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Working with Royal Icing
Appears in
By Culinary Institute of America
Published 2015
Royal Icing Décor is typically piped on parchment or plastic sheets, allowed to dry, and stored in airtight containers for later use. Royal icing is easily colored using food coloring or by airbrushing it. Generally, royal icing is not intended to be consumed, at least in any measurable quantity, as it has no flavor and is only sweet.
Care must be used in handling royal icing. When exposed to air, the icing dries quickly, becoming hard and brittle. If any of the dried icing gets incorporated into the icing being used for décor work, the hardened particles will block the piping tip. For this reason, it is always good practice to keep the sides of the container holding the icing clean. Remove any dried particles of icing from the sides of the container promptly with a clean damp cloth before they can fall back into the icing. While you work, keep a clean, damp paper towel directly on the surface of the icing in the container to prevent a crust from forming.