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Post by weesilvie on Feb 23, 2014 11:10:00 GMT
Yesterday was brief respite, the wind and rain are back today:(
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 24, 2014 1:36:57 GMT
There just isn't any place left for the water to go. The Lakes District probably even has lakes in it by now! Question for anyone who bakes. Do you sift the dry ingredients, or mix them? Hubby and I were watching cooking shows, and show after show put the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisked them. I commented that I was taught to put all the dry ingredients in a sieve or sifter, and sift it. Next show, and the cook was my age, and she sifted! So I'm wondering if it's an age thing, and sifting stopped being taught, or if some cultures sift and some stir? Curious to hear what you do, or what you remember your mom or grandmother doing.
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Post by Bean on Feb 24, 2014 10:09:17 GMT
I always used to sift but these days I can never be bothered finding or washing the sieve, so I usually skip that step! Having done it with and without I can't tell a difference - if I felt the results were better, I'd do it. I once read stirring flour etc through with a fork does just as good a job, so I do that if I think it needs it. The only exception is cocoa powder as that has some gritty little bits in.
My mum definitely used a sieve, and my gran.
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 24, 2014 16:18:45 GMT
I always found a few gritty bits of flour left in the sieve. Not enough to bother with sifting, I guess. I was just trained that way. I was thinking it might be an age thing. Maybe flour and other dry ingredients weren't as well milled in the old days, so everything had to be sifted. I don't think there's a right or wrong way. I was just curious.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Feb 24, 2014 18:36:13 GMT
So did mine Bean love, I can see her now in front of the large sandy coloured china bowl with sieve poised.
Hugs
JO xx
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Post by Bean on Feb 25, 2014 8:47:18 GMT
Maybe flour and other dry ingredients weren't as well milled in the old days, so everything had to be sifted. That's a very good point! Oh and I just remembered I sift icing sugar too - that has lots of little lumps in if you don't.
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 25, 2014 18:07:20 GMT
Just combined a new box and part of an old box of baking soda, and the old box was lumpy. It had been sealed, too, so I am finding more reasons for sifting. Mixing wouldn't break up those clumps. I used the sieve to sprinkle powdered sugar on cakes and cookies, too.
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Post by Bean on Feb 26, 2014 10:44:35 GMT
Another thing is a standard sponge recipe - traditionally there's a set way of combining the ingredients (creaming the butter and sugar, beating the eggs before adding etc), but I'm seeing more of the 'Just bung it all in the food processor at once' way of thinking. One of my favourite cake recipes (lemon drizzle cake) says this and I've never thought the texture was compromised from cobbing it all together at once. I still carry on doing it the traditional way most of the time with other cakes though - not sure why!
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 26, 2014 20:16:50 GMT
Interesting point. If I use the food processor, it has blades that pretty much reduce everything. If I use the stand mixer, I have a beater that mixes everything at whatever speed I set, but certainly doesn't bung it all in together and chop the hmhm out of it. Blender would be the same, probably. Maybe it's the level of destruction used that makes a difference. The banana bread recipe is on where the bananas are mashed, then butter, sugar and beaten egg mixed with vanilla are added. Then the dry ingredients go in a bit strangely, as I don't see why the salt and baking soda get mixed together and added, then the flour goes in last? Why not mix the baking soda, salt and flour, and add it at the same time? One thing about sieving rather than just bunging is that sieving fluffs up the flour. A cup of bunged flour will be denser and more drying than a cup of sieved flour. More hmmms? My last loaf of banana bread tastes great, but never cooked in the middle. I kept getting distracted, so I think I forgot something I may also not have set the cooking time right, and not realized that at the time, either. I'm eating the outsides, and I'll toss the middle Be interesting to try the banana bread in the food processor. Just might do that next time. Bread machine requires all ingredients be added in a certain order, one at a time. As soon as the machine starts, the center paddle bungs it all around and mixes it, anyway, so I don't see why it all had to go in in exactly that order? Curiouser and curiouser.
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Post by Bean on Feb 27, 2014 9:47:17 GMT
In the name of science, I made a cake this morning and just bunged it all in together to see if it was any different (and it was a beater rather than a whizzer) - the batter and cake didn't look any different, so if the taste is the same I shall probably just do that from now on!
Bad luck on the banana bread, but good call just eating round the doughy bit! I've been buying loads of bananas to make banana bread but they're all disappearing before I get the chance!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Feb 27, 2014 19:03:54 GMT
Mine all goes in the food processor too and it is just as good as when the ingredants were put in gradually.
Hugs
JO xx
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Post by Bean on Feb 27, 2014 20:14:28 GMT
Good thinking - saves you the faff of doing it all separately!
A load of the cake has disappeared - I forgot to ask if there was any difference with it, but it certainly seemed to go down nicely enough!
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 28, 2014 2:15:02 GMT
Most banana bread recipes call for 3-4 overly ripe bananas. I like 4. I think it makes a moister, more flavorful bread. Usually I end up with 1 or 2 bananas left, and just eat them. Keeping them until I get two or three more doesn't work. Hubby's coworkers keep asking him if I sent anything else in with him. Just making sure he didn't forget to put it out in the dining area Daughter and granddaughter came down today. Apparently the blankey granddaughter has had since birth had its final insult when it got caught in the vacuum cleaner, and daughter promised granddaughter that grandmother could and would save blankey. I now have sacred blankey, plus an endless list of requirements from granddaughter for how it has to be once it's fixed. I showed it to hubby, and he just chuckled and shook his head. Poor thing has been through the wars I will take before and after pictures, if I manage to save its life, so you can see the blankey resurrection. I expect I will get regular calls from granddaughter making sure I still have it, and it's okay
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 1, 2014 16:36:53 GMT
Ha ha, ths really tickled me love, I hope blankey has been fully restored LOL!!
Hugs
JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 1, 2014 22:19:18 GMT
Blankey surgery began today. I have done a blanket stitch on two of the four major tears in the blanket. Between the overly smelly detergent and dryer sheets she uses, and the places that blankey has been, it stinks. Don't even dare wash it until I finish tacking the tears together. Hubby suggest safety pins, a lot of safety pins. I'm thinking that might be the answer I will post pictures of a bit later. Blankey withdrawal started yesterday, with Peanut asking her mom when they were leaving to go to grammys and get blankey. A blankeyless booboo also made withdrawal worse. I'm hoping to get blankey fixed and maybe even mail him back to Peanut, so she can have him before Mom can bring her down again.
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Post by margaret6 on Mar 1, 2014 23:33:35 GMT
Poor Blankey, hope he's on his way to a full recovery. Watch he doesn't get lost in the mail, Peanuts would be heart broken. Our mail is not always reliable in Scotland. Keep him till she visits again, just say he is having a holiday with his Grammy! Xx
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 2, 2014 1:44:37 GMT
Margaret. Blankey is partially tacked back together, and partially safety pinned. Daughter uses such strong detergent and dryer sheets, plus all that the Peanut puts Blankey through, the smell was making me sick. Two washings in vinegar later, it still smells, but only of the detergent and fabric softener, and I have to hold it to my face to smell that. This is poor blankey partly tacked back together. I did a blanket stitch on the two short tears, and on one hole, but the big main tear I had to pin to wash it: I will post more pics as surgery progresses
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Post by weesilvie on Mar 2, 2014 12:22:17 GMT
Well done 3piggles, I'm sure granddaughter will be very pleased to have blankey back, whatever state it is in after your mending!
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Post by Bean on Mar 2, 2014 15:46:47 GMT
Good work so far! I'm so pleased neither of my two ever adopted anything as a special item to be kept with them at all times - they had favourite cuddly toys etc but nothing they wouldn't happily do without. I'm far too hopeless at keeping track of things, I'd have had repeatedly distressed kids! I'm sure Peanut will still treasure Blankey when she's a grown up and remember all the stories that lead to each stitch and repair job!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 2, 2014 16:49:54 GMT
Awww a job well done love.
Hugs
JO xx
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