Colored Icing - Color Separated and Mottled!

Did any of your other colours do this? Do you remix the icing before you started using it? If you made it on day one it probably separated (water), you need to stir the icing well before you use it,if you made it a few days prior. This is the only thing I can think of. Hope this helps xo

Bummer! I find that colored icings, if refrigerated, tend to mottle more - perhaps because they pick up extra moisture in the fridge and take longer to dry. For this reason, I like to use all colored icings on the day I mix them - or leave them at room temp overnight. It could also be an ambient humidity issue; if very damp out, the icing will take longer to set and colors can migrate and mottle. Quick-drying in a dehydrator can sometimes prevent this from happening.

thanks

yellow color also have this problem,

is that better i store them in a containers not in piping bags?

because the icing cannot remix well in the piping bag

normally i wont refrigerated the icing, but i need to wait for the face dry completely to make sure other color wont be blending on the face, see the photo i make before..it looks Terrible...

this one i make last sunday...

i just use the icing on the day I mix them, 

i didn't refrigerated the icing this time...

but the color also mottled and totally change to light grey blue......

i use Americolor NAVY color..

i use fresh egg white, is that ok if i store in room temp?

Yeah, the bleeding above is an example of not enough dry time between colors, or icings that are too loose and taking too long to dry.

It's really tough to diagnose issues w/o seeing exactly what you've done, but here are some other suggestions:

It's best not to leave fresh egg whites too long at room temp, but I do think your icing is picking up moisture from the fridge. Maybe you need to try a dehydrator or fan to quick-dry your icings, or use meringue powder or pasteurized whites as a base for your icing so it can be left unrefrigerated?

Another IMPORTANT thing to consider is the thickness of your icing when you apply it. I try to push my icings to the thickest consistency possible for a given task, because the thicker the icing is, the quicker it dries - and the less time it has to bleed or mottle on you. Perhaps your icing was thinner/looser than it needed to be?

I don't work with Americolor, so I can't speak to how colorfast those colorings are. I work with Chefmaster, and though I have on occasion seen a small amount of mottling (mostly when humid out), I have never seen this much. If AFTER trying a thicker icing, not refrigerating it and quick-drying it, you still have this trouble, then I would suggest trying another brand. But many, many people use Americolor with success, so I think it's an issue of either too loose/wet icing or ambient conditions messing with you.

thank you so much for your suggestion!!

i will try it again on this weekend

hope that i can success

I regularly refrigerate my leftover icing and then mix well before using.  I have had good luck with storing it in small containers for weeks before using - no discoloration at all.  I use Americolor, too and have never had mottling problems.  Good luck!

I 've had same problem, figured it was from dcorating the cookies same day they were baked. Resolved issue now, I only decorate the next da the cookies are baked.

Another thing also, is whenever you are using "aged " icing, try to remix it wiht couple of spoons of fresh ones before you color them. This helped with the bleeding and the mottled icing . Hope this helps

is that's mean i should make the icing base on day1 and color it on the day i use it?? and not colored all icing on day 1

I ice on the same day quite often and don't see mottling issues when I do - I really think your icings were too loose.

is that "too loose" means too many water in my icing?
so i should add more icing sugar and remix?

Yes, too thin. Try pushing your icing to the thickest possible consistency that's workable for a given task (for instance, for flooding you will need it looser than outlining though, so as not to leave tracks). As noted above, the thicker the icing is, the faster it sets and the less likely colors are to mottle and migrate, in my experience.

I would consider changing the icing recipe you are using. I have had a lot of luck using Sugarbelle's royal icing which uses meringue powder. You can find it here: http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com...-roads-lead-to-rome/ I do not refrigerate icing and find that it lasts for weeks in an air tight container. It will separate but can be stirred to reincorporate the liquid back into the icing. 

I have found that adding white food coloring to my icing prevents bleeding from dark colors to light. 

thank you for both for you~

i will keep trying and practice 

Re: white food coloring to your icing...before it's coloured with another colour? or after to mix together? just for white? I've just started using a meringue pwdr recipe and want to make sure my colours don't mottle.  I've had that happen with egg whites and refrigeration.  I didn't realize that the meringue powder icing could be left out..that helps immensely!