CMC stands for carboxymethyl cellulose. It's a fine powder that makes the sugar paste thicker/firmer (the formed parts hold the shape better) and speeds-up the drying time. Other names for CMC are tylose powder and tylo powder.
CMC is NOT the same thing as gum tragacanth. CMC is a synthetic substitute for gum tragacanth. CMC works quicker than gum tragacanth, so you don't have to wait many hours for the paste to get thicker/firmer.
CMC is NOT the same thing as gum tragacanth. CMC is a synthetic substitute for gum tragacanth. CMC works quicker than gum tragacanth, so you don't have to wait many hours for the paste to get thicker/firmer.
You can add CMC to any type of sugar paste:
Plain gum paste and modelling paste hold the shape well, so there's no need to add any CMC to them. But not all brands are the same - some are quite soft and don't dry out quickly. If you want them to be thicker/firmer and you want them to dry faster, you can add CMC to them.
- fondant (sugarpaste)
- gum paste (flower paste)
- mix of fondant and gum paste
- modelling paste
Plain gum paste and modelling paste hold the shape well, so there's no need to add any CMC to them. But not all brands are the same - some are quite soft and don't dry out quickly. If you want them to be thicker/firmer and you want them to dry faster, you can add CMC to them.