Fake Cheese steak

[AL822]

Hi! I'm PSM and Prop Master for my schools production of David Ives "All In The Timing." I have idea's about everything except how to make a fake cheese steak. Has anyone ever made fake food before? Help would be greatly appreciated. I'm new to this forum and I'm loving it so far.

[paulears]

Assuming it doesn't need to be actually eaten, and just looked at, then the toughest solution is fibreglass resin. It's would need you to waste a perfectly good steak, although - I'd be tempted to use a mould made from medical grade plaster, then I could eat the steak afterwards! Cook it, dress it and serve it, let it go cold. Lightly brush on some plaster. Then once that has set, add a bit more depth to the casting. Once that's gone off give it a coat or two of liquid wax - the kind supermarkets sell works ok. Mix the resin and hardener and with a brush coat the inside of the mould. Once it goes off and starts to be just tacky, take some fibreglass mat in small strips and lay them on, and stipple down with more resin. For something small, a single layer will probably do. Once it's gone off and is dry, it should come out fairly easily. It will have a yellowish colour and then it's a case of the arty bit - which frankly I am rubbish at (and leave for others to do) paint it to match the original colours.

 

Take the usual precautions for dealing with fibreglass, so it's mask and eye protection and gloves if you're sensitive.

 

 

Mind you - all this takes time money and effort, and you might find it cheaper just to cook a real bit of steak every show and eat it afterwards!

http://www.eastanglianradio.com/food.jpg

Fibreglass chicken

[Biskit]

I have idea's about everything except how to make a fake cheese steak.

 

Have a look at http://www.props4shows.co.uk/fake_food/meats/950_0c.html . There are several options on there for artificial food. I've never used this site before, just seen them advertised in Terralec's catalog (lighting/sound equipment supplier). They look very good from the photos though, and I think you'd struggle to make (or cook every day) something similar for the cost.

 

HTH

 

Ben.

[Jemma]

By cheese steak, do you mean one of these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheesesteak ?

 

If so, a reall budget version could be something along these lines:

 

1) Buy a real bread baguette, cut open, leave to go stale (or VERY gently bake to dry out) and then seal with PVA glue.

2) Get some thick textured (pref. brown) fabric, tear into meat-sized pieces, dip in PVA with a dash of water (and perhaps a dash of brown paint depending on your fabric) and lay in the bread.

3) Once the rest is dry (with the able assistance of a hairdrier if time is lmited), mix some yellow (acrylic or poster) paint with a dash of PVA and drizzle cheese-like over the rest of your creation.

 

Of course, the efficacy of this depends on how close the audience are and how long you need it to last.

 

This appears to have been a public service broadcast on behalf of the PVA glue manufacturers - this was not the intention, honest!

 

Good luck.

[itinerant baker]

@paulears: Is the type of fiberglass and resin in the vehicle body repair kits that are available from Halfords etc. suitable for this sort of model work?

 

 

 

(Apologies if this is an obvious or often asked one, I don't come around this way often.)

[paulears]

I think so - I get mine from a handy fibreglass company near where I live, but the stuff is usually just a metal tin with the resin and a tube, or strange flat tube of catalyst. I suspect if you buy from places like Halfords you'll pay a lot for quite a little. Last lot I had came in metal cans with bottles of catalyst - 10kg was about £30. The smaller quantites with the tubes work out a bit more expensive, but depends how much you need.

[itinerant baker]

I suppose if you only need a little Halfords may be the way to go as an industrial supply company may not want to provide a steaks worth, but obviously not necessarily the most efficient way to do it.

[AL822]

Thanks everyone you've helped me out sooo much and I can't thank you all enough.