For her birthday my daughter is being given a day course in cake decorating. She has asked for an icing set too.I assume some are better than others, do any of you cake decorators out there have any recommendations please? I'm clueless but would like to get a good one. She wants the metal syringe type that the bits screw into. Also an icing modelling set. Thanks in anticipation. ;D
my mum used to ice cakes, beautiful, they were, I remember her doing a crinoline lady, a galleon, a basket of flowers(made all her own pansies etc, and an open book for a 21st, she won prizes and one of them was a 'tala' icing set, I think..she said i was the best type but that was 35 years ago ;D
sorry to waffle on, it's getting near anniversary time :-\
I am certainly not a wonderful cake decorator. Although I wish I was
Most of the professionals seem to use icing bags with forcing nozzles rather than the syringe sort which I actually find easier to use. The 'Tala' set my grandmother used, is still in full working order. But those plastic ones from the pound shop work perfectly well and are much easier to clean.
Find a long established kitchen equipment shop and ask. The quality attachments they stock should be interchangeable so that the decorator can add to them.
Get the basic nozzles then your daughter can build up her set as she becomes more competent.
Not only is it icing cakes but things like potato and mayonnaise which can be piped. Choux pastry. meringues and all sorts once the skill is mastered.
She may also like a turn table. I think a lot of decorators cut their shapes from plastic bought from craft shops to make designs these days.
Some times we end up spending a fortune on the best for a hobby which has a far shorter life span than the aparatus.
I have had the Tala Icing Syringe for 30 years ( :-[) and it is still going strong, I can well recommend it!
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/tala-icing-syringe-set/F/C/cooking-baking/C/cooking-baking-cake-decorating/product/13040
I am glad they stil make it!
Hope that helps.
T.
I have also had one of these for the same length of time and it saves a lot of time when I am baking, bought one for my daughter when she went off to uni and will be buying one for son this year....
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/tala-cook's-measure/F/keyword/tala+cooks+measure/product/13046
T.
Thanks all. Will look at Lakeland. It also occurred to me to phone the place where she is going and to ask them.
You are so right PH about the life span of the hobby, but she is looking for a new way to earn a living and is very talented in both cooking and cake decorating(she would also like to join the MET but they aren't recruiting ::), can't help her there though ;D)
There is a wholesaler in the UK, name escapes me, I used to buy all my supplies in bulk and delivered. very much cheaper than the regular stores,maybe the course teacher will know but I would suggest looking into it,re icing set, I would very strongly suggest the piping bags if she is to do much, if working with more than one colour it is a nuisance, I would often have 4 or 5 colours in paper piping bags and it is quite easy once you get to know how, then you buy whichever tips you want or a collection, I have a couple of sets with about 40 in each.
Wish her luck from me, I brought all my cake pans to and equipment to Canada , now I kinda regret it as doubt I will do it anymore.
E bay is a good place for cake decorating books and if she likes childrens cakes tell her to check out Debbie Brown, she has a website which shoes every page of every one of her books so you can see ahead what they are like..a super site.
XX Jeannine
Well, what a coincidence. Not five hours before you posted I delivered a box of 100 DVDs I'd just finished duplicating, to go to the sales director of Tala - you can see it on their website www.george-east.com but I should give it an hour or two before you look as they seem to have posted the sound without the picture! :)
Thanks again all, especially for the links. Just had a very helpful conversation with someone from the course, they have a shop there and it sells everything she will need, so panic over :). I will look at the books and get some so she has a pressy to unwrap ;D