For those of you who make powdered sugar based buttercream icings, do you sift your powdered sugar or not?

I always have, but I get so tired of doing it.

I would say yes, I sift about 95% of the time. I think it makes a nice difference. However, this week, I was bad with my time management and just threw the sugar in the bowl w/o sifting. I'm not sure I can say that I saw a difference .... but I'll probably continue to sift.

I sift most of the time......'cept when I'm being lazy

I don't really notice the difference when I don't sift either....hmmm, I may be "lazy" more often.

I run a wisk through it a couple of times unless my powdered sugar has been sitting on my shelf forever (or it's really humid). Martha Stewart did it one day, and if its good enough for Martha....

I always sift.

I almost always sift my powdered sugar. Nothing worse than piping through a small tip and being getting up with a clump.

I always sift.

Over the years I found a piece of plastic, a screw and a piece of unidentifiable metal in my BC while piping.

Thankfully I've never found half a bug or a piece of one... I'd definately gag or worse.

I sift all the time.

I sift. I tried not sifting (like Sharon "Sugarshack" in her buttercream DVD) and I had lumps. It was C&H - the good stuff . I've tried it a couple of times and get lumps in my tip or in my BC as I'm icing. I hate taking that extra time to sift but I hate the lumps even worse so I always sift now.

I didn't but now I do all the time (had issues with lumps a couple of times).

I sift. Everything. It is almost tropical rain forest here in Kentucky, so everything gets a run through the sifter to break up the lumps.

I do, the times I havent bc I didnt feel like it I have noticd lumps.

I used to always, always, always sift at least once until last month when I started teaching Wilton Method of decorating. When I watched the video and saw that I did not have to sift I stopped. I've noticed no change in consistency or lumpiness.

I always sifted, but since I started using 4# bags of Dominos, I stopped. (I don't do a lot of fine piping) However, I do sift if i have to buy the 1# boxes; they are always lumpy. I ALWAYS sift cake mixes though.

I used to be one of those "Not siftin', nuh-uh, not ever" kind of people. One of the reasons I hate it is because those little triple-screen sifters take forever.

So, I recently got a nice, big, sturdy, single-screen, vintage Foley sifter from eBay, just like my mom's that I used while growing up. Actually, I can't wait to use it!

I sift everything!

Nope and mine comes out smooth as silk.

I never sift! I mean I used to and I could never tell a difference, so I decided it wasn't worth my time. Or the mess. =o)

I sift, but I cheat. I actually hate the mess sifters make so I stick my sugar in my food processor, cover it with a damp towel and give it a few whirls. Silky smooth sugar and only need to rinse the bowl!

For those of you hating to sift you do know that Amazon sells a battery operated sifter.

Super fast, cool cake toy, and right around $20.