Over the years that I've been making cakes for the kids, I've picked up a few trick here and there. Every now and then I'll post some of them on here.
Freezer paper. I happened upon this trick this year. I hated cleaning up the table over and over after coloring fondant or rolling it out. It was time consuming and well, I hate the extra work! I was wrapping meat to freeze one night and noticed how smooth the plasticy side was and how it might just solve my little mess issue. On my next cake I tried it out and fell in love!
All you have to do is pull off a large section and tape it down. I used to use the clear tape to try and hold it in place while I worked, but oil from the shortening I used would make it come up.
That's when I decided to have my sweet husband pick up some masking tape. It worked like a charm. The paper stays in place and because of the plastic cover and oil does not dislodge it. And when I have to change the paper, I can retape it without worrying about the tape coming up.
My last tip is if you work with fondant or gumpaste a lot, get a clay extruder! I've been eyeing this bad boy for a while and had the perfect excuse to purchase it! And with a 40% off coupon to Hobby Lobby, I was able to score it for less than $10!
As you can see, it makes all sorts of shapes. I tried a few of the heads and they are a dream to work with. Hand rolling ropes and other long shapes was necessary before but time consuming. This speeds things up dramatically!
