thank you so much! does the vodka or everclear also work for printing ink? what kind of shiny glazes do you recommend to use? i use the satin ice fondant. do you recommend on any other kind?
Everclear and vodka: you use alcohol to mix either gel color or powder color for hand application of edible “paint” such as to stencil on a design or hand paint a design. The reason you mix the food color with alcohol is it evaporates very quickly, so sets the color without making your fondant sticky.
Printing ink: Follow the manufacturers’ instructions for printing on icing sheets and wafer paper. I would not advise applying anything over a printed edible image unless the manufacturer of the edible sheets you use approves applying a glaze
Confectioner’s glaze: confectioner’s glaze can be applied to everything from candy, fondant, and iced cookies. It’s used to add a layer of protection and also to add shine. Some bakers apply spray glaze to help secure edible glitter and other loose decorations.
If you are going to glaze over a design it’s best to use a commercially produced aerosol glaze. But aerosol glaze is quite expensive, $10 or more for a very small can. PME brand is the most popular.
You can make a faux confectioner’s glaze with corn syrup and alcohol (vodka is commonly used). Use 2 to 3 parts alcohol to 1 part corn syrup. You’ll have to experiment to decide the ratios that best suit your work. A lot of recipes state 50/50 blend, but that will stay sticky.
Real confectioner’s glaze is a derivative of shellac. It should only be used after taking a class in handling and proper use of real confectioner’s glaze. If though you can buy it online, It’s not something the home baker should be messing with until they are trained to work with it.
***No matter what type of glaze you use, you must always do a test to make sure the glaze will not damage your decorated cake or cookie. Make a test piece of fondant and spray it. Then see how it holds up for a day or two.***
Fondant brand: Statin Ice has a tendency toward elephant skin and air bubbles. So you have to be careful to use powdered sugar very sparingly when rolling. And take care not to trap air bubbles in the fondant while kneading it. I prefer Fat Daddio fondant overall. It’s not as elastic, so there’s a learning curve. But its smooth and rarely gets air bubbles. It’s a very nice white. Takes color beautifully. I use a sheet of PBA free vinyl to roll out fondant. Since nothing sticks to vinyl, little if any powdered sugar is needed to roll it out.
