Many people have posted here about issues with their royal icing, especially black and dark colors. There are always many helpful suggestions, but I don't see many follow up posts to let us know what worked, and I am curious. Have you had a problem that remains a mystery, or one you solved by making a change, and what fixed it?
There are regular questions about r.i. crumbling, breaking, falling off, or simply having a strange or rough texture, becoming crystallized, more bubbles, being matte or shiny, or even not drying, and taste, among other issues with it. Suggestions of the cause are all over the place, and sometimes even polar opposites. I am starting to think some of what I do is nothing more than cookier superstition, lol! Here are just a few of the suspects, and please jump in if you have any difinitive experience with any of them, even if you only know the cause but not the solution.
Brand or old age of meringue powder, using powdered, fresh or pasturized egg whites, adding or omitting corn syrup, glycerine, cream of tartar, flavored non-dairy creamer, white food coloring, black food coloring, the type (such as gel, paste, powder, etc.) or brand of coloring, extracts/emulsions or lemon juice, change in ingredients or ratios of recipe, or even when using glaze or a mix of glaze and royal icing, etc. (We all know oily is bad, but why exactly?)
Under-mixing, over-mixing, handheld electric mixers, beaters, whisk or paddle attachments, thickening with powdered sugar, thickening by whipping for a long time, thickening and then thinning back out, re-use of old icing, length of storage, refrigeration, freezing, mixing separated icing, heat from hands, environmental humidity or dry air, temperature, air movement such as a fan, dehydrators, drying time, using fresh from the oven cookies, etc.
What works for you? What caused a disaster? What advice do you ignore, yet everything works great? What issues are still elusive, without a known cause or solution? Are there other ingredients, procedures, or environmental factors you suspect are a problem? Altitude? Witchcraft?
Please take a moment to weigh in, and I might just do some experiments to try and solve anything we are still perplexed by.
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Lots of good issues here, but I think this could lead to a very unfocused thread. Could you reduce these questions to one or two that you really want us to respond to?
I personally don't know where to start. Thanks!
For instance, do you want to know what icing problems we've solved? or which ones we still haven't solved?
I have been to both cookiecons, taken classes from several cookie decorators and even sat with Julia uUsher and talked to her about royal icing. They use plastic bowls and spatulas and don't worry about the possibility of grease and yet the icing is perfect. It's like the icing wouldn't dare misbehave. being an analyst I have come to realize a few things. First, some people have a natural talent for decorating. Seconod, many things can effect icing and I have started using a royal icing recipe of someone who lives near me. Last, the key to better royal icing is practice. The more times you do it the better you will get at making and using royal icing. I still need lots of practice!
Wow! So many directions this can go! I use liquid egg whites and powdered sugar only. I think the more ingredients in your icing the more problems you'll have. My icing has never cracked, fallen off, bubbled, etc. It does crater when it dries sometimes but that's because I don't use a fan or dehydrator. The only times I have problems with coloring has been when I mix paste and gel colors. Again, I think the more ingredients that are being mixed the more potential problems. It'll be interesting to see what others say.
Wow! So many directions this can go! I use liquid egg whites and powdered sugar only. I think the more ingredients in your icing the more problems you'll have. My icing has never cracked, fallen off, bubbled, etc. It does crater when it dries sometimes but that's because I don't use a fan or dehydrator. The only times I have problems with coloring has been when I mix paste and gel colors. Again, I think the more ingredients that are being mixed the more potential problems. It'll be interesting to see what others say.
I agree with all of this.
For example, if someone had a cracking problem, then tried adding glycerine and kept everything else in the recipe and environment the same, what was the outcome? Did it work, make a disaster, or cause no change? Has anyone made a small change to a recipe they consistenty use and know, but the outcome caused a noticeable difference? Was it the expected change? Was it a good or bad thing?
The one time I got a tiny smidge of vegetable shortening (Crisco) in my royal icing, it looked and acted the same for piping, but stayed a sticky, tacky, melted saltwater taffy consistency, and a lighter shade, and was not dry days later. It was only a couple of small royal icing transfers, and all the other ones, including lighter and darker shades of the same color came out fine. Therefore, I have good reason to to believe that shortening is a bad thing for ri, and I will likely know what went wrong the next time I see it. Also, if I wanted a spot to stay sticky (for sprinkles maybe?) on a future cookie, I have an idea of something to try.
I have a pretty good ri recipe that works for me most of the time. But no clue why it sometimes doesn't. I feel for other cookiers posting here with the same problems, especially experienced ones. I wonder how much people base advice on experience, and how many are just passing along advice from elsewhere?
Maybe I just need to think happy thoughts while I mix mine, or keep it afraid of me so it's too scared to misbehave, lol! I know if I were royal icing, I would defy physics if Julia told me to.
Robin H. Hi! I don't think I have ever mixed liquid colors with the gel colors. This has me curious. I'm going to mix a small quantity to see what happens. I'll do it by mixing/stirring the colors together then add to RI. In the other small batch, I'll add them directly into the RI, mix/blend in. Sometimes I'll add corn syrup and/or water after coloring and sometimes I'll add before coloring. I have Wilton gels and Americolor liquids, and a few bottles of Duff's. I also have a few teeny tubs of Wilton icing color, liquid/concentrated. I used it one time in RI and loved it. I just made a batch of RI that I think will end up a wasted batch. lol Yeah, yeah, I got distracted, then panicked, and goofed. I guess it doesn't matter though. I can use for practice.
Wildflower! Hi! I have been practicing lettering. I didn't think I could do it but was surprised that I could. I'm not perfect but neither is my penmanship - lol. During the challenge my RI was usable/doable. The other day I was curious and in different bags I put as is RI, RI with a touch of corn syrup, RI with a touch of piping gel and RI with water. Maybe I had a splendid batch of RI because I don't know which mix I like best. All were usable. No problems.
I forgot to say that I don't put anything on my wax paper, parchment paper or acetate/film when I pipe for practice or for transfers. I saw that Hani (Haniela's) wipes her mixer bowl with vinegar. Although I don't do that I know what she is saying - vinegar equalizes/sanitizes (don't know the words to use) and ensures the bowl is clean. I know that utensils have to be "clean" or the RI won't come out. All of my utensils, except the mixer bowl and attachments, go in the dishwasher - sanitized. I use a clean cloth to clean the mixer bowl/attachments. No, I don't go to extreme measures. lol Oh, I hollered both times when my daughter put my beaters (yes two) in the dishwasher. Big butt groan...
I was having problems with the frosting falling apart when dry, until I started cleaning the bowl and beater with vinegar. I know many experienced cookie decorators who don't bother and yet get perfect royal icing..
I know deeper colors like red and black darken quite a bit if you let them sit for a day or two, but that sounds excessively dark. Chef Allen over at Global Sugar Art recently put out a video introducing his new line of colors, and specifically shows how both red and black darken. He says most colors will develop when it oxidizes/is exposed to air. I wonder if this means the top of the icing will darken more, as it is exposed to more air, or if the fact that the outside dries first would stop that action. As far as I know, the darkening stops when the icing dries, but not sure.
If you try repoducing it, I would love to hear how it goes. I mostly have gel colors because almost all my Wiltons leaked everywhere, so I tossed them. If they came in a tube or bottle similar to Americolor gels, I would still use them because I love the intensity, and mix my colors by eye anyway. Chef Allen claims his black was specifically formulated for his line, and is the best out there. Wonder if anyone has tried it?
Dona! It sounds like royal icing is afraid to misbehave for you too. �� You said they all came out fine, but was there any difference in the appearence when they dried? Was the icing any more shiny? How much corn syrup did you add?
Congrats on piping your lettering! I knew you could do it, and I will be waiting to see if you post photos. I bet you get better all the time.
Yes I do rinse after cleaning with vinegar. It is just to get out any residue oil.
Yesterday at my cookie cutter club meeting a woman was complaining about royal icing and a very experienced cookie decorator said use a different meringue powder. She uses either CK or a professional one (she wouldn't disclose the brand). I have had better results with CK meringue powder.
The woman owns a store that sells cookie and cake decorating supplies and sell the professional meringue powder. I think she buys it in large lots and then sells in one pound containers. It is probably only sold in the larger quantities and she knows I won't buy a huge size. I buy CK from Karen's Cookies or the friends store. She also said if you really can't get your icing to work buy CK royal icing mix. It works every time.
Hi, I'm forking (moving) this question to a new forum topic. It's an entirely new question, and I think it's going to get lost here (see link to the new forum topic one post up). Wildflower - these questions are all great, but please remember to stick to one general topic/question in a forum. It's easier for people to find what they want later if we stick to this procedure. As it is, the initial question on this thread is HUGE! Thanks.