Hi all! For all you who use Indydeb's bc, at what speed and for how long do you mix it after the powdered sugar goes in? She doesn't specify in her recipe so I'm curious to how you all do it.

If you add salt to cut the sweetness, how much for this recipe? I read the comments for her bc in the recipe section, and someone said she added a dash of salt. I don't know if the poster meant it as a figure of speech or if she really meant a dash. I do have the pinch, dash, smidgen measuring spoons. I'm going to pm the member now; but I'm curious to what everyone else does. Thanks

I just mix it until it looks right...if you want a really bright white, beating it longer makes it brighter. I usually mix it on 4 with the paddle attachment for about five minutes at the longest.

I beat my shortening for about 15 minutes before adding any other ingredients. I'd say that I let it "mix" in my mixer for at least that long after adding all of the powdered sugar. I never add the salt myself. I try to cut salt in most everything I cook or make so I just don't use it in my icing.

Beat the fat until it's pulverized ... meaning no particles of fat at all. Particles of fat contribute to the air-holes that appear in icing.

There is no such thing as overbeating this stuff. I used to turn on the 20-qt mixer, then go outside for a smoke break (and I smoked LONG cigs!)

As Texas said, until it looks right.

And I dont' add salt to it. Any icing, cookie, cake, brownie, etal, recipe that calls for salt, I always omit it. Always. Part of it is what mamarobin said .... reducing salt in the diet any way we can. Part of it is that it always seemed silly to put salt in a sugar food. So I just never do.

oh bravo so wise!

I used to say it made is less sweet, but after some researching I discovered that it actually balances the sweet and offers a wider range of reaction for taste buds to detect and open to. It enhances the over all taste sensation of food. Having balance is something great Chefs painstakingly refer to when pairing foods and orchestrating special dishes. The sensation the mouth will go through is something wonderful when the balance or intentional off balance of food hits the palate. It is quite common practice for there to be just a touch of salt in pastries and dessert recipes. I never overlook it!

Salt balances sugar. I hate things that have nothing but sugar in them...they're cloyingly sweet. People put salt on watermelon not to cut the sweetness but to bring it out. I always use salted butter in my buttercream so I don't have to add it but sometimes I do...especially if I've used too much powdered sugar.

Thank you all!

I never add salt in my bc and I don't plan on it. My old bc recipe as well as my new (Indydebi's) gets rave reviews all the time and no one ever complains about it being too sweet.

My cousin who is such a BEOTCH (and I'm not the only one in the family that thinks so) has a daughter who will be turning 10. The little girl is a sweetheart who really wants me to make her birthday cake (they moved here 8 months ago so she's just recently started seeing and tasting my cakes). I called the daughter to go over what design and colors she wanted. She told me that her mom said that I could not make her cake because my icing is too sweet, and she'll get her one from the supermarket (I know, Oh the horror). My little cousin said she told her mom that she liked my icing and it wasn't too sweet to her plus , the supermarket cakes don't look like mine. This dizzy broad told her daughter that since she didn't want the supermarket cake SHE was buying then she didn't want the party SHE was paying for. So now there's no party for her; my cousin is dead serious too.

The family is FLIPPIN because she is forever TRIPPIN and my little cousin will have a party because we'll make it happen (this girl already told her friends,; she's so upset. Come on now!). Her grandma asked me was there anyway I could make an icing that's less sweet to please the mother ( not saying this is the only or real reason she doesn't want me to make this cake; as I said she's such a BEOTCH!) We don't want to have a party for her without pleasing the mother because it will only make things ugly for my little cousin to the point where she'll embarrass her daughter in front of her friends. She's a HATER always been. Right now she's pissed at the girls father ( they are not together and he's a great dad who LOVES his daughter) so the sweet icing excuse may not even be the reason. This is why I posted the question about salt because I've heard some here say they add it to cut sweetness. I just want to make this a happy birthday for sweet Crystal. Sorry this is so long.

I have to agree with Indydebi on the salted watermelon. I've never understood why anyone would want to ruin perfectly good watermelon by adding salt to it.

I add salt to my watermelon and sometimes when I eat apples. I add salt to almost everything and my BP is so incredibly low they want me to take salt pills on top of it.

Salt balances out flavors. Anyone with even a week of culinary school can tell you that. It's the rock of almost every dish that makes it pop and balance out flavors. Now to me those ready to eat food, like those you can buy from food suppliers and from the grocer are gross. Too much salt. You can feel your body almost swelling up retaining water from the first bite.

I use unsalted butter and add salt to control the baked good more.

Just a side note -- people who smoke essentially don't have the same amount of taste buds that work. That also includes their sense of smell. They tend to like things more on the sweet side for that reason. I work with smokers and have to taste test their food for them because their taste buds don't work as well as mine. I find this benefits me though since the masses come on the days I work because my items are not overly sweet.

Try adding a pinch of salt to a single batch of buttercream and you should be able to tell a difference. It seriously makes a better product.

Wow, yummy, your cousin is piece of work to do that to her own daughter! Talk about selfish! I feel bad for the birthday girl. I hope your family is able to give her a great birthday and her mom can behave like the adult she should be.

Oh man, a choc chip cookie without any salt would be gross, in my opinion. My go to recipe is good, but I add a bit more salt than written and everyone raves about them.

Same with cakes with no salt - they just don't taste right at all...

The issue with sodium for blood pressure mostly comes from prepared foods in the store which have a TON of sodium. I have read repeatedly that the best way to reduce your sodium intake drastically is to cook from scratch at home and add your OWN salt. You could never add as much as the sodium in prepared foods and still have it taste good. I really don't think the 1/2 tsp of salt in a whole cake is an issue for health when you are eating one slice.

"The main culprit in our overconsumption of saltand the focus of the governments effortsis processed foods. From spaghetti sauce to bread to soda, added salt is in just about every processed food we consume, sometimes in alarming amounts. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, a whopping 77% of the sodium in foods we eat comes from processed foods. By comparison, about 5% gets added during cooking and another 6% at the table. The remaining 12% is naturally occurring." - http://www.blue-kitchen.com/2010/04/28/hold-the-salt-fda-plans-to-gradually-limit-salt-allowed-in-processed-foods/

And really - if health is an issue - why would any of us be eating buttery, delicious cake with buttercream on top? The fat and sugar are plenty bad for you. The few grains of salt can't be an issue... and if someone is that sensitive to salt, I'd assume they also eat zero prepared foods and do everything fresh at home.

Larkin121-- That was worded perfect. Ever been to a wedding where the caterer or hall has used mainly prepared foods (like meatballs and gravy from a supplier) makes you run for a glass of water.

Salt on watermelon is gooooood. But if you've been outside in the southern heat during the summer (or if you don't have air conditioning), the salt and the water content of the watermelon help to keep you from passing out. It's a southern treat with a purpose. Yum yum yum.

CS, yes she is a piece of work.