The thread on "Sifted Powdered Sugar" had me wondering. How do you measure your sugar? Do you measure with cups then sift? Do you weigh before or after sifting? I've been weighing then sifting my sugar, but just recently watched a show on Food TV that showed the difference in weight before and after sifting. What is the correct way to measure?
Thanks!
Hey, I always sift then measure. To me that just sounds better. No real reason why I do it that way~
General rule in baking cakes or anything else is sift then measure. With icings, I am definitely going to do it this way. You can always add more to get proper consistency. But sifting makes it a finer grain and easier to incorporate imho. I've done a lot of pastry work so I can only hazard to guess the same holds true with icings.
The thread on "Sifted Powdered Sugar" had me wondering. How do you measure your sugar? Do you measure with cups then sift? Do you weigh before or after sifting? I've been weighing then sifting my sugar, but just recently watched a show on Food TV that showed the difference in weight before and after sifting. What is the correct way to measure?
Thanks!
Well, I don't measure it like that.... 
I try to do my recipes by 2lbs per recipe.... For example... Wilton's buttercream recipe that calls for 1 lb of sugar, I double it and then I get 2 lb. Then I buy the 2lb sugar bag and dump the whole thing in.... It has already been sifted so I don't have to sift and measure....
Or, if the recipe calls for 1 lb of sugar and I don't want to double, then I buy the box of powdered sugar of just 1 lb and then I don't have to measure it....
So, in other words, I try to make the recipes where I don't have to measure, but that they already come in the right amount already packaged and measured to the amount I need....
I only do the method of sifing for flour, if needed....
I was taught by my high school home ec teacher to sift the powdered sugar, flour, etc onto a sheet of wax paper, then pic up the wax paper and pour the powdered sugar into the measuring cup (bowl or whatever). This prevents packing the sugar back down.
I find that it is much more accurate to go by weight...much more consistent results.
I go by weight also. Its much easier for me.
It is also more cost effective for me to buy 4# bags of powdered sugar, instead of 1# bags. Guess it depends on how many cakes you bake too. When I make buttercream, I always make it in quadruple batches and repeat two or three times. At any given time, I have 10 or 12 batches of buttercream on hand. so, I guess it's whatever works. As for the sifting...nope, I don't sift my powdered sugar. 
Well--now I just use the 2# bags of 10X sugar and sift that. I have recently found that using the 4# bags from Costco does not give as smooth as result as the 2# Domino bags of sugar.
I was buying all my sugar from Costco and using that. However, 2 weeks ago, I ran out of sugar and just ran to the grocery store and grabbed a bag. Even AFTER sifting, I could not BELIEVE the idfference in the consistency of the icing made with the Domino 10X and the Costco powdered sugar.
I checked the Costco bag and it does not say 10X, only powdered sugar. I'm thinking that it's not 10X and that's why the icing comes out more grainy using it. I had used the exact same ingredients, shortening, etc--the only difference was the sguar.
I now only exclusively use 10X==making SURE it says that on the bag.
Anyway--I sift off the entire 2# bag and then add it in about 4 or 5 additions incorporating well between additions.
Lisa
OK, so do you guys always sift your flour first and then measure? Or only if it calls for "sifted cake flour"?
I need to get a scale and start going by weight also. I know the regular Wilton BC recipe calls for 4 cups/1# of powdered sugar but the 1# box doesn't always equal to 4 cups.
I use to always sift first then measure. I found that there was always more sugar after sifting - weird. Anyway......... I have always used 10X Domino and one day I was running late so I did not sift and I could not tell the difference. I have tried it on several cakes, the not sifting, and still have not found a difference. I only use Domino's though.
bj 
When going by weight, it doesn't matter if you sift before our after you weigh it. When going by cups, you're supposed to spoon it into the cup and then after measuring, sift. When it says "1 c. Powdered Sugar", you sift after, when it says "1 c. sifted Powdered Sugar", you sift first. When you sift, it incorperates air into it. The air changes the volume but not the weight. When a one pound box doesn't measure out to 4 c. it's because it has settled and the air has gone out of it. If you sift and then measure and have some left over it's because of the extra air you put into it. You don't have extra product, you just used less because the extra air you sifted into the product took up space in your measuring cup. I hope I explained that clearly. 
When going by weight, it doesn't matter if you sift before our after you weigh it. When going by cups, you're supposed to spoon it into the cup and then after measuring, sift. When it says "1 c. Powdered Sugar", you sift after, when it says "1 c. sifted Powdered Sugar", you sift first.
This is the rule I go by as well. I don't sift unless the recipe calls for sifting.
Kroger brand is actually 12X..... makes a nice icing.
Really??? I didn't know that! I literally had it in my basket last week and then put it back for the Domino (more expensive) brand. I wish I would have known--I'm going to try that the next time.
Lisa
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