Today we step away from our seaside houses and tables to bring you Food Related Anecdotes (the original title of the show). We're a bunch of glaze heads as we discuss sifters, sawdust and missed opportunities before tackling The Best Spilled Mail Ever and the Trash of our Youth.
Zucchini muffins from Sara Forte of Sprouted Kitchen
Episode 467: Holiday Cookies 2: The Sequel
Episode 474: Holiday Cookies 3
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Molly 0:00
Hi. I'm Molly.
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:05
And I'm Matthew.
Molly 0:06
And this is spilled milk, the show where we cook something delicious. Eat it all, and you can't have any.
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:11
And today we're talking about powdered sugar.
Molly 0:13
Yeah, this episode was suggested by a by a Reddit users what we call reddit people.
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:19
Yeah, we call them users. Users. Wow.
Molly 0:23
Okay, well, this this was suggested by seaside houses on Reddit. That sounds nice. You know, when I was typing it into the agenda and typed it as seaside tables, which I also thought was really nice. I mean,
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:37
yeah, you're gonna say seaside horses.
Molly 0:39
I'm gonna read. I would love a seaside table. I mean, if I can't have a seaside house, maybe I can have a seaside
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:46
just like a table kind of like sitting out near near the water somewhere. Right. Okay. Is that what they mean by the water table?
Molly 0:53
That's exactly what they mean by the water table. Okay,
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:55
yeah. When I hear seaside houses, I think Murder She Wrote like the like the opening credits of murder. She
Molly 1:01
wrote, I've never seen the opening credits of murder. She I don't think I have in
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:04
like 30 years.
Molly 1:08
Okay. All right. Well, Matthew, today we are talking about powdered sugar. And I am really glad we're doing this episode because I think powdered sugar is one of those ingredients that most of us probably have in our houses maybe like never really think about maybe never take it for granted. And also, some of my favorite, like sweets involve powdered sugar. So I'm glad we're getting around to that. But getting getting around to this fine. Yeah, we're good. We
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:37
get around.
Molly 1:37
We do get around.
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:38
I have a little anecdote from work that I wanted to share like food related anecdote before we start this could be a new segment like
Molly 1:45
food related anecdote before we start.
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:49
Crab frappe Bucha frappe was just, like, I was just like crabs. Like how, like how apparently we call our listeners, milkmaids, or the clump people are still sending in ideas. And they know that we've settled on milkmaids or the club but, but I'm glad I will still take them. Okay, so okay, my team at work is going on a retreat that will have happened by the time you hear this maybe to Lake Tahoe, which is a lake in California. I've never been there so I had to look up whether it was in Nevada or California. I just this morning got a survey asking like what you know, some food choices like Do you have any any like food allergies or like preferences? And like, you know, would you prefer this kind of sandwich or this kind of sandwich for lunch? And then there was like a free form? Like what would you like to have on hand for non perishable snacks? And I'm thinking okay, I've got I've got ideas here and then I look close. Close, right? It said, for example, peanut m&ms comma cheese it's dot dot dot and I was like, That is literally the two things I was gonna say what is happening like feeling really
Molly 3:01
like understood by your workplace did you feel seen and valued understood
Matthew Amster-Burton 3:05
but maybe also they like are using my laptop camera to spy on my snacking habits yet because this wasn't sent just to me. And those are literally the top two things I would have chosen
Molly 3:16
but hold on. You had a retreat in your your workplace had to retreat in Palm Springs and there was also you know, presumably like a snack situation there. Did you fill out a questionnaire then and asked for peanut m&ms and cheeses?
Matthew Amster-Burton 3:31
I don't remember. i There were definitely peanut m&ms. I don't remember if there were cheez it. There were pretzels. It was it was a good snack table. But like yeah, this this like seeing seeing that like you know, and here Matthew is the contents of your snack Bray was the last leg and and yes, uplifting as well.
Molly 3:50
Yeah, you're clearly you found your people.
Matthew Amster-Burton 3:53
Now what if I get to the retreat and neither of those things are available?
Molly 3:58
i What does that mean? I don't even want to contemplate a world and
Matthew Amster-Burton 4:01
what about everyone else on my team fills it out? Like fuck those two IDs? Like we want a beef jerky and bananas.
Molly 4:10
Yum. If there's like, you know how the general fruit offerings at kind of a crappy like hotel buffet or whatever. It's going to be a bowl full of bananas that are either under ripe or over right? Yeah, usually. Yellow of Red Delicious apple.
Matthew Amster-Burton 4:29
Yep. Yep. I
Molly 4:30
knew what you were gonna say the actual bunch of oranges. Yes, like ordinary navel orange, but we're not talking clementines. There's nothing less appealing to me than that trifecta of ordinary fruits
Matthew Amster-Burton 4:43
white for the show. Laurie and I just stayed at a hotel that had a motel that had like a better than average continental breakfast it had the kind of like packaged breakfast pastries that we sat on on that one episode. But it had it had like, Yo play individual yo play yo yogurts and feel like there was something something else I pulled from there and like, Oh, they're green. They'd like the kind of green tea that I like. Like the Costco Japanese green tea, which is pretty good. Wow. And yeah, I was I was pleased. Like, I don't have a comment on the fruit situation. I kind of didn't notice. I'm really happy for you now. Okay, so this has been our most beloved segment. Grab. Was it free? Freeform rambling? I know. It's super late
Molly 5:28
anecdote, food related anecdote. Before we start there, we got it was there we go. Frat ws
Matthew Amster-Burton 5:36
sounds like an old timey Corporation. Right? We're in the we're in the import export business.
Molly 5:42
Did I tell you, or did I send you? There's a company called flat D. Like, oh, God, that initial D and do you want to guess at what they sell your
Matthew Amster-Burton 5:55
flat D sell? It's been eyes like I know there's like that was obvious joke. But it sounds like they come to your house and take away your Viagra. Oh, flat D I don't
Molly 6:07
even know how ash and I came upon this. It's a real company, Matthew. And what they sell is like like fart protectant clothing and pads you can put in your underwear like odor. So a fart sack it looks like it's put yourself in it if you're feeling to flatulent, but this is called flat D look it up,
Matthew Amster-Burton 6:30
I get it. Okay, so like like flatulence defender, something like that. I want to I want to laugh at this. And yet, I think probably for some people, this is like a real problem that they're really happy to have a solution for.
Molly 6:42
But I mean, like, so I made some like doctored black beans the other day, like it's been real rough around my house ever since.
Matthew Amster-Burton 6:56
With more being something
Molly 6:58
that is, I feel like I eat a lot of fiber. And yet, this kind of thing can absolutely destroy the quality of life in our household for multiple days.
Matthew Amster-Burton 7:08
But you have an air filter, magical.
Molly 7:12
Like is there something where like, you know, am I like not eating enough beans. And so when I do like, everything goes haywire, like in terms of the air quality in here. I
Matthew Amster-Burton 7:24
genuinely don't know the answer. Like I think I think that's possible. Like as I I imagine it's less of an issue among people who eat beans like literally every day.
Molly 7:34
I feel like I eat maybe more or maybe at least as many beans as like the average white American person. Yeah, but I
Matthew Amster-Burton 7:44
still like yeah, maybe four beans a week.
Molly 7:48
Anyway, imagine somebody needing flat D more than I do. I don't know. I suppose we came upon it because Ash was put you ain't no bag. Before we teach you in our bed. You ordered
Matthew Amster-Burton 8:03
some? Oh, I think you should. I think you said any report back.
Molly 8:08
Have you all of our extra money goes to baby formula and child care.
Matthew Amster-Burton 8:15
So you're, you're saying this isn't an essential need? It sounds like it is. Okay, cool. So, listeners left at this point. Let's talk about powdered sugar.
Molly 8:27
All right. So hey, I want to start off on memory lane today. So the first thing that I thought of was this, like hand cranked like tin sifter that my mom had. And I think that it was painted white with some sort of like a floral motif on the side of it. Right? Does this sound familiar? It does. And I remember always being thrilled when we got to pull it out and use it when we were baking. You wrote down that your mother also had Yes,
Matthew Amster-Burton 8:59
my mom also had a sifter. I don't I think there are two kinds of sifters like there's the crank kind and there's kind of you kind of shake side to side. You know what I mean? And like something moves inside.
Molly 9:11
Oh, that kind of shakes I decided I think I was just like a sieve that you
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:16
I think I think there's a kind that you that you like jostle and that and it's got it's got like two kind of two screens that like move like parallel to each other. You can't even see my hand most
Molly 9:31
of our listeners to write in with a drawing of what they think Matthew is
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:37
because Israel Okay, shake sifter. I'm just googling. Whoa, okay.
Molly 9:42
Did your mom have the crank kind? Or the shake chi? I don't
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:47
remember but I remember shaking a sifter at some point. So it could have been that but as I recall, I think I Okay, I wrote down that I ruined it by putting sand in it. But I now I remember. I think I actually put solder So in it like why just because like kids do stupid stuff all day long.
Molly 10:06
Okay, my mom, you know, it's interesting because like nobody buys the nobody has these anymore. That's
Matthew Amster-Burton 10:13
what I was gonna say like it's we both immediately thought of it as like, like formative childhood memories and yet we haven't been able to give our children the same SATs, right? Like, you know hazy sifter memories.
Molly 10:24
My mom's also you know, we did an episode on cooking sounds right? And I think that if I were to talk about baking sounds Oh yes sound of the you know, the little part that you crank scraping against the mesh sieve in the sifter was yes. So I can still hear it. And then also, the sound of the tin hitting my mother's hand as she tapped the side of it. Yeah, the last bits of sugar down into the well of the sieve.
Matthew Amster-Burton 10:59
Okay, let me ask you a question that is now like we're veering off the subject of of powdered sugar, which we've stuck so scrupulously to the subject up until now is like sifting flour thing you ever have to do any more? I never sift flour I never I never do either. And is there like some recipe where it's necessary or is it George flour just like better like prepped before it comes to you? I know. It says pre sifted. Often it's all just mostly maybe it was always a scam to sell to sell handcrank sifter.
Molly 11:30
I think that it was sort of like, you know, the US not having universal childcare. It was just something to keep women busy. Yeah, I think you're right. sickly. It was like sift everything. Like yeah, don't use your brain.
Matthew Amster-Burton 11:42
The sugar, the flour, the sawdust. The Trinity of middle America cooking. Yep.
Molly 11:49
Okay, so yeah, my mom's sifter. I missed that thing. And I remember my mom in particular, using the powdered sugar on Christmas cookies. Yeah, so Russian Tea Cakes, which I know we're going to talk about a little later also often called Mexican wedding cookies, etc. Linzer cookies, you know the top of her Linzer cookie was like a circle with a hole it was like doughnut shaped basically did she ever use the sifter to
Matthew Amster-Burton 12:17
give the Christmas tree like a light dusting of snow?
Molly 12:21
Anyway was pleased with a stupid joke you're making your your your jostling shifter hands softly shifter.
Matthew Amster-Burton 12:31
No, I need my shifter hands run out when I drive my souped up Nissan Initial D style. D style.
Molly 12:43
That's your old Datsun That's right. flat D is when you have a low rider Datsun Okay, Matthew, what about your memory lane? That
Matthew Amster-Burton 12:54
was kind of it like the mostly the shifting like I think I did like like, you know this powdered sugar donuts that you got to the supermarket. At one point like I don't even particularly like those now, although I certainly will eat them if they're available. But like there was a time when I was a kid that that was like an extremely sought after item.
Molly 13:12
Oh my god, Matthew, I absolutely have the same sort of emotional like, there's the same like emotional sparkle around Donette gems.
Matthew Amster-Burton 13:22
It's kind of like all the hostess products. I feel like when you're when you're a kid or at least when you were a kid in the 80s Like maybe your friends friend's parents let them have like, you know, like Lucky Charms but like even in like the Lucky Charms house like Twinkies and donuts and shit. Were always like, you know, a special occasion like we talked our parents into this kind of item, right?
Molly 13:43
Yes. But yeah, the doughnut jam the powdered sugar doughnut jam. Was the I mean, I remember feeling that there was for me as a child like the original perfectly engineered food product like
Matthew Amster-Burton 13:57
yeah, it was kind of like the way it crumbles in your mouth. Perfect. Yeah.
Molly 14:01
And I don't think I'd feel that way about it. Now I know that we did a hostess products episode a long time ago and I think we we felt less than you know. Yeah, honestly. Like
Matthew Amster-Burton 14:11
I didn't either. I like the hostess stuff that much when I was a kid. I'm sure I said this on the next episode like but I think I think probably the donut gems would have been my favorite.
Molly 14:20
Oh, big time.
Matthew Amster-Burton 14:21
Yeah. Okay, well
Molly 14:22
Matthew that I'm really glad we've established that tune because we are starting out really on the same memory lane. There's so much overlap on your memory lanes, let's let's link arms that
Matthew Amster-Burton 14:32
should follow the yellow brick road and see where it leads. So it's
Molly 14:36
powdered sugar the same thing as confectioners sugar because I was told at some point in my formative baking years that they were not
Matthew Amster-Burton 14:45
they are totally the same thing. What and they're also it's also called icing sugar in England and sukau glass in France, okay, and probably some other cool things in other places. But yes, confectioner's sugar and powdered sugar are the same.
Molly 14:58
So I could swear that like what One of them had something added to it that was sometimes given an aftertaste and the other didn't or
Matthew Amster-Burton 15:06
that is such a beautiful segue because let's talk about what this stuff is. Okay, all right. It's sucrose, which is which is also a granulated sugar is that's been finely milled and mixed with an anti caking agent, usually cornstarch, or sometimes potato starch.
Molly 15:22
What do you think the ratio is? Oh,
Matthew Amster-Burton 15:24
I know this. It's between 97 to three and 95 to five. Oh, wow. Okay, typically about about 5% starch.
Molly 15:32
That's actually a pretty high amount when you really think about it. Yeah, absolutely enough. So
Matthew Amster-Burton 15:36
let's Yeah, let's just jump ahead that powdered sugar dissolves really well. And so you might think it would be like good to like, stir into your iced tea, but a if it'll clump. But also like even if it doesn't, if you like put the put the powdered sugar in first. It has enough starch in it that it will thicken your drink to rally which which means you can use it to make like a like a homemade hot cocoa mix, which you want to be a little thick, but like for like a beverage that you don't want to have viscosity. Probably not the best choice.
Molly 16:06
Okay. Oh, this is so interesting. Okay, wow. Okay, so why do we need the anticaking agent?
Matthew Amster-Burton 16:12
Because sugar is hygroscopic I'm sure we've used this word on the show before right?
Molly 16:17
Why isn't it hydro? scoffing Oh, I
Matthew Amster-Burton 16:20
was afraid you were gonna ask that and because I realized as I was pulling out this agenda that I don't know the answer, it seems like it should be hydro scopic. But like, you know, like a hygrometer is measures humidity and a hydrometer measure something else. So, okay, low grade, we have to we have to answer high grow versus hydro. Which one is better? Okay. Hydro is the prefix meaning water. High Growth is the prefix meaning wet or moist may or may not be from water. But in this case, it is so.
Molly 16:56
Okay, well, so So I guess what we're saying here is powdered. sugar is sugar is attracted to moisture, or sugar attracts moisture. i It doesn't have to be water, it could be anything.
Matthew Amster-Burton 17:10
Okay, I have to report one other important thing for the internet. I still have not determined what the difference between hydro and hydro is, but I'm looking at like, you know, the Google clip from a Reddit link where the the question is, what's the difference between hydro and hydro? And the summary of the of the page is what would be the most unexpected opponent for Godzilla in the movie Godzilla versus what do you think Godzilla versus hydro or hydro?
Molly 17:37
Hydro I grow definitely sounds more.
Matthew Amster-Burton 17:40
More aggro. Yes. It's highly aggro. That's what I grew up means.
Molly 17:43
You know, when I was a kid and a teenager and I would say even someone in college it never, like I never regretted that, like I didn't. I never took Latin or Greek or anything like that. And now I really now I wish like that knowledge were in my brain the way that some of you like ational. Now I knew
Matthew Amster-Burton 18:03
some people who took like, like Greek and Latin, like for science. So you learn like just enough to know what all the prefixes and suffixes mean. Yeah, and I didn't take that. So I don't know.
Molly 18:14
All right, well, here we go. Okay, so yeah, sugar is hygroscopic.
Matthew Amster-Burton 18:18
Yeah, it absorbs moisture from the air. And the extent to which it can grab onto moisture depends on how much of its surface area is exposed. So if you got like granulated sugar, that's like little hunks of sugar, so relatively little surface area is exposed. And it's so like, reaches an equilibrium where it's like drying out kind of as quickly as it's absorbing water, okay, but if you have powdered sugar, then tons of surface area is exposed. And if you leave it out, it will or you know, even if it's in a bag, unless it's like scrupulously airtight, it will absorb enough water to start clumping, which is probably not what you want, unless you put in some starch that can absorb that
Molly 18:59
well. And even with starch, it's always wise to sift your powdered sugar because inevitably it has clumps in it, right. So when we buy powdered sugar is it is there like a standard size of grain?
Matthew Amster-Burton 19:15
Yeah, like like small is the standards. Okay, okay. So as far as I can tell, So, technically powdered sugar is graded by fineness for either Triple X, quadruple X or 10x. But when they when I looked at it, like, you know, domino brand powdered sugar says says like 10x confectioner's sugar on it. And I think probably all of what we get is like, either either it's 10x Or like, someone made this up, and it's not a real thing. Is it the more x's the finer annexes, the finer it is? And the dirtier? Yeah, for sure.
Molly 19:54
For sure. You know, I wonder so 10x just reminds me a fast 10 That
Matthew Amster-Burton 20:00
got access right? Yeah, yeah. Okay,
Molly 20:02
so how long has this stuff been around? I mean it must have taken it is very fine I've never looked closely to see how much finer It is then like all purpose flour. It's a good question sophisticated milling technology to be able to do this
Matthew Amster-Burton 20:20
yeah, okay. sighs of sugar grain. Oh no, I was okay, I gotta stop googling things during the show. Let's just Let's just wing it. So, according to an article I read on match.com Powdered sugar originated in the 17th or 18th century, but at the time, it was like a byproduct of granulated sugar production. So they were they were like milling granulated sugar and it was coming out in like all different sizes and so they would they would sieve it and like you know, some of it would be kind of like chunky. Some would be medium chunky and some would be the smallest size the powdered sugar you know,
Molly 20:55
I think that it seems like it it powdered sugar is to granulated sugar production Yeah, as saw dust is to milling
Matthew Amster-Burton 21:09
of wood. Yeah, there you go. You brought it back around to sawdust. Thanks so Okay, so So mom if you're listening I was because of what Molly just said I was right to put sod so you could stop holding a grudge
Molly 21:34
so Matthew, what what do we use this for? Like what is what is it good for? Okay. I mean, I know But firstly, you know,
Matthew Amster-Burton 21:41
it sort of the first thing came to mind was glaze, right? Yeah, glazes glazes and I like a big glaze fan. I know some of you out there are total glaze heads. I respect that completely. Like I would rather have like you know, anywhere I find a glaze I kind of want like a good nosh or a cream cheese frosting or something. But making glaze is super fun because it takes so little liquid to dissolve so much powdered sugar and it fascinates me every time Have you have you done this recently?
Molly 22:14
Not super recently, but I've made a lot of glaze in my day. I love glaze. I especially love a like a really nice tart lemon glaze. So that would be fresh lemon juice added to powdered sugar. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 22:27
no if I had to pick a glaze, I don't hate glaze look, but yeah, I wanted to I don't like plain glaze like made with water. But like, like a lemon glaze or a coffee glaze is my other favorite. Ever, ever done.
Molly 22:40
I wonder how the glaze on a glazed doughnut is made.
Matthew Amster-Burton 22:45
Hmm. You know, I just said I don't like plain glaze. But obviously the glazed pondering is my favorite doughnut. So what am I talking about?
Molly 22:53
I feel like a glazed doughnut. That's a different thing than then like a glaze that's on a cake. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 22:58
I think I was imagining like like a glaze drizzled on a scone or something where it's kind of thick. I don't
Molly 23:03
like that. But I like it on it. I like it on cake. I don't want it on a scone though. Yeah, that's my love personal look of glaze
Matthew Amster-Burton 23:10
on a cake. We we've talked about my problematic feelings about cake enough. So
Molly 23:16
okay, aside from making glazes, what do you do with powdered sugar?
Matthew Amster-Burton 23:21
Okay, there's really one other thing that I do and when you say other than glaze is like when was the last time I really made a glaze like probably back in my soda, sifting days. Muddy buddies, aka puppy. I don't think I've ever had puppy chow. Oh, okay. Do you know what it is? It involves peanut butter and cereal and powdered sugar and chocolate. Yeah, chocolate chip. So it takes work. You take some Chex cereal, and you set it aside because that's not in the first you melt together some butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter and make like a gloop out of that. Okay, real real good glue, and this is the mud. This is the mud. Then you tossed that with a bunch of checks, cereal, whatever, whatever variety you like, but prop probably not a sweetened one. I think that would be gross, but like, we checks corn checks, rice checks, whatever, or crisp picks and you toss that until it's until the gloop is coating the cereal pretty well. And then you put in powdered sugar and you shake it in a bag so that it gets really well coded and they stop sticking together.
Molly 24:29
So wait It must be so much pattern it because as you may recall powdered sugar is hygroscopic Oh yeah. And so you've just put powdered sugar onto this like gloopy series. Yeah, just to put a ton of powdered sugar on it. Yes,
Matthew Amster-Burton 24:43
it is like I have overdone it. It is possible to overdo it and then like all you taste is the powdered sugar but yes no matter what it requires a lot and you want to be able to eat these things like you know you will need to wash your hands but you don't want your hand to turn into a crime scene of law. You know, splattered chocolate and peanut butter and stuff. So it needs you need to get a good coating on there.
Molly 25:05
So should you be able to, like reach in to a bag of puppy child and extract like one single piece of cereal
Matthew Amster-Burton 25:13
that generalize? Yes, there will be like a couple stuck together here and there. But mostly, you know, you shake them until until they separate.
Molly 25:21
I would love to do an episode about like sweets made from cereal.
Matthew Amster-Burton 25:26
That's a good idea.
Molly 25:28
Could we do that? I mean, there's got to be other things other than just rice krispie treats and
Matthew Amster-Burton 25:32
I had one I had a rice krispies treat this morning. Yeah, there definitely are. Okay, great. Abby, flag it, flag it, bag it and shake it with powdered sugar.
Molly 25:42
Okay, muddy buddies. Okay. Yeah. We
Matthew Amster-Burton 25:46
call them muddy buddies rather than puppy childhoods the same thing.
Molly 25:49
Okay. You know, I do want to talk about cake. Yeah, please, Matthew, I want to talk about so the book snacking cakes, which I know we both love snacking cakes has a recipe in it for a powdered donut cake. And it's just a really good white cake. I think it has some nutmeg in it. I think it's got sour cream in it. I mean, it's basically replicating a powdered sugar cake donut. Yeah. And I love it. Like this cake has my name all over it and you wrote your name and powdered sugar. I
Matthew Amster-Burton 26:23
wrote I wrote my name all over it. That's right. Did you you could you could do that. You could like you know, cut out like block letters and like put it on the cake and then and then powder it and then take them off.
Molly 26:34
That'd be pretty cool. Always wanted to do I've never actually done I don't think I haven't either. Missed Opportunities.
Matthew Amster-Burton 26:40
Yeah, but it's not it's not too late. Just before we started recording this episode, why for the show, Laurie came over to me with the book snacking cakes open to that page and said Don't forget to talk about this. And I don't think I've ever had it with powdered sugar because Lori always makes it with cinnamon sugar because we're big cinnamon sugar fans, but I want to try the powdered sugar version.
Molly 27:01
Oh God, I don't think I ever even considered doing it with cinnamon sugar, but that sounds great to write. Okay, what about other cakes or their cakes that you've made that get powdered sugar dusted on top where that's like an integral thing, not just sort of a garnish.
Matthew Amster-Burton 27:16
You say that as if I've ever made a cake which I don't know I have made a cake once or twice. I went one time I made like a cake with like a frosting. Like oh, I made a crepe cake with with a frosting made with freeze dried fruit like whizzed into the frosting.
Molly 27:33
Okay, what about moving right along? You know, I just I hadn't thought of this until now and it's so obvious but hey, what about lemon bars?
Matthew Amster-Burton 27:42
Yes, I love lemon bars. I have made lemon bars I'm sure I've dusted them with powdered sugar. I don't honestly I like the look of it I don't honestly find it necessary. I think I prefer a lemon bar like with with just like the gel like you know translucent lemon topping that I can see
Molly 27:59
I do you think I want powdered sugar but you have to really like reapply it frequently. Right?
Matthew Amster-Burton 28:05
Oh yeah. It's like sunscreen. Like I like every every hour at the at the most like preferably every
Molly 28:12
every every 80 minutes if you whip it
Matthew Amster-Burton 28:17
right Right exactly. Like if you take your 11 bars in the water like you need to reapply right away
Molly 28:27
that delights me. Okay, Matthew, what else?
Matthew Amster-Burton 28:30
Okay, so I learned and I think like if you had pressed me probably I did know this but there's a type of powdered sugar called Snow sugar, which contains anti binding agents so that it doesn't melt, quote, even when dusted onto baked goods that are slightly wet, like fruit bars and tarts, according to
Molly 28:48
I bet like Kumar like big commercial bakeries that make lemon bars and stuff. I bet this is how they do I owe 100%.
Matthew Amster-Burton 28:54
Would he ever heard fruit bars and tarts described as slightly wet before? Isn't that appetizing? Okay, okay, so I already said the thing about like, you can make it into a hot cocoa mix. I learned that you generally if you're making a recipe that has a lot of fat in it, it's okay to substitute powdered sugar for granulated at a one and three quarters powdered sugar to one cup granulated sugar by volume ratio. Is this really ever going to come up? Were you Why would
Molly 29:28
the recipe yeah why would you ever powdered sugar not granulated.
Matthew Amster-Burton 29:32
I guess you'd like you ran out and your and your kid didn't put it on the shopping list after after your kid ate all the granulated sugar in handfuls. You're a batch here interesting.
Molly 29:43
Why do you think it Why do you think the recipe needs to have a lot of fat in order for this to
Matthew Amster-Burton 29:48
work? I think because the fat is going to like neutralize the like, gelatinous rising effect of the starch by like coating the starch Maalik. rules that is my guess. And otherwise, otherwise, like if you put a bunch of cornstarch into a recipe like it's going to change the texture a lot. Okay, again like has this listeners, has this ever come up for you where you had to substitute powdered sugar for granulated? Like maybe you were to know in the in the wilderness.
Molly 30:19
Matthew, let's talk about cookies, please.
Matthew Amster-Burton 30:22
You know, we
Molly 30:23
started out with my memory lane where there were Linzer cookies and Russian tea cakes. Anything you want to add?
Matthew Amster-Burton 30:29
I'm sure we've talked about that cookie maybe we had this whole discussion on the on the holiday cookies episode, or like one of the one of the like, for holiday cookie episodes we've done that like really like the origin of especially of the name and the cookie itself of Russian Tea Cakes, Medic Mexican wedding cookies, snowballs pull vote ons, nobody knows for sure where these came from, or like where the various names come from. It isn't American cookie, it might be related to a Spanish cookie. That's maybe the leading theory, but it's just one of those things. And everyone likes those right?
Molly 31:07
Everyone does like Yes. Have you ever seen like a crinkly like a chocolate cookie? That gets rolled in powdered sugar? Or it gets rolled in something and then then when it
Matthew Amster-Burton 31:19
would have been nice, it cracks like crap. I love those. I'm so glad you brought those up.
Molly 31:23
What is it called? Chocolate?
Matthew Amster-Burton 31:24
Crinkle Cookies,
Molly 31:25
chocolate crinkle There we go.
Matthew Amster-Burton 31:27
What am I Yeah, one of my favorite desserts involving powdered sugar. Yeah, I will eat those all day long.
Molly 31:32
Great. Go. I
Matthew Amster-Burton 31:33
can't kind of a brownie like texture.
Molly 31:35
Yes, that's right. That's right. Wow. Okay, well, this. This is making me remember uses for powdered sugar that I hadn't thought of in a very long time.
Matthew Amster-Burton 31:44
Okay, one more. This is a thing I have never had certainly never made and just learned about it when researching for this episode. Have you ever heard of a St. Louis Gooey Butter cake? No, me neither. So it's like a yeasted coffee cake that is topped with a Gooey Butter buttery layer made with tons of butter and powdered sugar, or in some recipes granulated sugar, but then definitely like topped with with a generous sprinkle generous sift of powdered sugar. And it looks really good. You can find lots of like people who grew up in St. Louis telling growth stories about how when they when they were growing up, they would like shave off the top layer and just like stuff that into their face and leave the bready part behind. I can't wait to look. I really want to try this. Yeah, cuz it was like in the cross section. You can see like it's got a layer of bread topped with a thick, equally thick layer of goo. I bet it's great.
Molly 32:38
Okay, excellent. I love you. Yeah. This has been delightful. I really I feel that I've done a lot of learning in this
Matthew Amster-Burton 32:46
episode. Yeah, like I feel like my heart went a little a little gooey.
Molly 32:49
I feel like my heart grew a couple sizes. Yeah, love. I
Matthew Amster-Burton 32:53
probably saved Christmas. We stole it first and then we saved.
Molly 32:59
That's right. That's right. Yeah, and I'm gonna go take off the antler that I've strapped to Gilbert's
Matthew Amster-Burton 33:05
head. Okay. Probably a good idea. Yeah,
Molly 33:09
he's probably already eaten it actually. Okay, I'm
Matthew Amster-Burton 33:16
not worried anything.
Molly 33:18
Guy will be Lou Who? Today I've already pulled one rock
Matthew Amster-Burton 33:22
out of his master course. But what about isn't isn't that like good for his gizzard?
Molly 33:30
Is it chickens? That yeah, okay. All right, Matthew. You know what? We have some spilled mail today. We
Matthew Amster-Burton 33:37
sure do.
I don't know if we have an answer to this question. But I love the question so much I'm gonna read it. Okay. This is from listener Colton who asks, I am curious about how you store or hide appliances you could pick any one of these as a signal listener question or possibly make a full episode of
Molly 34:07
listener Colton. I love listener Colton really gets us
Matthew Amster-Burton 34:10
if the latter. I would also include a question about where you remember your parents hiding appliances?
Molly 34:16
Well, my mom would always hide my Easter basket.
Matthew Amster-Burton 34:22
That's an appliance.
Molly 34:24
So
Matthew Amster-Burton 34:26
we're gonna say what hiding place Have you felt particularly pleased or clever about what is the craziest place you have ever seen? So else hide when you were visiting their house or a vacation rental? Doo, doo doo doo
Molly 34:50
toaster when you're not using it. Thank you. Are there appliances? You forget to ever use
Matthew Amster-Burton 34:59
them. Do you okay then the next question is, do you like microwaves installed over the oven? How do you feel about hotels hiding their refrigerators? Or similarly, how about those fancy ass custom refrigerators that look wood paneled? Or otherwise like a normal wall? Listener called? This may be the greatest question we've ever received. I have nothing to say. Except What planet are you?
Molly 35:29
I cannot wait to get into this. Here we go. Jay.
Matthew Amster-Burton 35:33
Where do you hide your appliances? Molly? I couldn't believe it. I came to your house recently to see your baby. And there weren't any visible appliances in your kitchen. I was so ashamed for you. I saw your toaster.
Molly 35:51
I know. I know. Only because No, I here's the deal. I have two toasters. I have a slot toaster and a toaster oven. They cannot there's nowhere in my kitchen to hide.
Matthew Amster-Burton 36:03
Like there was
Molly 36:06
I put them under the bed. No, it's you wonder how I stay so toasty at night. That's a good point. No. Okay. My toasters are visible. Because they are on the bottom shelf of like restaurant like stainless prep tables that we have as part of our counter top. My oven completely visible in fact, you can't miss it. Yeah, my fridge. You absolutely cannot miss it. It is a white box. That's weird in the corner of my kitchen.
Matthew Amster-Burton 36:39
You should like nail some wood panels to
Molly 36:42
the dishwasher. It has a like stainless steel front. Also can't miss it. No, it's no longer the quiet partner. It's not the quiet partner. Um, let's see things like my KitchenAid mixer. That is also visible. Instant Pot. Also visit Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 36:59
I just put all these things on shelves in the living room or dining room.
Molly 37:02
Yeah, these things are all on open shelving. I mean, my kitchen is very cobbled together. And I would say yours is to really you've got like, a condition. Yes. The shelving you've put in. Neither one of us has a kitchen that we have like, like, renovated in any meaningful way. Everything is visible. Nothing is hidden. I feel like that's, I mean,
Matthew Amster-Burton 37:23
this is like a more more serious answer than than I was expecting for this question. But I feel like like the idea of hiding appliances is like something for like a kitchen in a magazine that never actually gets this right.
Molly 37:36
Uh, yeah. I mean, I have been in a lot of Airbnbs, where they don't leave the toaster out on the counter. Even the one that we were in for our corporate retreat recently tucked the toaster right in a cabinet. And I don't ever understand that because literally the toaster gets used at least once every single day at my house. Yeah. So I don't know why I wouldn't leave it out. I think also, I don't like clutter. But I like my house to look really lived in. Yeah. So I've got I've got stuff out. The other thing is, I mean, truthfully, I really think it takes a certain amount of money to start hiding your appliance. Yes. And I don't know if people have noticed, but podcasts at least independent comedy podcasts are not how you make that kind of money. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 38:25
that's right. Our IPO is still still pending. The SEC said that if you're expecting a market cap of less than $100 You said maybe like wait on the iPad.
Molly 38:37
You know that said listener Colton. I do want to say a couple things. My parents renovated a house they bought when I was like a preteen It was sort of their dream house and they did shell out for a fridge with like beautiful like wooden was basically encased in the same thing as their cabinets.
Matthew Amster-Burton 38:59
I love that.
Molly 39:00
I think that's great. It was really classy. My ex husband Brandon has just finished basically rehabilitating an old farmhouse. And he and his partner Natalie have also done the same thing with their fridge it looks you know blends right in with the cabinets. And it looks lovely. It looks lovely. I don't know I like a fridge that's covered with magnets
Matthew Amster-Burton 39:22
Yeah, I do that we talked about how like like newer fridges like are often not magnetic anymore. Yeah. My my inlaws just got a new fridge like they did a kitchen renovation. That's really nice. And I got a new fridge. I think it is magnetic. I was I was concerned about that because their old fridge had a lot of magnets. Not all of them made it over to the new fridge but some of them did.
Molly 39:44
Another cool thing that my parents hid was the trash so I thought that point well so trash cans like people are many different minds a surface right you can have a trash can that like stands in the corner and it looks like a trash can. You could have a trash can. That's like under the sea. Some people have like a trash can that's in like some sliding out cabinets.
Matthew Amster-Burton 40:04
I stand in the corner and look like a trash can.
Molly 40:08
I was I wasn't going to say that, Matthew, I'm glad that you are able to own it though. What my parents did was they basically in the the butcher block top of their kitchen island. They cut a hole like a circle in the butcher block. And beneath it was like, like a doctor's office. That's right. Yeah. And beneath it was a cabinet where they kept a trash can. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 40:32
I liked I love that approach.
Molly 40:34
It was pretty great. Because like, well, here's the only thing that was weird. They wouldn't let me actually and they wouldn't head first. No, they wouldn't let you chop anything directly on the butcher block. What is the point of having butcher block you won't cut directly on it. So I feel like the point of that kind of trash setup is so that you could sweep whatever you're working on into the trash.
Matthew Amster-Burton 40:56
Yeah, I want this I want this so bad. I'm never gonna get it but maybe maybe someday like at an Airbnb or something. But the
Molly 41:03
trash of my youth was like one size fits all whereas trash now is like compost recycling and garbage
Matthew Amster-Burton 41:12
trash of my youth is a great name for a memoir and you are noted memoirist and should get working on this immediately.
Molly 41:19
Okay. Wait a minute, I just want to Oh, hold on. I've got some other other things I want to say I love I love listener. colons. Are their appliances you hide so well that you forget to ever use them? I mean, I mean, like, buy hide? Does he mean just like put it in a cabinet?
Matthew Amster-Burton 41:37
I think I think it means like, like, treasure hunt. Like a scab. Oh, okay. Okay, like, have you ever like hidden them all over your house and then made like a Family Circus type of map?
Molly 41:48
Mm hmm. That sounds like so much fun.
Matthew Amster-Burton 41:52
They'll be following a dotted line from from the Panini maker to the toaster oven.
Molly 41:57
How do you feel about microwaves installed over the oven?
Matthew Amster-Burton 42:00
Oh, I'm glad you reminded me about that. I like it. That's what I grew up with on Southwest 46th Street in Portland. Now our our microwave is on the counter. And it's like always kind of in the way of the dishes are like drying dishes and like there's but there's no better place to put it. And we have like, as we met, we've mentioned before, like we have like a basically non functional vent fan that isn't doing anything up there. So like put a microwave up there.
Molly 42:26
Yeah. I have neither a microwave over the over the stove. Nor do I have an exhaustion? i Yeah, I mean, I do think it's nice when everything has a place and that place is not directly on the countertop. Yeah, so like, I totally get what you're saying about the microwave. As it happens. Most of my stuff, including my microwave is yet like below the counter, but on open shelving, and I don't love that either. Because everything gets dusty all the time. And it's stupid and I hate X. Yeah, but that's that's kind of life, but it's super accessible. And my life would be a lot less dusty if I didn't have a dog and I'm not willing to do that. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 43:09
you know, you know what I've got going on over here that you don't know about yet. But but like has made this episode that much more enjoyable for me. I got I got I come are you not wearing pants? I'm not wearing pants. And I got a comfy life like gel pad for my feet. Oh, you're here. Man. Anti fatigue mat. Yeah. So nice. I can't believe I waited this long.
Molly 43:32
Can you hide any appliances under it?
Matthew Amster-Burton 43:34
I mean, like, like flat is like flat D
Molly 43:39
flat D. Okay, wait. One other thing? I feel fine about hotels hiding their refrigerator? Yeah, go for it. As long as I can find it. Sure. Yeah. You know what I don't like I don't like it when the fridge locks when there's like a lock on that one.
Matthew Amster-Burton 43:53
Is if I if I encountered a lot. Are you sure you're not thinking of the safe?
Molly 43:59
Sometimes it's like, oh, oh, I
Matthew Amster-Burton 44:01
mean, like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Molly 44:05
That maybe I mean, I guess maybe if you were a parent, and you wanted to lock your teenager out of it. Yeah. Cuz
Matthew Amster-Burton 44:10
like teenagers love mini bars, they will rack up a bill to just always rack up a bell. So Molly watches snacking. Hey, watch your snacking. Gotta tell me what you snack in. Or I'll release the Kraken. So what you snack in.
Molly 44:30
I do want to say as a disclaimer that I don't like the fact that what I'm about to talk about is described by its Creator as healthy. I don't like talking about food that way. But what I've been snacking is a particular zucchini muffin that I've been making for years now. I think since 2019. Maybe when the recipe was published. It was published on a cup of joe blog. The recipe originally was created by Sarah forte of the sites crowded kitchen at this time of year are actually the time of year when we're recording this so it's it's early September right now you're hearing this in October but it is so great to have a recipe to put all your extra zucchini
Matthew Amster-Burton 45:14
I was just gonna say are you dealing with a zucchini glut?
Molly 45:17
Well, we've been getting like two zucchini a week from our CSS. Yeah, you
Matthew Amster-Burton 45:21
don't have zucchini growing in your own garden? I don't know. That wasn't a criticism.
Molly 45:26
No, I I'm a little sad.
Matthew Amster-Burton 45:28
Do you ever hide this?
Molly 45:29
I can't believe you brought up this thing. I'm so sensitive. Do I ever?
Matthew Amster-Burton 45:35
Thought I was just gonna go by? No, no.
Molly 45:39
So here's the thing it This recipe uses one cup of grated zucchini. I love when I am like, sort of prepping all my veggies when I bring my CSA box home. Sometimes I'm just like, I can't deal with another cucumber. And I mean another zucchini and I will I will just grate it right then in there. divided up into one cup portions. I mean, they do look very similar. Put each one in a baggie, put them all in a bigger baggie together and label them. So that whenever I want to make this recipe, which is so delicious, it has almond flour in it. Oh, interesting. Chocolate chips, a little bit of cinnamon, olive oil. It's really good.
Matthew Amster-Burton 46:22
I reckon the sound really good. Like I I don't think of myself as a person who would like actively seek out a zucchini muffin, although I would certainly eat one if it was on hand. But now I feel like I want to ask. Like I could make it myself but but Watson is generally the muffin maker. And so like if I asked asked for this, she would make it but it would also make fun of me for requesting.
Molly 46:44
Okay, well, you know what, whatever you two are into, right?
Matthew Amster-Burton 46:47
Okay. Yeah, that's right. That's our basic dynamic. Anyway,
Molly 46:50
so yeah, that's the zucchini muffin recipe from Sara forte, as published on Cup of Joe. We'll link to it in the show notes. But yeah, it was published in like September of 2019. Good stuff.
Matthew Amster-Burton 47:02
I am snacking as well. And in addition to peanut m&ms, and as she says, which apparently everyone knows I'm into, you know, when I usually when I go to the store, I will often come home with a new product because I can't resist this one. This one is the Nature Valley savory nut crunch bars, and they are savory granola bars, which is kind of a good idea. I think I was not sure if they were going to be good. But there are three flavors. The only one I've tried is barbecue. I know one of the other ones is everything bagel. And I don't remember the third one. But it's like a small savory granola bar that's based on peanuts. So it's got like peanuts and some other nuts and seeds in it. It's not sweet. I was like concerned those sort of like a sweet and savory kind of thing, which I'm not really into. It's not sweet. It's really salty in a good way. And I really enjoyed it. It's like, remember had like the like the, the barbecue flavored almonds. Like just roasted almonds. I like those too. And it's kind of like that, okay, and when I went when I looked this up online to like, make sure I had the name right. It looks like these are really polarizing, like some people hate them. So if you think you might like a barbecue flavored nut bar, I would say give it a try. And if you hate it, don't blame me.
Molly 48:21
All right, Matthew, you've got a now but wow for us this week. That makes me wish I had the ability to play video games, the actual like device did
Matthew Amster-Burton 48:32
did the switch to the switch end up at your co parents house.
Molly 48:36
It has wound up at my co parents house. Yep.
Matthew Amster-Burton 48:38
So this, this now, but wow is called ven BA. It's a game created by VSI games in Toronto. It is a beautiful game about an Indian Canadian family. And it's billed as like, you know, when you sell a video game, you sort of have to like say what category of game it is. And so it's kind of billed as a cooking simulator, which it is. But it's a lot more than that. It is a game that like follows like a family's life over the course of decades. And it deals with like real, like tough topics like, you know, raising a child as immigrant parents and like, you know, these Indian parents seeing their kid grow up as like a Canadian kid and having to deal with that. It deals with anti Asian hate and discrimination. And it's also just full of moments of everyday joy. It has a fantastic soundtrack. It's got beautifully colorful cartoon art.
Molly 49:33
And it's a sounds like a great movie.
Matthew Amster-Burton 49:35
It could absolutely be a movie it's but it's a short game. You can finish it in an hour probably. And it's a game. I think like if you have the a platform that can play this. I think every one of our listeners will enjoy this. I feel like if you don't get hungry and also cry during this game, probably you're a robot. It's sort of a right to be a little bit like in a good way of the intro to the movie up in that Like, you know they are jerking your tears, but you're gonna like it. And what is it called the gap in both v and b a and it's available for Switch Windows PS five and X Box.
Molly 50:11
Cool. Okay. All right. Well, our producer is Abby circuit tele.
Matthew Amster-Burton 50:16
Molly's got a newsletter called I've got a feeling and it's available at Molly weisenberg.substack.com. It's excellent. You should go sign up.
Molly 50:23
Matthews got a band at Matthew actually plays with multiple different projects. That's true. Matthew has a band called early to the airport. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 50:32
early to the airport. We are working on some new songs that I'm pretty excited about. can't listen to him yet, but we'll we'll have to make them first and then you can listen to them. I also have a band called Twilight dinars that said, Twilight dinars.bandcamp.com That's me and my friend Meredith. And we have one one cover song out and we're working on some originals.
Molly 50:54
Awesome. All right, well, you can rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts
Matthew Amster-Burton 50:58
and you can ask other spilled milk listeners where they hide their appliances at everything spilled milk.reddit.com
Molly 51:06
I cannot wait to read the replies Yeah, thank you again listener Colton. Thank you listener seaside houses or seaside tables or seaside horses for suggesting today's episode.
Matthew Amster-Burton 51:21
My seaside horse ran away with my seaside Davao. That that was it. Yeah, that was that was the closing.
Molly 51:27
I'm disappointed.
Matthew Amster-Burton 51:29
And I'm Matthew Amster-Burton. Yes, a pointer
Okay, so I'm so glad you asked because this is so interesting and not at all boring. Great. I'm ready. I think I'm ready to fight a bear