Q1 |
What
is SugarVeil® Flexible
Icing? |
A1 |
|
SugarVeil
Icing is a dry confectionery
preparation with multiple uses
in the production of pastry
goods and dessert items. One
of SugarVeil’s most unique
applications is as a decorative
icing. Mixing boiling water
with SugarVeil creates a new
genre of decorative icing:
one which combines the whiteness
and fine detail of royal icing
(yet with a pleasant, melt-on-the-tongue,
not-so-sweet taste), the stretch
and flexibility of buttercream
icing (without the fat), and
the piping ease of a whipped
icing in one innovative product.
SugarVeil may be piped on or
off the cake, and when set,
cut with scissors and draped
like fabric onto/around a cake
or plated dessert. OU
Kosher approved. |
Q2 |
What
is the shelf life of the mixed
SugarVeil® Confectionery
Icing? |
A2 |
|
Once mixed,
SugarVeil may be stored covered
in the refrigerator for at
least 3 weeks. |
Q3 |
Can
I use my piping bag with the
SugarVeil? |
A3 |
|
A standard
piping bag may be used with
a very fine tip, as well as
a parchment cone, stencil,
or SugarVeil Confectionery
Comb. |
Q4 |
How
long does it take the SugarVeil
pieces to "set"? |
A4 |
|
Making SugarVeil
1 – 2 days in advance
speeds setting time. Setting
time is also dependent upon
relative humidity, and may
be anywhere from 15 minutes
in a humidity controlled (air
conditioned or heated) environment,
to overnight. |
Q5 |
Can
ordinary tap water be used
for mixing SugarVeil? |
A5 |
Yes,
tap water may be used. Do not
use chemically treated (softened),
water. If in doubt, use distilled
or bottled water without added
minerals. |
Q6 |
What
type of mixing bowls/utensils
should be used when preparing
SugarVeil? |
A6 |
|
As plastic
utensils often contain residual
fat, mix SugarVeil in a small
metal or glass bowl, using
an electric mixer. |
Q7 |
Is
it important to measure/mix
SugarVeil precisely? |
A7 |
|
Yes, it is
important to measure/mix SugarVeil
precisely according to the
directions. Any alteration
can change the consistency. |
Q8 |
How
will SugarVeil look when mixed? |
A8 |
|
The icing will
be smooth and glossy. Stir
with a fork for a minute or
so every couple of hours to
retain this consistency. |
Q9 |
Are
there any design considerations
to keep in mind for SugarVeil
decorations? |
A9 |
|
For the most
part, SugarVeil icing needs
to be supported either by the
cake surface, a SugarVeil ornament
or tuile (see recipes), or
another confectionery structure.
Any SugarVeil area that is
suspended or draped off the
cake should contain a lighter
density of patterning, as gravity
effects may weight the bottom
edge of any unsupported area. |
Q10 |
Can
color and flavor be added to
SugarVeil Confectionery Icing? |
A10 |
|
Dry powder,
liquid or paste colors and
flavors may be added to the
SugarVeil mixture. |
Q11 |
How
will I know when SugarVeil
is "set", and ready
to remove from the surface? |
A11 |
|
When set, SugarVeil
will feel firm to the touch
and separate easily from the
well-seasoned parchment/cellophane
surface when the paper is pulled
downwards over a sharp table
edge. |
Q12 |
How
can I make SugarVeil decorations
in advance? |
A12 |
|
To suspend
flexibility for a period of
time, SugarVeil decorations
may be stored in Tupperware® or
a tented plastic zippered bag
prior to setting completely. |
Q13 |
How
can I speed the setting time
of SugarVeil pieces? |
A13 |
|
An oven (pilot
light or electric light on
only), or a food dehydrator
will speed set SugarVeil decorations. |
Q14 |
Can
I use spray oil or release
spray to season the surface? |
A14 |
|
It is better
to use a Crisco-type hydrogenated
vegetable shortening in greasing
the surface or in seasoning
a Silpat mat. Use a clean sheet
of parchment (or cellophane)
each time SugarVeil is applied. |
Q15 |
Where
can I find patterns to use
with the SugarVeil Confectionery
Icing? |
A15 |
|
Besides the
downloadable patterns on our
Web site, your local library
or bookstore is a good resource
for finding line designs for
a variety of pattern options,
such as tatting designs, paper
snowflakes, and iron works. |
Q16 |
Can
I use SugarVeil in other recipes? |
A16 |
|
SugarVeil® Icing
is a versatile dry powder mix
for a variety of confectionery
uses. With the simple addition
of an ingredient or two, you
can create a frozen mousse,
a rich buttercream, tuile cookies,
and other dessert enhancements.
Creative ideas and recipes
are available at www.sugarveil.com. |
Q17 |
How
can I create the finest of
details to cakes and desserts? |
A17 |
|
For the finest
details use the SugarVeil® Icing
Dispenser, an electric,
hand-held air-powered tool
for swiftly applying fine dots
and lines. Fill the cartridge
with icings, piping gels or
sauces, chocolate ganache,
or other dessert preparations.
Placing the forefinger over
the air hole activates the
flow. Lifting the finger instantly
stops the flow, without drips
or hand fatigue. Easy to operate
and to clean, the SugarVeil
Icing Dispenser allows finer
detail than either a piping
bag or parchment cone. |
Q18 |
What
are other methods of application
for creating SugarVeil decorations? |
A18 |
|
Comb thru SugarVeil
with a notched scraper, decorating
comb, or the specially designed SugarVeil® Confectionery
Comb to make instantly
patterned lines and designs. |
Q19 |
How
do you color SugarVeil? |
A19 |
|
Any type of
color is fine: If using powdered
color, add to dry SugarVeil.
If using paste or liquid, add
after SugarVeil is mixed. Paste
color will also lengthen the
period of flexibility. |
Q20 |
How
do you apply the gold? Do you
use it as a powder or mixed
with alcohol as "paint"? |
A20 |
|
You can apply
the gold as a powder when the
SugarVeil is still tacky (not
yet set). You can also airbrush
the gold "paint" onto
SugarVeil. Some customers allow
the SugarVeil to set, brush
a layer of hydrogenated fat
(Crisco) atop the pieces, and
then brush the powder on top
of that. |
Q21 |
How
long does SugarVeil stay viable
after it "dries"? |
A21 |
|
Indefinitely.
SugarVeil won't mold when dried.
Also, if it has only been dry
for a limited time, you may
return it to a flexible state
by microwaving it for 15 -
30 seconds (be sure to transport
it on a solid surface to the
microwave, as it is very fragile
when dry). The microwave warms
the SugarVeil piece and allows
you to quickly bend and shape
it as you would like. This
procedure has another advantage
as well - it will "freeze" SugarVeil
into position, and it will
remain exactly formed as you
have shaped it. |
Q22 |
How
do you make the dimensional
monograms as in the "Tribute
to Vera" cake? Also, can
you use real gold leaf for
SugarVeil monograms? |
A22 |
|
Yes, for monograms,
apply SugarVeil off the cake
thru a monogram stencil. Allow
to set slightly, then add SugarVeil
to monogram base by immersing
Icing Dispenser tip into area
and building dimensional height
into monogram. Dry monogram
completely in oven (light on
only).
To apply 23K gold leaf,
lightly moisten surface of
monogram with a paint brush.
Apply gold leaf to the tacky
surface with a soft, dry
brush, and allow to dry.
Brush away excess leaf. If
desired, steam monogram to
return to flexible state. |
| Q23 |
How
do you work with SugarVeil in
humid conditions? |
| A23 |
|
Humidity is
the amount of moisture in the
air, and is measured with a
hygrometer. Hygrometers are
available at home improvement
stores, or come with a few
of our kit
assortments.
The humidity you hear with newscasts
deals with outdoor humidity.
Indoor humidity, on the other
hand, is a completely different
humidity than outdoor, and needs
to be measured separately. For
both indoors and outdoors, the
lower the humidity, the drier
the air and environment; the
higher the humidity, the wetter
the air and environment.
Low humidity (25% or less) is
found in dry, desert locations,
but can also be present indoors
with ovens operating or furnace-heated
air. Indoor humidity readings
can fall to even single digits
without the use of a humidifier
to treat the dry air created
by a furnace.
Humidity is the highest in the
early morning (think fog, dew,
lower temperatures). When the
sun rises and evaporates moisture,
humidity levels greatly decrease.
To determine during the morning
hours that SugarVeil is properly
'set', wait until the sun shines.
In Reno, Nevada, a relatively
dry place, for example, at 7:30
a.m. the humidity measures 72%;
at 1:30 p.m. it falls to 25%.
SugarVeil decorations set quicker
in drier air, so low humidity
is usually'fabric' spread thinly
onto silicone mats, or the delicate
lace made with our Confectioners’
Mats, certain considerations
should be made.
In dry conditions, SugarVeil
needs around 4 hours of setting
time before removing from the
Confectioners’ Mats. When the
air is very dry (a humidity of
25% or less), care should be
taken that SugarVeil does not
dry before receiving the full
amount of setting time. If a
humidifier is not available,
or the surrounding air cannot
be humidified to be at least
35%, place the partially set
mat (usually dry to the touch
in 30 minutes or so in dry air)
into a large 2.5 gal. zipped
plastic bag. Curl one short end
of the mat upwards in order to
zip the bag. The zipped bag provides
a micro-climate of about 32%
humidity, allowing SugarVeil
to set thoroughly over a 4 hour
period of time.
By the same token, peeling thin
SugarVeil 'fabric' from a silicone
mat and placing between parchment
sheets in a zipped bag improves
the pliability and handling of
the thin fabric.
Here are some other helpful
tips for working with thin SugarVeil
in very dry air:
- Use more recently
purchased SugarVeil. The
younger the SugarVeil, the
greater the flexibility.
This aspect goes unnoticed
and really doesn’t matter
when doing all other SugarVeil
applications such as stenciling,
piping, combing into lines,
or making into other than
paper-thin 'fabric', but
is critical for extremely
thin applications.
- Use the
paddle attachment and beat
SugarVeil for a full 10 minutes,
rather than the normal 4
minutes time.
- Be sure to use
2nd day SugarVeil (SugarVeil
mixed the day before) when
using the Confectioners’
Mats. Beat SugarVeil a full
minute before use the next
day. When spreading, the
mat may look immediately
'white' and you might assume
it is covered, but it is
important to spread SugarVeil
repeatedly lengthwise, crosswise,
and diagonally to compact
a sufficiency into the tiny
incised lines.
- Do not work
in, or allow SugarVeil to
‘set’ in the direct path
of a blowing furnace duct
or within the glare of the
sun. Also, move/change the
direction of the silicone
mat periodically to ensure
even setting.
- If after spreading
the lace you have left it
too long and it has started
to dry, or if after removing
a corner you discover that
it is too thin because you
have applied too much pressure
while scraping, spread SugarVeil
again over the lace and scrape
cleanly. This second application
will strengthen and hydrate
the underlying partially-dried
lace, and quickly set to
be flexible.
- When using the
Confectioners’ Mats, you
can almost eliminate the
considerations necessary
for working in dry air by
smoothing an overall 2nd,
solid layer of SugarVeil
(a contrasting color is nice)
over the lace, onto the surface
of the entire mat when lace
is dry to the touch. This
may be a preferable alternative
to using the sheer lace by
itself.
- When making fabric,
if you spread SugarVeil a
bit thicker to make bows
and punched shapes, you'll
have a longer working time
in the dry air.
- While working, keep
unused SugarVeil fabric under
a silicone mat, or in a plastic
zipped bag to protect from
the dry air.
|
| Q24 |
How
to do you work with SugarVeil
in dry conditions? |
| A24 |
|
If your indoor
humidity measures 50% or more,
beat SugarVeil for 10 minutes
rather than 4 minutes, and be
sure to dry out the surrounding
air when setting. In order to
dry out the air, which will allow
SugarVeil to set faster, you
need dry heat (produced by ovens
operating, in areas of sunlight,
under heat lamps, or near a heat
duct), and moving air - fans
blowing over the top of the freshly-made
SugarVeil decorations. It's important
is to work in the driest area
you have - use a humidity gauge
to determine the driest place
within your work area. Also,
remember that dishwashers, steam,
soup cooking on a stove, running
water, and laundry dryers load
the air with humidity. When decorations
are set and not yet placed onto
a cake, place them in a zipped
plastic bag to keep the humidity
out (which is just the opposite
of non-humid areas, where you
place the decorations in the
zipped bags to keep the humidity
in).
Here are a collection of tips
from email questions regarding
working with SugarVeil Confectionery
Icing in humid climates:
"In very humid conditions,
a de-humidifier is probably the
best choice to have to dry out
air in the working area so there
is not a hint of stickiness with
SugarVeil. Have a little bowl
of potato or corn starch nearby
to lightly dust fingertips as
you work [sometimes you can also
lightly dust the SugarVeil "fabric" as
well, but be careful in doing
this because it will shorten
the window of time of flexibility]."
”In humid areas, design SugarVeil
decorated cakes so that the decorations
are supported by the cake. For
example, don't have delicate
lace suspended or hanging off
of the edge of a cake. Examples
of good designs for humid conditions
are the top
two cakes on this page of
our cake gallery. They were done
with stencils [stencils are available
via Designer
Stencils and in
craft stores. Stencil
SugarVeil onto a silicone mat or greased
parchment,
and attach decorations to cake
when set".
"Make sure that you beat
SugarVeil directly before piping
or stenciling. It should have
a sheen and be white-white. Anything
less than this denotes that you
need to re-mix it for a minute
or so."
"Store your set SugarVeil
decorations between parchment
sheets in a Ziploc bag or Tupperware
(you may want to include a desiccant),
air tight to keep out the humidity
until you are ready to use them.
In humid conditions, air-tight
storage keeps the humidity out;
in dry conditions air-tight storage
of SugarVeil decorations keeps
the moisture in, so they will
be flexible when you are ready
to use them. "
"When making bows (or any
decoration which is not flat
on the cake) let them dry completely
in a food dehydrator or a 100
degree F oven before placing
onto the cake. Smear white chocolate
("Almond Bark" works
best) with your finger on the
inside of the bow where the gathers
are, to keep the loft. Alternately,
you can use wafer (rice) paper
behind the SugarVeil as a support,
as shown on our "Dessert
Garnishes" DVD)."
”The ambient conditions in a
humid climate will allow SugarVeil
to become flexible again by absorbing
moisture in the air when taken
out of the dehydrator (we call
this the "reverse setting" process). 'Reverse
setting' of SugarVeil is something
that makes a humid climate advantageous.
SugarVeil decorations are placed
upon a rigid surface (parchment
covered cardboard, for example)
and placed in a food dehydrator
or an oven to set (use very low
heat so you don't cook it - best
is 135 degrees F or less). Completely
dry the decorations, then carefully
remove the decorations (still
on the rigid surface) and allow
them to absorb the ambient humidity
to become flexible again in order
to place onto the cake."
"Another tip: Julie Bashore,
Master Decorator who teaches
SugarVeil classes, seals SugarVeil
pieces by spraying them with
edible shellac (the kind they
use on chocolate). By doing this,
the pieces can remain flexible
for even months, as the surface
of the decorations are sealed
and block further moisture acting
on the pieces." |
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