Equipment and Technique

[paynes1]

Hi Everyone,

Gathering supplies for my tool kit. What tools do you have that you find most helpful?

Any tips for improving piping, lettering and icing skills?

Thanks

Edited May 5, 2006 by paynes1 (log)

[Tweety69bird]

Any tips for improving piping and icing skills?

No way around it... practice, practice, practice.

Use piping gel, chocolate, buttercream... etc... and practice on counter tops, plexi glass, etc.

[RuthWells]

Hi Everyone,

Gathering supplies for my tool kit.  What tools do you have that you find most helpful?

Any tips for improving piping, lettering and icing skills?

Thanks

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For decorating cakes? A turntable/lazy Susan for the cake, non-skid shelf liner to keep the cake where you put it, and a long offset spatula are among my essentials. Lots of icing bags so that you don't have to stop and wash them too often. Of course, the non-essentials are really fun to have, too........

[bripastryguy]

I have all new students buy coloring books and have them trace the characters, lettering, etc... it helps to work on their piping skills

[K8memphis]

Parchment for making bags.

Collect turntables--all kinds.

A nice cookie sheet with the lip on one side only so you can use it to torte cakes with (to lift the cake with) and bake cookies too.

Brushes for applying dusts and painting stuff.

Lots of bowls for mixing colors, lots of spoons.

Liquid food color with those cool drop at a time lids. I despise using toothpicks in those screw top jars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Invest in good pans. Get the odd sized pans too, 3", 5", 7", 9", 11", 13", 15".

Consider piping from your shoulder down rather than from your wrist, hand or elbow. Practice making overlapping circles and lines*. Hold your breath when you write.

(ElaineT, *the Palmer Method!!! Works for me )

edited to add: pipe by rhythm, count or sing (mentally) or just be rhythmic at it.

Edited May 6, 2006 by K8memphis (log)

[SweetSide]

Consider piping from your shoulder down rather than from your wrist, hand or elbow. Practice making overlapping circles and lines*. Hold your breath when you write.

(ElaineT, *the Palmer Method!!! Works for me  )

edited to add: pipe by rhythm, count or sing (mentally) or just be rhythmic at it.

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Definitely -- never thought about that until you wrote it down. I do both of these (by instinct?) and it works so much better.

On my list, add:

Blowtorch (used for all kinds of things)

a long spackling knife for cakes -- get at a hardware store or paint store

thermometers -- fast and accurate instant, candy

And may I re-emphasize -- get GOOD cake pans. Matte aluminum, heavy weight. I'm in the process of buying all new pans because the good ones are so much better than my old ones. Don't even have to level most of my cakes.

[paynes1]

Thank you all! anyone else who wants to weight in...feel free.

[paynes1]

(ElaineT, *the Palmer Method!!! Works for me )

Would this be the Palmer Method of penmanship Instruction?

[paynes1]

I have all new students buy coloring books and have them trace the characters, lettering, etc... it helps to work on their piping skills

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Is there any medium initially easier to work with than others?

[K8memphis]

(ElaineT, *the Palmer Method!!! Works for me )

Would this be the Palmer Method of penmanship Instruction?

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The very same.

Not to mention, Elaine and I attended the same grade school where we diligently applied the Palmer method.

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