A few weeks ago I attended my daughter’s birthday surprise Baking Party with Francine Bryson, first runner up of the American Baking Competition. Francine shared a couple of tips that I’ve implemented into my baking, and one of them is the addition of a flour jar with a sifting/shaker lid on top. It’s helpful to have a jar like this filled with flour for:
- Adding a little bit of flour to the counter before rolling out dough
- Sprinkling in flour to sauces or gravies
Any time you need just a little flour, this is the perfect container to grab. I was thrilled to find this jar at a little shop near me for only $5. The lid is metal with three openings – one for pouring, one for sifting out smaller amounts and also one for sifting larger amounts. I love it because when I need flour at those times, my hands are usually a mess, so if I go to the canister to get the flour, I lift the lid with my messy hands and add flour to the lid, the counter and possibly the floor!
For those in my area, I got this in Jonesborough at a great new shop called, Type A. It’s adorable with all kinds of fun merchandise that you need to check out! If you’re not from here, any kind of jar with a shaker lid will work. Those tall jars that many put confectioners sugar in would work well, too.
Another tip Francine gave was to crack your eggs on a flat surface, rather than the edge of your bowl. That edge causes the egg shell to push into the inside of the egg, then fall into your bowl! That makes complete sense; why didn’t I think of that before?
What helpful tool or tip could you share?
Stay refreshed,
I am usually not much of a gadget person. I think I am the only person who did not like the Pampered Chef tool that breaks up hamburger as you cook it. lol But I do LOVE the Pampered Chef tool that breaks up eggs quickly. It is not a whisk but has a different design. It gets the job done perfectly. In fact I hope to purchase some to have on hand as Happies for cooks.
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I think I know what you’re talking about, Arlene, though I haven’t used one. I’ll check into that!
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I always do crack my eggs on a flat surface; that’s just how my mother taught me. It does make sense that bits of shell are much more apt to get into the bowl when one cracks eggs on the rim.
This jar looks like a great idea. I will have to see about finding one.
My own favorite tools include a scraper for scraping flour off surfaces — I can’t remember what it’s called. King Arthur has something a bit similar called a bench knife, but it’s $25 and I paid a dollar or two for mine. I also like a chopstick as a kitchen tool. It’s very handy for stirring melting chocolate, etc. in the microwave, because you can leave it in there between stirrings. Just make sure the chopstick has no metallic lettering on it! It also works great for scraping crumbs, etc. out of a blender jar. And parchment paper — love that kitchen helper. It was a great day for me when I discovered that the Dollar Tree carries parchment paper!
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What? I’ll have to look for parchment paper there! I, too, love the bar scraper; how else could I get all the flour I have on the counter?! =) Thanks for sharing all these great tips.
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Saw this one on amazon, it looks like the same one you have (only yours was less!): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U7FPYCC?keywords=flour%20shaker%20jar&qid=1445004826&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2
I think I need one of these in my kitchen 🙂 Sounds like a trip to Type A is in my future!
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Wow, this is the exact same one I have! I did get a good deal! You’ll love the store; everything is adorable and reasonable!
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Where is Jonesboro?
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It’s in East Tennessee. It’s the oldest city in the state. Very quaint and beautiful!
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