Do sifting and whisking do the exact same thing?
Some recipes suggest to sift the dry ingredients while some others say whisk the dry ingredients. Do they have the same effect?
Best Answer
Sifting and whisking are not the same thing. Sifting breaks up lumps in dry powder ingredients, mixed powdered ingredients, and makes the flour less dense. Some people would say sifting makes flour "airier". I measured the volume of flour before and after sifting and I found a significant increase in volume for the same weight of flour post-sifting. Sift flour when making light sponges, or if your flour has gotten densely packed over time.
Whisking is just a way of quickly mixing dry ingredients together, it doesn't break up lumps like sifting or mix things as effectively as sifting, but for many recipes it doesn't matter.
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Does sifting flour really make a difference?
Why You Should Sift Flour. Putting your flour through a sifter will break up any lumps in the flour, which means you can get a more accurate measurement. Sifted flour is much lighter than unsifted flour and is easier to mix into other ingredients when making batters and doughs.Is stirring the same as sifting?
You Don't Need to Sift Together Ingredients But in a recipe that calls for sifting ingredients for no other reason but to mix them, you can safely skip this step. If you want to mix together dry ingredients, mix them together. Sifting and mixing are two different things. However, there is a time when sifting may help.Does sifting sugar make a difference?
Powdered sugar absorbs moisture from the air, forming hardened lumps that can affect the texture of your baking projects. Sifting removes these lumps and makes the sugar fluffier by adding air. Any fine mesh can be used for sifting, most commonly a kitchen strainer or a specialized, hand-cranked sifter.Does sifting flour make a difference in cakes?
Sifted flour, which is much lighter than unsifted flour, is easier to mix into other ingredients when forming a cake batter or making dough. When flour is sifted with other dry ingredients, such as cocoa powder, this helps to combine them evenly before they are mixed with other ingredients.Why You Should Sift Flour
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