Okay, I hope that not too many people laugh at me but what is the importance of sifting powdered sugar? I want to know the background and I've asked Jeeve and Jeeve didn't know. Also, who has any shortcuts of "sifting"? It is so time consuming for me? I use a hand sifter which is all I know of. Any help would be great. 
Honestly I have never sifted Powdered sugar ever..I rationally cannot think of a good reason why, except that probably just to get rid of lumps when you sometimes take it out of the bag and there are big lumps.
They are very fine already and melts very easily with any liguid added.
But it's an extra step that cannot hurt, but also won't have a significant effect (have not seen any yet) if done.
have a nice day..
I've noticed that since I've started sifting my sugar that my icing comes out better. It's seems like it's softer and not so gritty.
I do mine by hand...first with a little sieve but then I went out and bought a flour sifter but it seems to jam up quite a bit.
I used to not shift, until I got soem very nasty lumps and messed up my basketweave. I used a plain strainer and spoon I feel this is faster then using the plain hand shifter that gets cloged
Traci,
Thanks for the idea of an electric sifter, I have rheumatiod athritis and every sifter I have tried kills my hands. If I have to sift I do this a day ahead of decorating, my joints can't handle both in the same day 
My kids are usually eager to help, but with school starting soon I am loosing my little helpers !
I am gonna do a search for an electric sifter....
Happy Baking
Denise
http://www.complementstothechef.com/sub_gadgets/sifter_funnels.html
I found a battery operated one here
I buy it already sifted..... Always use the Confectioners Sugar 10x...
I always sift. Sometimes 2 times. Just to make sure there are no lumps. I live in the deep south so it's very humid here. If I don't sift I have a big mess. My icing & MMF is so much better when I sift. I forgot to sift a few times & could really tell a big difference.
Wow, this is GREAT, thanks everybody. How do you get yours already sifted.
I really love the big strainer and spoon idea.
man, this is awesome! I'm new to the forums!
I buy it at the Grocery Store.... They always have it... I see sometimes 4x (sifted 4 times) but mainly is 10x (sifted 10 times)
That's the one I always buy... I could buy Dixie brand or store brand, it doesn't matter... store brand is better, because its cheaper... 
I always sift too ... if not, I have way too many lumps in my icing and I can't stand that!! So, it's sifted for me 
I have never sifted my sugar. I can't find 10x here. Maybe I'm not using all of my resources to find it either. The search goes on.....!
I haven't had any problem with my icing coming out lumpy or with a grainy texture. I think it also might have something to do with the type or amount of liquid used. I don't know, I've never experience it. I whip my icing in my KA for 5 or more minutes and it's as fluffy as ever...no lumps! If I had lumps, I would question the quality of my KA!!!
Amy
I've noticed that too Wandootie... it just looks like you have a whole lot more than when you started lol
I dunno cakemommy.. I'm sure in Washington State you deal with humidity too .. but I know that down here in Louisiana, if I don't sift mine, I have lumps and my KA works beautifully .. I think it's something to do w/the deep Southern humidity lol
Well darnit!!! I'll just have to try the sifting thing then. I need to give my biceps a workout anyway. I have a big ol' bowl so I'll just sift away and see the difference. If it's worth it, I'll do it from now on. Thanks for the tips everyone!!!
Amy
Oh gosh, thanks Wandootie... I'm my own worse critiic.. I look at my cakes and think how awful they look lol .. but thanks so much for the compliment.. it means a lot to me
Wow, I didn't know anyone did icing with sugar that was not sifted...
They stressed it so much when I took my cake decorating classes, that I was always afraid to use unsifted sugar...
And for some reason, Wilton recommends 10x, any less they say won't be good for your icing....
I wonder why 10 times....? Anyone know?
Good questions.. lemme see!!
Confectioners Sugar - (Also known as powdered or icing sugar) It is granulated sugar that has been ground to a powder with cornstarch added to prevent lumping and crystallization. It comes in 4X, 6X and 10X but 10X is the one generally found in stores. 10X means that the granulated sugar has been processed ten times. Confectioners sugar is used in meringues, icings, confections, and some sweet pastry.
http://www.joyofbaking.com/other/glossaryCG.html
I found this on the above link
Good questions.. lemme see!!
Confectioners Sugar - (Also known as powdered or icing sugar) It is granulated sugar that has been ground to a powder with cornstarch added to prevent lumping and crystallization. It comes in 4X, 6X and 10X but 10X is the one generally found in stores. 10X means that the granulated sugar has been processed ten times. Confectioners sugar is used in meringues, icings, confections, and some sweet pastry.
http://www.joyofbaking.com/other/glossaryCG.html
I found this on the above link
Well actually that information is not correct but it is a common misconception. There are misconceptions printed in books also but if you look on Icing (powdered) Sugar sites you will find out that the manufacturers state that 10X refers to the fineness of the mesh or screen or sieve that the sugar was processed through. This in turn, effects the size of the sugar particles. So 10X is a super fine screen, 5X twice the size etc. The finer the particles, the easier it is to incorporate.
The reason for sifting is to aerate the sugar. Sugar has a tendency to absorb moisture and that is why, in Canada and the U.S. cornstarch is added to all icing sugars in an effort to keep the sugar dry. However, with high humidity or when the sugar has sat for a long time undisturbed, it starts to clump. The more air you sift into your sugar, the more space it takes up. So 1 cup of icing sugar that has been sifted is a lot less icing sugar by weight than one cup of icing sugar that has not been sifted.
I sift all icing sugar no matter how fine it is or if there are lumps or not mainly to get a finer textured sugar. With the use of beet sugar instead of cane sugar, there is more risk of clumping. For some reason, the way beet sugar is processed it has more of a tendency to absorb moisture and also, sometimes tends to be a grittier particle. So it generally works a lot better if it is sifted.
In Canada up until about a year ago, all of the icing sugar was cane sugar. Now, sometimes it can be beet sugar. I have found that since they stopped labelling it cane sugar, I have sometimes ended up with much clumpier sugar. So now I sift it all, no matter how fresh it is. Beet and cane sugar taste exactly the same so taste is not an issue.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
from what i understand sifting adds smoothness to your frosting and using high ratio shortening. i also have a stand up mixer so when i dont sift i will mix a bit longer. also even if you sift or not always make sure your adding your sugar 1 cup at a time that also makes it easier to mix.
I didn't use to sift, but then got a very clumpy bag of sugar. So I tried the strainer/spoon method to sift, it killed my arm. So I went out and bout the hand crank sifter and it is so much easier for me to use. I have seen a big difference with my icing, it comes out a lot smoother and I don't have to mix it as long as it incorperates faster.
Now I should also state I use C&H most of the time. I have used Domino's and that is my favorite but it is hard to find here for some reason, my local stores stoped carrying it.
However, with high humidity or when the sugar has sat for a long time undisturbed, it starts to clump.
SquirrellyCakes hit it on the head here. I have found out that it depends on where I buy my sugar on whether I have to sift it more. Our local grocery store doesn't sell it as fast as W-M so it sits on the shelf longer and I have to sift it more. Some times when I get it at W-M it looks like it was just sifted and I only sift it once. So depending on how fresh you can get it off the shelf also makes a big difference.
Well, I am in Canada and buy it from the Bulk Barn, have been doing so for years. It was always fresh because there is a huge turnover in it. However since Canada starting having the beet sugar available for human consumption, it is now used in icing sugar and the sugar is no longer labelled pure cane sugar. So you just don't know what you are getting anymore. Anyway, now all of the sugar I buy from the Bulk Barn is lumpy. It is really annoying because there are always lumps in it now. Before I didn't have to worry, I knew I was getting pure cane sugar. The processing of beet sugar apparently and the product itself possilbly makes it more susceptible to moisture.
But I agree, when buying icing sugar it isn't worth it to buy huge quantities at low prices because chances are it has been sitting for a long time or will be sitting for a long time before you use it all and it will get lumpy with time.
Even though I have always sifted the icing sugar I never had these lumps to deal with before. Grrhh! Sometimes change is not such a good thing!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
I used to sift and when I did, I used a large sifter it looks like a strainer for pasta but the grid is small and placed it on top of a large bowl and just sorta hold both and shake. It works really well, but lately the batch of frostings I've made are so small that I just buy the box of 10x and most of the time it looks pretty good so I haven't sifted it.
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