Cleaning the Schmutz Off Isomalt?

IllustratedCookiesGnosher

(This question is not about cleaning isomalt off of things -- I find that soaking my pan and spoon in hot water and soap takes care of that quickly.)

My question is: if you need to clean fingerprints or smudges of royal icing or smears of color off of isomalt, how do you do it?

I am dealing with pieces of isomalt that are pretty small and I could not use (even if I had one) a propane torch on them, as I have seen suggested.

I'm loathe to use water, even with isomalt's low/non-hygroscopic qualities, but maybe that wouldn't be so bad. I have also seen people mention using vegetable oil -- a bit on a piece of paper towel, I'm assuming -- to polish up isomalt windows and such.

Anybody have any experience? Thanks! I did a forum search but didn't see anything -- my apologies if I missed a previous discussion.

1/22/184:55 PM

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Julia M. UsherFounder and Host, Cookie Connection; Owner, Recipes for a Sweet Life

Generally speaking, I try to keep isomalt pieces "clean" by handling them minimally or from the sides so fingerprints aren't left on it in the first place. If a piece gets too gummed up in working with it, then I don't use it.

Brushing with oil (or water) is primarily a method of TEMPORARILY restoring isomalt's sheen if it has clouded. But it doesn't have lasting effects.

1/23/188:34 AM

IllustratedCookiesGnosher

Thank you for responding!

I guess I should have said: the isomalt I'm working with isn't covered in icing or anything . Question was more about the unavoidable smudges that happen despite careful handling.

I tried oil and for my purposes it seemed to work fine. That is -- temporary was fine here, just wanted to make sure the isomalt was clear as it could be for a photo. Random streaks of (in this case) white gel were driving me crazy.

Thank you! I sure like isomalt, so stable.

1/24/181:41 PM