The Tea Steeper Hack Perfect For Sifting Powdered Sugar

If you own a tea steeper, it's probably most often used to prevent your loose-leaf tea particles from getting into your beverage. The fine mesh sides allow all the flavor to seep out, while keeping the tea leaves inside. However, this kitchen tool can be used for more than just making drinks — and it can actually come in handy when you're decorating your baked goods.

But first, in rethinking ways to jazz up your sweet treats, you may want to consider powdered sugar as a light alternative to icing or frosting, (and it's especially great when paired with homemade lemon bars). But, to avoid large clumps of sugar on top of your cakes, you'll want to carefully sprinkle it — that's where the tea steeper comes in.

To start, simply scoop a spoonful of powdered sugar into the tea steeper, then close it. Some steepers have a latch mechanism to keep it shut, while others might connect and click closed. Once the steeper is securely closed, you can simply hold it over your baked goods and lightly shake it, allowing the powdered sugar to fall out on top.

The tea steeper works well for this job thanks to the double mesh wire sides of the device. While you can scoop some powdered sugar into a standard-sized strainer and shake it over the plate of desserts, the larger tool will make it more likely the powdered sugar will go everywhere. But, the small size of the tea steeper keeps it neatly contained, ensuring that the sweet topping goes where you want it to go.

A Reddit user posted the hack, calling it the "best way" to distribute powdered ingredients in the kitchen. One user commented that the double meshed walls of the tea strainer, as opposed to the singular mesh bottom of a regular strainer, make the sprinkling process even faster and that you can "shake with wild abandon." Another called it "the perfect hack ... for icing sugar on small desserts," saying they even use the device to scoop powdered sugar directly out of the bag.

This trick can also be used for other powders in the kitchen. When you're rolling out sugar cookies or bread dough, you'll probably want to spread some flour around your countertop to prevent the dough from sticking too much. While you can always grab a pinch with your fingers, you could wind up with too much flour in one spot, and not enough in another. Adding a little bit of flour into the tea steeper is an easy way to evenly coat your countertop to make cookie making much easier.

The method will also work with cornstarch, too. Sprinkling cornstarch over tofu before baking or sautéing it can give it a crispier exterior, making for a more texturally pleasing meal. Adding some cornstarch into the tea steeper and shaking it over the protein will eliminate any unpleasant chunks of the powder, ensuring that every part of the food is evenly cooked.