The term 'dredging'

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janine05

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[Mod.edit: post moved to start a new thread (MG)]

🙂 thank you for the nice welcomes you all seem like good fun. Here is my first dumb question, when ever I dust pastries with icing sugar I've called it dredging, but I have been laughed at but I'm sure I was taught that when I was in school.

Janine
 
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Well I say dredging and sometimes I say dusting.

Quite a few members are from the USA on the forum so possibly they may not recognise it as a culinary term?
 
Dredging it usually referred to the action of dragging something through flour or other dried substance. I would think dusting is slowly dropping some powdery substance by flicking or other motion. Dredging would totally coat the thing you are preparing while dusting would just be a light and sporadic.

That's my 2 cents.
 
Rocklobster said:
Dredging it usually referred to the action of dragging something through flour or other dried substance. I would think dusting is slowly dropping some powdery substance by flicking or other motion. Dredging would totally coat the thing you are preparing while dusting would just be a light and sporadic.

That's my 2 cents.
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That.
 
Rocklobster said:
Dredging it usually referred to the action of dragging something through flour or other dried substance. I would think dusting is slowly dropping some powdery substance by flicking or other motion. Dredging would totally coat the thing you are preparing while dusting would just be a light and sporadic.
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Yep - I agree.
I've watched some pastry chefs "dust" desserts or cakes with cocoa powder, and they use a sieve so the powder settles like light snow. Dredging I've always thought of as dragging a piece of meat, or fish, or veg through a batter or a pile of flour, so a lot less delicate.
 
Another one in agreement with the majority - dredging is definitely a recognized culinary term here in the US, but is as Rocklobster described.

As icing sugar is a powder, the act of dusting it, say, over a cake is called…dusting, at least where I’m from.

Now watch, later today, I’ll see my first recipe that says “Next, rain down powdered sugar…” :laugh:
 
Agreed with the native speakers.
Not being one, I would use 'powder' with powder sugar, but then why, when there is 'dust'...😊
 
I think this is an occasion when cooking terms differ according to country? In the UK when applied to icing sugar, it is defined as:

...sprinkling sugar or spices over food as a decoration. A recipe may also ask you to 'dust' a work surface with flour or icing sugar to stop dough or fondant icing from sticking before kneading and rolling it out. A tea strainer or fine sieve is suitable for dusting. You can also buy a shaker or dredger which consists of a cup with a handle and perforated lid.
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Source. BBC Baking terms.

But we also talk about dredging chicken (for example) in flour.
 
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janine05 said:
[Mod.edit: post moved to start a new thread (MG)]

🙂 thank you for the nice welcomes you all seem like good fun. Here is my first dumb question, when ever I dust pastries with icing sugar I've called it dredging, but I have been laughed at but I'm sure I was taught that when I was in school.

Janine
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I would say the dredging involves dragging the food through the coating while dusting would be applying the coating to a stationary food. Or you might have a different view of it.
 
Timenspace said:
Agreed with the native speakers.
Not being one, I would use 'powder' with powder sugar, but then why, when there is 'dust'...😊
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We sometimes have a light dusting of powder snow in the winter, so yeah, why not a light dusting of powdered sugar over a dessert or fruit?
 
Morning Glory said:
I think this is an occasion when cooking terms differ according to country?
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The OED has two definitions of "dredge". The first refers to dredging a river, seabed, etc. in search of shellfish, oysters, etc. The second is to sprinkle flour/sugar/cocoa on top of something.
Personally, I think the BBC got this one wrong. All the origins of the word go back to middle English, old Dutch and even Norse words for dragging the bottom of a river, etc. to remove items.
However - it seems to be common (British) English usage for sprinkling sugar or something else on to a cake, biscuit, etc.
 
Timenspace said:
Agreed with the native speakers.
Not being one, I would use 'powder' with powder sugar, but then why, when there is 'dust'...😊
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This is dusting. A light layer of dust. It's about 2 weeks since I dusted.

20240915_134314.jpg
 
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