to help, much to my surprise.

Exactly, I can't get it off the Mat at all. I've tried to get it "started" as shown in the video but the rest of the fondant won't budge. Some of the fondant will also stick to the inside of the top sheet. Can't understand why I'm having this problem. I've watched the video several times, repeated the steps as instructed. I even called the SweetWise company, spoke with a very kind salesman/representative ( I'm not really sure who or what his position was at the company, but figured he knew way more than me about the Mat ). But I continue to have the sticking problem. Thanks for replying, Step0nmi

Thanks, Stop0nmi for the advice.. I will definitely play around with it to see what works best. I'm glad to hear it works well for you, I'm determined to make it work well for me too since it seems like such an innovative tool .. Thanks again for the help!

I have the mat and I've had the same issues since I switched to MMF. What helps me is this... I roll it out between the mats like normal, then I peel off the top mat, very lightly dust fondant with ps, put the top mat back on, flip the whole thing, use my roller lightly for the bottom mat to slightly re-adhere, peel off the mat that is now on top, then apply to my cake, comes off way easier. These steps make it sound like a lot of work, but it's really not. Hth!

Thank you SRumzis, that sounds like a very good solution to the problem. I'm gonna give that a try. And thanks for replying!

nedd, i just want to say...you are very nice and polite I hope you have a great day and have fun figuring out how you want to use the mat.

I also am not sure its not my MMF. I can't seem to get it where it feels like the same consistancy as the Fondx. It is either always too sticky or feels to dry. I can't seem to get that happy medium compared to the Fondx.

Thank you Step0nmi, that's a very sweet thing to say.
And thanks, Pbuder. I totally understand what you mean since I have the same issue with my MMF, although I can't compare it to the Fondx, as I haven't yet tried that brand.
..I do want to say, I very much appreciate all the advice everyone is giving me. I am a novice cake decorator, so I find any and all advice/solutions invaluable. Thank you all again!

if there are stickiness issues...i would say that there wasn't enough shortening used when kneading to improve the elasticity. i've only made MMF a couple times and I noticed when I used more shortening I thought it turned out much better.

also, are you letting your MMF rest overnight? have also heard that glycerin would help...just a small amount.

I don't know anything about the Mat, but I do know this, the more shortening you use, the stickier and softer your fondant will become.

I used to make MMF and you do have to let it sit overnight. I will say this about fondx, AWESOME and it taste exactly like MMF. Not the fondx elite, but the fondx. The fondx elite works great, I just don't care for the taste.

I purchased the mat some months ago and completely regret it. It was a real waste of money for me. I just can't get it to work at all; if it rolls out without sticking then I am left with loads of air bubbles. I also find it way harder to roll with the mat than without. It's been resigned to the 'wish I'd never bought it' corner!

I've been thrilled with mine. I use MMF 95% of the time, and Fondx the other and have no problems. I seasoned it with Crisco the first time I used it. One time I didn't have my consistency right with MMF and it very slightly stuck to the Mat. I washed the Mat off in my sink with my sprayer, very hot water, and some Dawn, just rubbing it down to make sure it felt completely smooth with no trace of fondant left, then reseasoned and never had another problem again.

Another thing, I rarely let my MMF sit overnight. In fact, it's usually even slightly warm still when I use it. Without the Mat it's so stretchy and soft it's hard to use, but with the Mat it's perfect to smooth over the cake. Just a different perspective.

I've had the same issue using Satin Ice and Duff but not with the Wilton brand and I really don't like using that. I had to do a cake and was so short on time and was so frustrated it kept sticking and the fondant would rip so I ended up
having to wipe it with shortening again. It still didn't work so I just dusted it with cornstarch. It's also hard trying to roll the mat smoothly back into the case without having creases. So when I used it again it left indentations and creases also on my fondant.

I have a dumb question? How do you keep track of which side you 'cured'? When I used the mat the first few times it work wonderfully, but now I'm having problems with it sticking too. I've 're-cured' both sides with shortening as the video instructs but still having problems. The fondant as a whole comes of the mat ok, but sticks enough that the fondant is no longer smooth but grainy and i have a fine sandy like area of fondant left on the mat where I rolled it out. Any ideas?

I also had problems with The Mat. Worked well at first, but after using it a few times, could not get it to roll back up evenly and left with stretch marks/creases. I tried actually ironing it under tissue paper once to get rid of the creases, which worked, but they come back each time so not worth ironing. I'll just stick with my blue silicone mat - love that. I do use The Mat, once in a while if I've rolled out my fondant then have to go deal with something for the kids, keeps it from drying out or having to ball up and re-roll.

As far as which side is seasoned, I used a Sharpie on each sheet and marked "counter" on it, so I knew that side would always touch the counter (and no risk of Sharpie marks on fondant.

i am not able to find instruction on their site how to clean THE  MAT. Just started to use it but having problems with sticking too :( and tearing of fondant as a consequence when trying to cover cake
 

Hi, Just received "the mat" today any advise on how to wash "the mat" before first time use without creasing it? quite scared i ruin it before i even start 

AI just used the mat for the first time. I wished I had joined cake central BEFORE making the purchase. The fondant stuck to the mat and it was completely ruined! It was white fondant that I had placed over chocolate buttercream. I had to throw it all out. This was to costly a result after one use. I can't even return the darn thing as Sweetwise won't accept it. I've had better luck with the Wilton fondant mat.