I have never had much luck with sifting brown sugar. It's too wet.
Maybe that's because it's really just white sugar with molasses. The
best I can do is to push it through a seive with the back of a wooden
spoon. But it takes a long time and I can only do small amounts. Does
anyone have a better method?

Please Advise,
Fool

(Fool) wrote:

I have never had much luck with sifting brown sugar. It's too wet.
Maybe that's because it's really just white sugar with molasses. The
best I can do is to push it through a seive with the back of a wooden
spoon. But it takes a long time and I can only do small amounts. Does
anyone have a better method?

Why would you want to sift brown sugar?

Yes, it is white sugar with molasses added. "True" brown sugar is
cane sugar that doesn't have all the cane syrup removed. Molasses is
cane syrup.

You get the lumps out of it by breaking them up with a spoon (if
they're soft lumps). If they're hard lumps, the general advice for
dealing with those is to add a wedge of apple or a slice of bread to
the bag for a day or so...the extra moisture will soften up the lump
so that you can break it with a spoon. If you're in a hurry, I've had
reasonable success with spraying the sugar lightly with water and
putting it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds until the lump softens.


jenn
--
Jenn Ridley

"Jenn Ridley" wrote in message
...
(Fool) wrote:

I have never had much luck with sifting brown sugar. It's too wet.
Maybe that's because it's really just white sugar with molasses. The
best I can do is to push it through a seive with the back of a wooden
spoon. But it takes a long time and I can only do small amounts. Does
anyone have a better method?

Why would you want to sift brown sugar?

Yes, it is white sugar with molasses added. "True" brown sugar is
cane sugar that doesn't have all the cane syrup removed. Molasses is
cane syrup.

You get the lumps out of it by breaking them up with a spoon (if
they're soft lumps). If they're hard lumps, the general advice for
dealing with those is to add a wedge of apple or a slice of bread to
the bag for a day or so...the extra moisture will soften up the lump
so that you can break it with a spoon. If you're in a hurry, I've had
reasonable success with spraying the sugar lightly with water and
putting it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds until the lump softens.


jenn
--
Jenn Ridley


alternatively, if the brown sugar has hardened, you could run it across a
cheese/vegetable shredder.

"Peggy" wrote in message
...
"Jenn Ridley" wrote in message
...
(Fool) wrote:

I have never had much luck with sifting brown sugar. It's too wet.
Maybe that's because it's really just white sugar with molasses. The
best I can do is to push it through a seive with the back of a wooden
spoon. But it takes a long time and I can only do small amounts. Does
anyone have a better method?

Why would you want to sift brown sugar?

Yes, it is white sugar with molasses added. "True" brown sugar is
cane sugar that doesn't have all the cane syrup removed. Molasses is
cane syrup.

You get the lumps out of it by breaking them up with a spoon (if
they're soft lumps). If they're hard lumps, the general advice for
dealing with those is to add a wedge of apple or a slice of bread to
the bag for a day or so...the extra moisture will soften up the lump
so that you can break it with a spoon. If you're in a hurry, I've had
reasonable success with spraying the sugar lightly with water and
putting it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds until the lump softens.


jenn
--
Jenn Ridley


alternatively, if the brown sugar has hardened, you could run it across a
cheese/vegetable shredder.

or you could always throw it away. Is it really worth all that effort?. I
don't think so.
Jim

or you could always throw it away. Is it really worth all that effort?. I
don't think so.
Jim

Depends on what kind of brown sugar you talk about.
The Rolling Stones made a song about a particular kind of brown sugar that
is worth it. Pricewise.
--
Henry!
"Your shoes have got to match what colour guitar you're playing. I had this
black guitar and I was going, 'Gem, I can't seem to dress with this
guitar'."

"Jim" a écrit dans le message de news:
...

"Peggy" wrote in message
...
"Jenn Ridley" wrote in message
...
(Fool) wrote:

I have never had much luck with sifting brown sugar. It's too wet.
Maybe that's because it's really just white sugar with molasses. The
best I can do is to push it through a seive with the back of a wooden
spoon. But it takes a long time and I can only do small amounts. Does
anyone have a better method?

Why would you want to sift brown sugar?

Yes, it is white sugar with molasses added. "True" brown sugar is
cane sugar that doesn't have all the cane syrup removed. Molasses is
cane syrup.

You get the lumps out of it by breaking them up with a spoon (if
they're soft lumps). If they're hard lumps, the general advice for
dealing with those is to add a wedge of apple or a slice of bread to
the bag for a day or so...the extra moisture will soften up the lump
so that you can break it with a spoon. If you're in a hurry, I've had
reasonable success with spraying the sugar lightly with water and
putting it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds until the lump softens.


jenn
--
Jenn Ridley


alternatively, if the brown sugar has hardened, you could run it across
a
cheese/vegetable shredder.

"Henry!" wrote in message
...
or you could always throw it away. Is it really worth all that effort?.
I
don't think so.
Jim

Depends on what kind of brown sugar you talk about.
The Rolling Stones made a song about a particular kind of brown sugar that
is worth it. Pricewise.
--
Henry!
"Your shoes have got to match what colour guitar you're playing. I had
this
black guitar and I was going, 'Gem, I can't seem to dress with this
guitar'."

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! I know what you mean Henry, but I think we might be getting
off topic on that one.

Regards and laughing

Jim

On Tue, 11 May 2004 21:49:16 -0400
Jenn Ridley wrote:

(Fool) wrote:

I have never had much luck with sifting brown sugar. It's too wet.
Maybe that's because it's really just white sugar with molasses. The
best I can do is to push it through a seive with the back of a wooden
spoon. But it takes a long time and I can only do small amounts. Does
anyone have a better method?

Why would you want to sift brown sugar?

Yes, it is white sugar with molasses added. "True" brown sugar is
cane sugar that doesn't have all the cane syrup removed. Molasses is
cane syrup.


Finally, someone else understands.

Yes, cheap 'brown sugar' is granulated white sugar with molasses
added - often it's even granulated beet sugar, how about that?

The good stuff, e.g. C&H, is manufactured with this weird process
where heated whole-cane syrup is turned in a centrifuge until the sugar
forms small needly crystals which obviously have different physical
properties in their whole, undissolved state than granulated sugar mixed
with molasses does. Does it matter? Sometimes. A little.

This drives me mad as well! If I don't sieve it when making my carrot cake, it lumps in the cake and is rubbish!
So time consuming and frustrating!

wrote in message
...

This drives me mad as well! If I don't sieve it when making my carrot cake,
it lumps in the cake and is rubbish!
So time consuming and frustrating!

3 months since your thread, so you may have Googled the answer. If I want to
convert say white regular granulated into confectioners or powdered sugar, I
use a blender. Do you have a stand-alone blender or one that attaches to a
food processor? If yes, the answer is to blend the quantity in several
batches i.e. cover the blades by 2 inches of sugar only.

I use the same technique, if I sieve brown sugar, in particular the sticky
stuff which maybe high in molasses. The only difference is, I add cornflour,
which will help it stop 'caking'. I use about 1 teaspoon per cup, rather
than 1 tablespoon, as suggested here :-
https://www.sugar.org/types-of-sugar/