Icing Sugar drives me bonkers

[Gravy Queen]

Icing sugar (confectioners sugar) drives me bonkers. The stuff just gets everywhere. I have black glossy kitchen work tops and its a nuisance having to clean the whole kitchen as the white dust settles.

Anyway, while making butter icing for my jubilee cake yesterday I took advantage of the sunny weather and took my cake making into the garden, such bliss not to worry about the billowy white clouds of icing sugar, although my bay trees did look rather pretty coated in it.

I heartily recommend baking in the garden.

 

[bakechef]

I like that idea.

My Kitchenaid is black and always needs to be cleaned after using icing sugar.

 

[Addie]

I use my pastry blender to start with buttercream icing. Then when all the butter is completely mixed in, I go to my mixer. Saves a lot of aggravation.

 

[CWS4322]

I use my pastry blender to start with buttercream icing. Then when all the butter is completely mixed in, I go to my mixer. Saves a lot of aggravation.

+1

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

I have the same prob with talc Gravitas, I perspire a lot when mowing the lawn and parts of me chafe like billy O.Do you think I should try vaseline as Mrs BDF has refused to use the Dyson's nozzle again?

 

[Gravy Queen]

Bakechef - same here, my beloved Kitchen Aid is black and beautiful and I hate having him covered in icing sugar, would much rather go outside (this may prove tricky in the winter but shall keep you posted on that).

Addie - by pastry blender do you mean like a food processor? This particular recipe used a LOT of icing sugar so I just decided to haul it all outside.

Bolly my dear boy, I told you mowing the lawn in your rubber lederhosen would chafe. Tsk.

 

[taxlady]

Bakechef - same here, my beloved Kitchen Aid is black and beautiful and I hate having him covered in icing sugar, would much rather go outside (this may prove tricky in the winter but shall keep you posted on that).

Addie - by pastry blender do you mean like a food processor? This particular recipe used a LOT of icing sugar so I just decided to haul it all outside.

Bolly my dear boy, I told you mowing the lawn in your rubber lederhosen would chafe. Tsk.

Pastry blender:

 

[Addie]

Bakechef - same here, my beloved Kitchen Aid is black and beautiful and I hate having him covered in icing sugar, would much rather go outside (this may prove tricky in the winter but shall keep you posted on that).

Addie - by pastry blender do you mean like a food processor? This particular recipe used a LOT of icing sugar so I just decided to haul it all outside.

Bolly my dear boy, I told you mowing the lawn in your rubber lederhosen would chafe. Tsk.

No, I mean the old fashion way. By hand. Sure, you get a workout. But look at the calories you burn up. I have a wire pastry blender. circa 1940. Easy to keep the ingredients moving. The pastry blenders that have blades instead of wires allow the ingredients to get clogged. I figure it was as much work hauling everything outside as it would have been to start it all by hand. I admit I am from the old school. I do a lot of things the way my mother did them. But then I do a lot of things my own way with the new fangled conveniences. Then some activities in the kitchen just call for common sense. Like mixing powdery ingredients at a very slow pace. Even by hand if necessary.

 

[LPBeier]

I'm usually doing four batches of buttercream at once (translates to four 2 kilo bags of sugar and 2 pounds of unsalted butter) in my KA Professional. I cream my butter well, then add the sugar just one cup at a time, beating it in very well until I am half way. Then I add my milk to cream it a little then add the sugar in the same way. I also make sure I have the splash guard on my machine. It takes awhile and doesn't totally stop the "snowfall", but it works for me. I can adjust the texture when I am done, adding more milk or sugar as needed.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Must not have much wind to be able to mix icing sugar outside. I'd have to start mixing in one county and head to the next to finish up...

 

[Alix]

The pastry blenders that have blades instead of wires allow the ingredients to get clogged.

I have to disagree with you on this one Addie. I have a wonderful pastry blender with blades that never gets clogged up. Neither do the blades bend the way my old wire one used to do. I think it likely depends on the quality of the blender you use. My wire one was kind of cheap (came in a basket of items at my bridal shower) and this one was from a friend who makes lots of pastry. He knows his stuff and swore this was the best one he'd ever used. He didn't lie.

 

[taxlady]

I have to disagree with you on this one Addie. I have a wonderful pastry blender with blades that never gets clogged up. Neither do the blades bend the way my old wire one used to do. I think it likely depends on the quality of the blender you use. My wire one was kind of cheap (came in a basket of items at my bridal shower) and this one was from a friend who makes lots of pastry. He knows his stuff and swore this was the best one he'd ever used. He didn't lie.

What's special about your blade pastry blender? Could you post a photo?

My blade pastry blender gets clogged. When I had a wire one, the wires went every which way, so I chucked it.

 

[Alix]

I don't think there is anything particularly special about it. I can't even find a brand name on it. It's made a LOT of pie crust though!

 

[Addie]

I don't think there is anything particularly special about it. I can't even find a brand name on it. It's made a LOT of pie crust though!

The difference in yours is that the blades are far enough apart and there is enough room between your knuckles and the blades so that was product comes up through the blades, it falls out easily. It doesn't build up. A lot of the ones with blades are much smaller.

My wire one does goes array at times. But when it does, the product falls out and like yours the handle is high enough so that when the product does start to build up, it falls over on its own. One of the reasons I love it has nothing to do with performance. It is the age of the item. I bought it at a large yard sale. The woman was breaking up her mothers home. There were a lot of items that I remember my mother using. And this wire one with the green handle was just like hers. My mother had hers since before WWII. I had to have it. It has served me well. And I like to think the women who had it before me knows that it is being used with love. The tradition carries on.

 

[CWS4322]

I have three of those "old-fashioned" wire kind. They don't get clogged, but I've had to replace the screw on one of them several times.

 

[Addie]

I have three of those "old-fashioned" wire kind. They don't get clogged, but I've had to replace the screw on one of them several times.

Plug the screw hole with wooden matches or toothpicks. Break off the ends and then put a screw in.

You gotta luv those old antique kitchen tools. Sure they make better ones today, but they have no history or love to go with them.

 

[Alix]

Gravy Queen, I'm so sorry! I hijacked your thread!

 

[Mel!]

'' Icing sugar (confectioners sugar) drives me bonkers. The stuff just gets everywhere. ''
White flour and cocao have the same effect too. If are not careful while pouring them, clouds of white or brown go up and get everywhere.

''I took advantage of the sunny weather and took my cake making into the garden...''
It's a good thing the bees didnt notice.

 

[bakechef]

I don't think there is anything particularly special about it. I can't even find a brand name on it. It's made a LOT of pie crust though!

That's the one I have, I wrecked too many wire ones. I tend to do the same to wire whisks so I got some sturdy Vollrath ones.

 

[taxlady]

I don't think there is anything particularly special about it. I can't even find a brand name on it. It's made a LOT of pie crust though!

That looks exactly like mine, right down to not showing a brand name. I had also decided to get a good one. It doesn't clog up right away, but I always take out a knife to unclog it when I use it.

Maybe it's down to technique.