Creaming

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Any advice on how to cream sugar and butter manually? Without fancy-pants electronic gadgets?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Monday, 6 September 2004 05:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Er... I just make sure the butter is REALLY soft first, and then use a wooden spoon. Some elbow grease required though.

― Archel (Archel), Monday, 6 September 2004 08:24 (twenty-one years ago)

be a man and get on with it. and the butter shouldn't be *too* soft

― Porkpie (porkpie), Monday, 6 September 2004 10:47 (twenty-one years ago)

It's just that it all ends up sticking to the wooden spoon.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Monday, 6 September 2004 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I actually prefer to do this with fridge-temperature butter. I haven't had any trouble with it sticking to the wooden spoon. And if it does, hey, that's what fingers are for...

― ng, Monday, 6 September 2004 21:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Soft but not remotely close to melting.

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 08:21 (twenty-one years ago)

precisely

― Porkpie (porkpie), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 12:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I tend to cream the butter first, even if it's already soft, and then add the sugar bit by bit. If you use only the back of the wooden spoon and mush the butter against the sides of the bowl as you go, & then use a thin knife (palette-knife style, 'cept not as big) to periodically scrape the butter off the back (and then off the knife with the side of the spoon), it's pretty much okay.

― cis (cis), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 12:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Old-fashioned metal pastry blender may do the trick, esp. for shortbread.

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 19:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I think I'm going to have to watch someone doing it.

I've ended up just mixing the sugar and butter with my fingers (which softens the butter a lot, of course) and then mixing it around with the wooden spoon to aerate it, or whatever that step seems to be. It seems to be working, I guess, but I still feel like it's all wrong...

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 8 September 2004 00:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I second the metal pastry blender.

― Rabin the Cat (Rabin the Cat), Wednesday, 8 September 2004 04:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Well I'll give that a whirl, then, next time.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 8 September 2004 06:18 (twenty-one years ago)

seriously, a wooden spoon is all you need and just beat the crap out of it

― Porkpie (porkpie), Thursday, 9 September 2004 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

It helps if I'm frustrated or angry about something. Let the butter warm up a bit, or smash it (still wrapped) by smacking it repeatedly with a rolling pin. Have a back-up stick in case you get carried away. Use a metal bowl you can really get your arm around, hang on to it and smear the butter and sugar around the sides of the bowl, then scrape down and smear again. It will eventually get sort of fluffy. At this point I add the vanilla extract (or a tiny bit of whatever liquid) and wale away at it some more.

― Jaq (Jaq), Thursday, 9 September 2004 19:22 (twenty-one years ago)

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