[Sca-cooks] Sugar Plate - gelatin vs Gum Trag...

[Robert Downie]

drakey2 at iinet.net.au wrote:

> Ok, have a question for the list.
>
>With Sugar Plate, what are the advantages/disadvantages between using Gelatin 
>and Gum Traganth and are there any other agents that can be used and the 
>relative merits of them...
>
I've found the major advantage to using gelatine is lower cost.  
Gelatine is available in my grocery store for very little money, whereas 
would have to mail order gum tragacanth for more money :-)

I can't speak for the workability of gum trag, since I haven't had a 
chance to use it yet (but I do want to do a comparison between the 
available products, gelatine, gum tragacanth, tylose(?) at some point in 
my copious spare time...) but I seem to have to work relatively quickly 
with the gelatine version when handbuilding to avoid drying and surface 
cracking.  It does't seem to matter as much when using wood or plaster 
molds.  I also want to experiment adding  glucose to the mixture to see 
if it extends the workability without compromising stability.

I fooled quite a few people with the sugar paste napkins this weekend, 
they thought they were fabric until they tried to pick them up, heh, heh.
Faerisa