Ok so i tried my first batch of MMF tonight. I only had 10oz bags of mini marshmellows so i did one and a half bags, 2T of water 2tsp of vanilla flavoring. I microwaved them until they were soft and melted (but didnt realize i had to mix them to make it "soupy") then i added this to the 1/2 bag of 10x sugar in my mixer. i turned it on with the paddle and it didnt seem to get all the sugar (maybe because it was stuck to the crisco?) so i scrapped the bowl down and turned it on. it wasnt really liquidy more stringy so i put on the dough hook. I sifted all BUT 1 cup maybe more of the rest of the bag (2lb) and turned it on speed 2 and it mixed slighlty then sounded like it was going to die(i have a professional 5+ kitchenaid-so this shouldnt have happened right?).
So now im nervous im going to break my 6 mth old kitchenaid and take it out (as much as i could scrap out-the bowl was still coated in the mixture) and start kneading ot eh counter (crisco the counter and my hands). I knead for maybe 3 minutes and it looks smooth and im all proud. I taste a piece (which snaps off easily) and then wrap it up.
I check the instructions online again and read on some other description that it should be able to be pulled and not split. Well i just easily tore off a piece so i go back to kneading which now it is stiff so i need to mic it some more. I knead and knead and its really tearing now. i add some water and knead for like 10 minutes with more 1/4 tsp of water additions. I never fully go tit to not tear. i gave up wrapped it up and called it a night.
Now heres the question. What did i do wrong. Is it supposed to tear (much like marshmellows do when you pull them apart)??? Please Please help. I really wanted to try this as my last fondant experiance (wilton) i swore i would never use fondant again.
Sorry so long 
Oh no, so sorry to hear this happened to you, but please, don´t give up, this stuff is really wonderful!
It seems to me like your fondant is too dry, try kneading in some crisco. Microwave the fondant for 10 secs or until soft and add about 1 tbsp of crisco to it, this should give the fondant some elasticity. I also found that my fondant is always best after a nights rest, so tomorrow, give it a try again. Try this, I am pretty sure this will work for you. It should be a play doh consistency, it should NOT pull apart. HTH and good luck.
i would say there are at least a couple teaspoons of crisco from all the crisco on my hands and counter, i re-crisco-ed the counter about 8 times when i was kneading. It is softer then playdough but when i pull it definately starts to "stress" and pull apart/break apart. Fingers crosses tomorrow will be better. *shrugs*
I know alot of people use their KA's to make MMF but I do not....mine almost died making it once and I wont do it again. Besides, its a great workout for my arms. I am so sorry ya had so many problems. I think what alot of people do is start it out in the KA, then once its in a ball, they take it out and do the rest by hand.
Oh please don't give up. It is suppose to have some elasticity to it but not like taffy that you can pull. You should be able to grab hunks off of it. I think it is okay. I bet once you put it in the microwave tomorrow, knead just a little it will be just fine. Nuke it for about 20 seconds. Also, put cornstarch on the mat not crisco. Crisco will help the elasticity but cornstarch will help it from sticking to the mat.
I'm glad to have seen this thread; I have only worked with fondant once and it was not appealing: it was difficult to work with, it tore, it sagged ... all-in-all, it was incredibly frustrating and I pretty much resolved to not work with something that takes so much time and (I felt it) didn't taste good at all.
Now I see all these posts about how wonderful MMF is and I think I might want to try it, but since my last experience was so disappointing, I really don't want to dip my toe into that water, you know?
So, as I said, I'm glad to have seen this post ... I am a firm believer that you can learn not just from successes, but from failures as well, and if I DO decide to try MMF, I will know that this can happen, and (perhaps) what might make it work better, so THANX!
Please let us know if nefgaby's suggestion worked for you. I'd like to think that fondant might be in my future, just in case someone asks for it...
Odessa
Keep trying with the MMF! I love it (not for eating) but for making fondant-like decorations on the cake. I still would much rather have a cake iced in buttercream with just fondant accents though my niece and son will eat MMF by the handful if I would let them (and by the way they won't eat Wilton Fondant). I have found that the brand of marshmellows can make a difference and that sometimes when I add too much coloring that it can get crumbly (even if I add Crisco). It's a trial and error thing, and I love making it in small batches (since I don't cover cakes in it) so I don't even mess up my KA mixer for a small batch...to easy to do by hand. Good luck
I know i've already posted this and you all have probably seen it but one more time...this is the best website for making MMF! I have never had a problem yet with Peggy's instructions!
http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm
I used my kitchen aid the first time I made and I thought I killed it too! It still seem loose to me. I will never ever use it for fondant again! Besides it's more work to wash! lol I just make mine all in one bowl. Same bowl I mirco the marshmallows in. Then just stir in the sugar until it's doughy. You can always add more sugar but you can't take it away. Also, I lightly grease my fondant mat with Crisco. It's so much better than corn starch in that it doesn't seem to dry the fondant it out, it keeps it from sticking, and it's less messy than the CS. If you can't get this first batch to roll out and work for you and it just not seeming to come together, just start over. It costs less than $3 to make the whole batch anyway. You might as well not get frustrated with trying to get it to work. But, it really does sound like it's going to be okay to me to. Just a hint though you don't need to make the whole batch if you're just practicing with it. A whole batch makes a ton! Don't give up. It's so much fun to work with once you learn it. It really is like playing with playdough. lol
I do my MMF the same way, adding crisco when it seems dry. I use my KA just until it starts slowing down & I'm in fear that it's going to die.. that's when I start kneading it while it's still in the bowl. That's so I don't make a mess everywhere. Then after all the powdered sugar is mixed in I put it on the counter top & knead some more. Works perfect every time~ I also let it sit overnight. It gets the shine off of it. Some days I don't have time to let it sit & it's too shinny. I love making it & it usually only takes about 15 min from start to finish~
I do use my Pro 5 Kitchen Aid from start to finish and it works great with it, the last cup or so I can tell that it is starting to really work hard but I let the KA finish (or maybe I am too lazy), anyway, after adding all the CS I knead for a min or two and then wrap in saran wrap with crisco. And to roll I do use crisco again, always works great. If you are using corn startch I was told to use a 50/50 combination of cornstarch and CS. I also have the wilton mat and the ateco one and I also own a piece of vinyl ($3 a yard at Walmart) and that works great as well for a fraction of what Ateco´s mat costs. And to have your vinyl stay put spray the table or top with water and then place the vinyl and I promise, will stay put. HTH
I know, I got carried away and added stuff I wasn´t being asked, HTH though.
I tried mmf for the first time last night and let it sit over, then I did everything these guys have told you to do and it turned out really well. I covered a cake and accented with it as well. Lots of fun!! Don't give up. I do have a KA but I kneaded mine by hand and Wendoger is so right. It definitely is a workout for the arms and shoulders and I found that if you hold your stomach in while you knead it will give you an ab workout too!! I never knew I could workout and enjoy it sooo much!!! LOL
so i have a question: I've tried wilton fondant and i've made MMF, wilton fondant was disgusting and MMF was ok. I wouldn't ever really want to eat it though. When you all use fondant, do you peel it off when serving the cake? or do you actually eat the stuff? and is there a fondant that is absolutely delicious? I really like the look, but I hate to sacrifice the taste of buttercream.
I loooove the taste of bc. I tried bc dream today for the first time and it it yummmy. But I have to confess I have yet to taste a bc I don't like at all!! 
I tried a piece of my practice cake today that I covered with mmf and it tasted ok. It had the bc crumbcoat underneath. I still prefer bc though but I really like the way the mmf looks for everyone else! Maybe someday I'll get there too! LOL I read some of CCers say something about SatinIce Fondant and that it tastes good but I've never tasted that one. It's supposed to be one of the best tasting though.
so i have a question: I've tried wilton fondant and i've made MMF, wilton fondant was disgusting and MMF was ok. I wouldn't ever really want to eat it though. When you all use fondant, do you peel it off when serving the cake? or do you actually eat the stuff? and is there a fondant that is absolutely delicious? I really like the look, but I hate to sacrifice the taste of buttercream.
When I serve the cake I leave the fondant on each slice so it is up to the person if they want to eat it or not (IMO MMF with almond extract tastes better) and also, don´t forget that your are using BC as the "glue" for the fondant, so even if they peel the fondant off, they would still have the BC underneath, so I guess they are still getting BC.
I think fondant really depends on the person, my son LOVES it, of course, anything sweet he will eat, my Dad loves it as well BUT he also lives for marshmallows, so that might be the reason. My DH loves my cakes and BC but finds the fondant to be too sweet so he peels it off.
If you compare Wilton´s with MMF, not only Wiltons tastes bad but also smells horrible, IMO, so why not give your customers to option of some good tasting and smelling fondant as well as the BC.
I really HTH.
Forgot to add, Satin Ice is really good fondant but take under consideration that it is almost twice as expesive and the taste, IMO it not as good as MMF. Maybe not as sweet as MMF but I do get an after taste.
And also, for the BC under fondant, do a good layer of BC, not only a crumb coat. Then refrigerate the cake covered in BC for 10 min and then cover in fondant, I find this to be easier and also helps the cake keep its shape, sharper edges.
I agree with nefgaby that when you add almond extract to MMF it is waaay better. I have served both vanilla and almond to the same crowd of people and ALL said the almond was better. I wont use vanilla anymore, at least not in my mmf. I also think I will experiment a little more with different flavorings. Next time I wanna try lemon and coconut...they usually are good together so we'll see what happens!!!
one other tip- i try to use premium ( name brand) marhsmallows- not that i am adverse to store brands by any means but.... i have noticed that the premium brands tend to be whiter- often my off brand ones have that burnt marshmallow color
also I think the biggest thing w/ mmf is you kinda have to roll with it- i dont always get 100% the same consistency all the time. Sometimes i have to add a little more or less sugar( rarely use the whole pkg) sometimes i work some crisco in sometimes not( i think it has more the consistency of store bought w/ crisco in. 9 times out of 10 i use no additional flavorings as i like the marshmallowy taste-
my family enjoys the flavor that way -to the poiunt that my cousins fiance has asked her very exclusive cake designer from the west coast if she could use mmf- she said she hadn't heard of it -maybe she will end up at cc 
the thing i like the most about mmf is that it is very workable and very very forgiving- if you mess up big time you really can wad it allup(scraping off any bc) nuke it a little and start over !!
I like flavoring my mmf with mint when I am covering a chocolate cake or with other flavors that go with other cakes. That, in my humble opinion, makes it more palatable (sp).
MMF tastes loads better and is much cheaper to make that regular fondant.
Sometimes I have probs with it tearing, so I add a tablespoon of gumtex with the sugar and that seems to help with the elasticity. I also don't like my fondant to be too stiff when I am mixing it (gotta remember that you'll be kneading it with ps or cornstarch later and that adds to the stiffening)
I also like to use the pan spray on my hands and whatever surface I am using (vinyl shower curtain from wallymart for bout 8 bucks, makes two nice size rolling surfaces)
K, one more thing, did you let the fondant cure and rest for at least 8 hours? You have to give it time for the sugar to hydrate or yes it will be crumbly.
p.s. if you like the taste of bc then you can add some butter flavoring to the mmf.
Everyone has such great ideas! Thanks for the info on letting it sit for a while. I always wondered why you had to do that and sometimes skipped that step!
I have also put raspberry extract in my MMF and I think it made it taste better (but as i previously stated, I dont cover the cakes with it, just use it as accents....I like the melt in your mouth texture of buttercream....dont want to have to chew my icing).
I made MMF for the first time last week. I used the Alternate MMF recipe on this site. I followed the tutorial article on this site as well. You put some Crisco in with the hot marshmallow mixture. I put one lb of C&H cane powdered sugar in mixing bowl and made a well in the center. Melted the marshmallows with water and extract and poured into the well. I used my paddle (KA) to mix the mixture and then switched to the dough hook and gradually added the rest of the sugar. When I had trouble getting it to accept the sugar, I went over to the stove and set the mixing bowl on top of a pot with some simmering water in it. I let it set and put my hand in to mix it around. Be careful not to get burned. I didn't want to mess with taking it out of the mixing bowl and microwaving it .... . I would get it soft and then take back to mixer. I worked most of the sugar in but next time I may stop at say 1 3/4 lbs total. So, it was a heavy lump with no elasticity. The next day I nuked it til warm and then I worked in some more water and Crisco. It seems great now. I will be rolling it out this week. A classmate took it to Wilton Class for fondant cake class and teacher was surprised how good it tasted!
Ok cake turned out so so. It wasnt a smooth surface like the wilton and it was tearing ever so slightly when i was rolling it. It was hard to smooth it out but that could just be that im not that savy with fondant as it is (my bottom edge always looks like crap even when i try to cover it up with a border).
Thanks for everyones help i really appreciate it. My mom and lil bro both said it was atleast edible.
Now if i can just find a scratch recipe for Duncan hines vanilla icing i could stop buying the canned icing and stil make them happy.
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