Ok, I go to Sams. Going for laundry soap, tp, frozen food, you know, necessities. The next thing I know, my buggy has a mind of it's own, and I am headed down the baking isle. My eyes just about jump out of my head like this when I spot the 50 lb bag of 6 X sugar. Now, keep in mind, I bake for my family, friends, and not all the time. So I have done quite well with the individual 2 lb bags of 10X ps from Walmart. They more than adequately serve my needs. I break out in a cold sweat, and before I know it, I heave a 50 lb bag up over my head and into the back of my SUV. I am one who can barely lift the jug of milk to my 9 yr old in the morning. So I get this thing home, shaking with adrenaline and joy all the way. Now I have it sitting in my utility room. Ok, my next question is, where in the hell am I gonna keep a lifetime supply of 6X sugar? Where does everyone keep large supplies of sugar? I need some suggestions. I am new at this. Does it show?

you kill me! i too succumbed to the temptation of the 50 lb bag of pow. sugar. i stored it in a butt load of food saver bags. I still have sugar in my pantry. good luck.

I have a huge empty bucket that I got from a local bakery. It used to hold Henry&Henry icing, now it's perfect for Powdered Sugar

OMG, that's hilarious. I am going to buy a sam's club membership this weekend...so exciting. As for storing it, buy a 5 gallon bucket, that way you're not fiddling with a gigantic bag every time you need some!!

omg, that is funny... The sugar bug has struck again Look at it this way, at least if you awake with a sudden urge to bake a cake....... you are all set... p.s. you'll get used to it... we all do weird things, for the love of decorating..[/i]

I also only bake for my friends and family, but I will never go back to the small bags of powdered sugar! Congratulations on making the switch!

I keep mine in a tall Rubbermaid container with lid! Good luck, I'm on my 3rd bag of icing sugar this year!

How about one of those plastic storage bins with a good tight lid on it ?

Let us know how you like the 6X vs. the 10X sugar. I'm curious.

I, too, am curious about the difference in 6X and 10X. I know 10X is supposed to be finer, but Im wondering if there's actually a noticeable difference.

Been there, Sweet-Kakes! Last time I had that kind of reaction in Sam's was when I saw the double-set of 11 x 15 baking sheets for $18. Non-stick, easy cleanup, bakes BEE-YOO-TEE-FULL cookies. BEST purchase (aside from my KitchenAid) that I've ever made for the kitchen.

Wait until you hit a really good cake show and all those vendors are flashing all sorts of pretty, shiny, odd-shaped things at you. I swear I need therapy after every cake show!!

I think the 6x is pretty good the problem with mine is it is so clumpy so I have to sift it before I use it in my fondant or I get little powdered sugar bumps.

Leahs,
I had a hard time finding the 6X (which should explain this look ), but in the "everything you wanted to know about buttercream" sticky, there is a recipe for bc, using the Angel White icing base, and it specifically says to use 6X. Now, I ordered the Angel White, found the high ratio shortening at a local shop, and got the 6X at Sams. My question is - What would be the difference in a buttercream made with 6X and one made with 10X? I realize 10X is finer, but what is the noticable difference?

You go SweetKakes!!
welcome to the compulsive buyers club hahaha.

I have those rubbermaid gift wrap plastic containers they are tall and will hold a fifty lb. bag nicely. I have one for Sugar,Flour,Powder Sugar, Cake flour and sugar cookie mix all in 50 lbs. The lids fit on tight and the
Health inspector thought that it was a great idea. really clean.Oh yeah.
I also buy the 50Lb. High ratio shortening. I like big things hahaha

I don't have any stores around here that sell large bags of PS, but I do end up grabbing two 1 kg bags, every time I'm in any grocery store or WalMart!!

You ladies don't know how lucky you are...the only powdered sugar that stores carry here in Germany is in little 250-g boxes! That's about 1/2 pound or approximately 2 cups of powdered sugar! And of course no 6X or 10x - PS is PS. You should see me checking out whenever I have a cake project coming up...I have a HUGE pile of little tiny PS boxes! That's actually one thing I like about IMBC - no need for PS. Of course the regular sugar always comes in 1 kg bags (about 2 lb). No bulk buying for normal mortals here.

I found that I had to sift 6X or it was clumpy in bc when I bought a 50# bag once. After that I switched back to 10X. But I think that Doug likes 6X better than 10X, so that's why I curious for another opinion.

I don't think Sam's Club is in Canada yet.......I'm sad!
I was in Costco yesterday & I couldn't find any bags of PS larger than the 2kg & it was more expensive!! $2.19 vs.$1.69 in my local grocery store. But the same store had Wilton piping bags (12" in a box of 12) for $3.00, where in Michaels they are $6.00 or more (sorry don't know the exchange for US)
I'm curious to know where on the PS bags would you find if it is 10x or 6x? I have never noticed it? Is there a certain brand that is 10x?

My closest bulk store is 2 hours away and the PS is $1.99/lb. Where as it's $2.49/lb in my local grocery store. As for the 6x or 10x, do you mean you have to sift it yourself that many times? I sift mine once and it's fine. Actually sometimes I don't sift at all and I've never run across any clumps in my buttercream. That would take forever to sift all that PS that many times.

In Canada I don't think we see the 6x and the 10x....although I have been told all of our ps up here is sifted 10x.

Apparently, in Canadian ps there is more cornstarch, so ours is less likely to clump.

I should shop at your Costco, cakes22, I have not find any Wilton bags to date, but I agree on the icing sugar there.

I have thought about buying the bag of ps at Bulk Barn...they come in big bags before they dump in the bin, and it is Lantic supposedly. There is also a store in North Syracuse called Maines Food and Party...they sell the big bags as well. I was not allowed to haul it back over the border. : (

Wow Kerry_Cake, that's bad! Ours is cheaper at Bulk Barn by at least half if not more. i should bring some to you the next time I go "home".

BTW...Maines also sells round cake boards, 5- 12" rounds for $1.

6X vs. 10X refers to the size of the mesh that the manufacturer puts the sugar thru. It's right there on the label. 6X is slightly coarser than 10X, but since we're dealing with a powder it may not make much practical difference.

Wow this is interesting - so is the ps you can buy off the shelf at Walmart 10x? I had no clue about this difference! LOL.

One of my fellow cake decorators around here had told me she gets all her PS over in Maine (it's only ½ hour away). I'm in Canada and I guess our PS is different because it doesn't say 6x or 10x or anything like that on my bag.
Suela- I'm curious to why they wouldn't let you take that across the border. Are you only allowed a certain amount? What part of NB are u from?

I purchased food safe storage containers through King Arthur Flour.
www.kingarthurflour.com/shop

Their white containers come in a variety of sizes.
Large - Holds approx. 50 lbs of flour
Medium - Holds approx. 10 lbs of flour
Small - Holds approx. 5 lbs of flour

-Debbie B.

Oh, to answer Sweet-Kakes, all my extra PS is piled up in my bedroom right now
I will be getting my DH to make shelving down in my basement soon!
I'm running out of room with all the extra cake pans and what not.

Leahs, correct me if I'm wrong, but I read somewhere that the size of the grain determines how much air is incorporated into the icing, which is why some people prefer the 6X, and others prefer the 10X. DebBTX, thanks soooo much for the link! I want a foodsafe storage bin for my stuff, so I will check out King Aurthur! So, my husband comes home from work, spots the large brown bag in the utility room, and says-he he-"Oh, you bought some more fertilizer for the yard?" I say, "no, Precious, it's powdered sugar!" He says, "Holy crap! How big a cake are you planning on making?" I think my next purchase will be a small donkey to haul around all my baking supplies!!