Exhibit A

One baking question that I'm frequently asked—

"Is sifting really necessary?"

For those of you who'd like to know the answer...

14 Comments

By Marcus on August 1, 2007 6:53 AM

Dave, off topic, is there any particular reason that RSS subscribers to your blog get every post duplicated? It's not a big deal, but odds are you don't read your own blog, so you wouldn't know. Heck, maybe it's just me?

By dodo on August 1, 2007 7:18 AM

I use live bookmarks via rss and i dont get them duplicate, havent tried with a proper rss reader thought

By Rita on August 1, 2007 7:49 AM

I use Google Reader and I get them duplicated every single time. Kinda wierd...

We three are really off topic, lol.

By flavia on August 1, 2007 7:54 AM

ok, back to business now!! I'm a baker and the only thing I sift is cocoa and confectioner's sugar...The rest goes "as is" and works just the same...Parole de patissiere !!

By PF on August 1, 2007 8:20 AM

I don't get double posts with Firefox browser

By Mercedes on August 1, 2007 8:53 AM

Cocoa powder and powdered sugar are the two things I always sift. In other news, I'm sure you saw todays ice cream articles in the NYTimes. I'm skeptical of Bittman's claim about cornstarch ice cream, especially with skim milk; however, Harold McGee's article on dondurma was cool...

By David on August 1, 2007 9:17 AM

I use NewsFire and sometimes they come through twice around here too, since I have to make the inevitable corrections after posting.

Since I can't read what I write as clearly as I can after it's posted, I do go back and make changes and they randomly do pop up sometimes twice in my feeder.

I think there may be something in your Preferences that controls that, but I'm better at doling out baking advice rather than technical advice.
Apologies, but perfection has it's its price ; )

Mercedes: Yes, I did see that. And I (and others) beat him to the punch and do have a cornstarch-based ice cream in The Perfect Scoop (page 133) that's quite good.

By mbs on August 1, 2007 11:57 AM

just a note. if they tell you to sift brown sugar, beware that it will clog your strainer instantly; the trick is to mix it up first with your other dry to-be-sifted ingredients.

By Hillary on August 1, 2007 12:26 PM

Haha what a great exhibit. How do you think the cocoa powder got THAT clumpy? Is it from moisture in the air?

By Judith in Umbria on August 1, 2007 3:25 PM

Hmmmm, I just whiz things in the FP and it gets all airy and separated.

By Joanne on August 1, 2007 3:45 PM

I agree, i never sift even when the recipe says to (GASP!) unless i think need to. and you get pretty good at figuring out when you need to with time and experience... If you're more of the paranoid type i think you need to sift all the time, though. it should give you peace of mind.

Btw, good tips Judith & mbs, i will definately keep that in mind.

By Sean on August 1, 2007 5:20 PM

OMG, why are there rocks in your cocoa?

By Lu on August 1, 2007 5:39 PM

I rarely sift, but if I do I use my strainer. If I need to do a quick "sift", I use a big whisk in the dry ingredient bowl.

On another happy-go-lucky note.... YAY, the Blenheim jam is almost at my house, the Blenheim jam is almost at my house! Did I repeat myself? Did I repeat myself?

(Translation: thanks for the tip oh-so-many month ago, David, I can't wait to taste it.)

By Kevin on August 2, 2007 10:51 AM

Cocoa Pebbles! haha Just pour the milk.