I don't know, Bobby, I tried making powdered sugar in the food processor and it didn't work worth a darn, although it did come out kind of like "superfine" sugar, the stuff bars use for drinks.. My blender didn't do so great either.

So, maybe in a real pinch I'd do it again but I just buy powdered sugar now, I don't try to make my own.

Good luck to the lady with the broken arm, you're a sweetheart for taking her goodies.

Annie

I used my blender once for powdered sugar (no corn starch). It worked okay but I'd rather just buy it.

No plastic parts on my blender's main jar except for the little handle on the lid. I think it's an Oster from Target, probably around $70.

I don't know what superfine sugar is "supposed" to look like because when recipes call for it I've just thrown regular sugar in my mini chopper. Comes out dusty like confectioner's sugar. My mini chopper is the Ultimate Chopper from the infomercials; I know it's not had the greatest reviews and has been recalled for amputating fingers and might even be discontinued, but within the last year they replaced the blade for free, true to their word.

Bobby, my advice is hound Breville for a FREE replacement blade. There's no excuse for them blaming you for using dry ingredients when their manual actually discusses it. Not on a $150 blender.

Bobby, I don't think blenders are really meant to do much except liquid stuff or...uh...crumbs. I had a KitchenAid blender I tried to smooth room temperature cream cheese in, and realized when it started to smoke that it probably wasn't the right tool. KitchenAid replaced it for me (it was early in the purchase), but I'll never try to do it again.

You know, a box of powdered sugar is an inexpensive staple in my pantry which doesn't take up much room, and it wouldn't occur to me to try and make it. Can you not find it where you are?

There is no mystery why your blender failed.

Friction/motion generates heat. As a matter of fact, some high power blenders can generate so much frictional heat that you can make hot soup in a blender.

What happened could be the result of the following situation:

Some sugar had been pulverized to fine powder and got in the rubber seal of the blade assembly. As the blade turned, the heat generated melted the sugar. More powered sugar got stuck in the melted sugar; eventually the heat built-up caramelized the sugar and totally messed up the blade assembly.

dcarch

Thanks guys... Yes, Claire.... that's crazy that no store in Orlando sells powdered sugar, isn't it? All kidding aside, I thought I had some because I usually keep a bag in the pantry and this time I didn't... I didn't want to leave to get it because the cupcakes were in the oven so I thought the blender would be up to the task.

Dcarch.... it is a mystery because I waited 5 minutes between batches for a cool down period in effort to prevent this very problem.

I called Kitchen Aid and they said that their blender will do just fine for making powdered sugar if I only use a cup at a time and add cream of tartar.... I did almost the same thing with the Breville, but used cornstarch instead of cream of tartar.

If you look up how to make powdered sugar online, all the directions say to use a blender.

On a positive note, Breville online customer service is much better than their phone support and they e-mailed me to ask exactly what happened so they can try to prevent issues like this in the future and they are going to send me a new blade assembly. Good! I was so looking forward to playing with the Kitchen Aid and comparing it to the Breville and now I may have to return it without opening it.... but it'll save me 99 dollars if I can get the Breville working again.... I have been relatively happy with it until now....

Thanks Annie.... I just got back from seeing "aunt Jean".... she was taking the trash out and fell in the driveway a few nights ago.... we took her to the doctor the next day and waited for 4 hours for them to see her and put a cast on (why she chose neon green, I'll never understand).... she's hurting a lot, but they have her some pills.... she called them "perkerats", but I think it's called Percocet.... :o) She loved the cupcakes... I used store bought frosting!

The appliances I use for powdered sugar are a car and a grocery cart. :)

Nothing wrong with lime green for a cast! I'm sure she enjoyed the treats.

I would never use a blender for powdered sugar or superfine. Much easier to just buy it and better for your blender.

Confectioner's sugar is everywhere, but I've never been able to find superfine sugar on the shelves. And believe me, there's no shortage of well-stocked supermarkets around here.

I've also seen plenty of recipes calling for processing regular sugar if you can't find superfine. That tells me I'm not alone.

FOAS, much like the chocolate wafer cookies discussed in another thread, I find superfine sugar somewhere I wouldn't have thought either had I not owned a bar. In the liquor store. It's used for fancy blended drinks like Sloe Gin Fizz and that ilk.

I will admit, though, that I don't think I have a single recipe that calls for superfine sugar, I only know the texture because of that time tending bar....

Annie

They call it "caster" sugar here so perhaps there's a different name for it? I only buy caster sugar because it's better in sponge cakes and meringues, of which I make a lot. Then I just use it in everything else.

Colleen, here in the U.S. superfine sugar, your caster sugar, is much more expensive than regular sugar. It's sold in one-pound boxes, like brown sugar, while regular sugar comes in five-pound bags.

I have some cookbooks that want you to use superfine sugar for almost every cake, but I rarely do. If I think it's needed, I do buy it rather than try making it with regular sugar in the food processor, because the sugar crystals scour the plastic.

What sort of price difference are you looking at? I'm curious. Caster sugar is sold in smaller bags here, too, only we have 500g and 1kg bags for both kinds and 2kg bags for regular sugar. Brown sugar also comes in 500g and 1 kg bags. Actually when I was doing a lot of baking I would special order a 15kg bag of caster sugar. Worked out very cheap.

Our 5-lb. bag of regular sugar is close to your 2-kg bag (4.4 lbs.) and the our 1-lb. boxes of brown and superfine are close to your 500-gram bags. So we can sort of compare prices. In recent years supermarkets also sell 2-lb. plastic bags of brown sugar and powdered sugar, but I have not seen 2-lb. bags of superfine. They may exist in other areas. I have to admit I really don't know the exact prices, but I'm sure that two 1-lb. boxes of superfine cost more than one 5-lb. bag of regular. Of course, buying a professional food-service-size like your 15-kg bag must be possible, and much cheaper.

Bobby:

Whole Foods Market in Orlando, Fla., has Powdered Sugar.

Phone= 407- 355- 7100

LOU

Lou, that was a tongue in cheek remark... Every grocery store I've ever been to has powdered sugar.

I am surprised that more people don't make their own though.... I just assumed that was something that "cooks" did!

I made oat flour in the coffee grinder once before I got a blender and it did fine, so I would probably use it for sugar in the future, if I can get the cinnamon smell out of it. I bought two bags so it will be a while before the temptation to try it again recurs.

Cynic's comment
"The appliances I use for powdered sugar are a car and a grocery cart. :) ",
had me laughing out loud :D

I just put some sugar in my little coffee grinder, in a few seconds, I made some super fine powdered sugar, finer than dust.

dcarch

I make my own powdered/confectioner's sugar for a dessert I make at Passover, because the regular stuff is not kosher for Passover (corn starch, I think).

I am guessing that the potato starch makes it more like confectioner's and less like superfine sugar. Anyway, it works fine for dusting over the top of that chocolate torte.

I use the food processor; never thought about using the blender, but for sure I won't now.

Here's the "recipe." If you don't follow the last instruction, you'll be sorry!

1 cup sugar
1 T potato starch

Process in food processor 2 minutes. Let it settle one minute before opening lid.

Gellchom, can you not get pure confectioner's sugar in the US? Here the supermarkets stock it (admittedly in small quantities) because the cornstarch kind doesn't set properly if you're making royal icing which is mostly used at Christmas here.