Article: Dip the tines of a fork into your sugar syrup and allow the biggest drips of syrup to fall back into the bowl. When the syrup becomes a very thin stream, hold it over a sharpening steel (like you use to sharpen knives). If you don't have a sharpening steel, you can also use the greased handle of a metal kitchen tool. Begin winding the strand of sugar around the handle of the tool you're using (sharpening steel or metal kitchen utensil). Start close to you and gradually wind the sugar to the end of the tool. You'll need to work fast so the sugar doesn't completely cool before you've made your spiral. This may take several tries since the sugar has to be delicate enough to wrap, but strong enough not to break. Snap the end farthest from you to create a trimmed spiral. Working very carefully, cup the sugar spiral with the palm of one of your hands and gently pull it away and off from the handle of your tool. Since a sugar spiral is made using one strand of sugar, it may be very thin and delicate. Serve the sugar spiral on your dessert right away since it will begin to absorb moisture from the air. Since the sugar spirals are so delicate, you really shouldn't plan on storing them for any length of time. But, if you'd like to try to keep them for use within the same day, you should: Store the spirals in an airtight container Set the spirals on parchment paper Place silica packets in the container to absorb moisture
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Hold the sugar syrup over a sharpening steel. Wind the sugar around your tool. Remove the sugar spiral. Use your sugar spiral.
Article: Measuring spoons are small metal or plastic spoons that are connected on a ring. They usually come in the following sizes: 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon, and 1/8 teaspoon. You'll need measuring spoons for small amounts of dry ingredients like salt, baking powder, and baking soda. You'll probably want to buy two sets of measuring spoons so you don't need to stop and wash them if a recipe calls for the same measurement twice. You can also use measuring spoons for liquid ingredients, since the amount called for will probably be very small. You'll need measuring cups to measure a variety of dry ingredients, like flour, sugar, brown sugar, rice, or oats. Most measuring cup sets come with these measuring cups: 1 cup, 3/4 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup and 1/4 cup. You can choose light plastic measuring cups that are easy to handle or heavy ones made of metal. Choose measuring spoons that have strong handles. If you scoop into a firm ingredient using a measuring cup with a weak handle, it may snap. The most common way to measure dry ingredients by volume is to dip your measuring cup into the dry ingredient so that the cup is overflowing. Take the back of a knife or a flat spoon handle and sweep the excess across and off of the measuring cup. You can also use the dip and sweep method for small amounts of dry ingredients measured by spoons. Some cookbooks may recommend taking a spoon and filling your measuring cup with a dry ingredient before sweeping off the excess. Depending on how heavily you spoon in the ingredient, you may end up with a lot more of the ingredient than you need. To find out what your cookbook or recipe recommends, read the introduction by the author. The author will explain what tools and basic ingredients you'll need, as well as helpful techniques (like measuring ingredients). When you read an ingredient list for a recipe, you probably scan it for what ingredients you'll need. However, the ingredient list can offer useful clues about how to measure the dry ingredients. Pay close attention to the language used. Here are a few examples of measurement clues in the ingredient list: "1 cup of flour, sifted" means you should dip and scoop 1 cup of flour and then sift it. "1 cup of sifted flour" means you should sift flour and then measure out 1 cup of it to use in the recipe. "1/2 cup of packed brown sugar" means you should compress the brown sugar into the 1/2 cup measuring cup rather than scoop out 1/2 cup of brown sugar and then pack it down.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Purchase measuring spoons. Buy measuring cups. Use the dip and sweep method. Consider using the spoon and sweep method. Read the ingredient listing.
Article: You will use some air for priming and testing your sprayer, so let it build up pressure while you get your paint ready. The compressor should have a regulator to allow you to set the pressure for the sprayer correctly; otherwise, fluctuations will occur as the pressure rises and falls while you are spraying. The exact amount will vary depending on your sprayer, so look at the manual (or the equipment itself) for details. Make sure it is tight; you may want to wrap the threads with Teflon tape to insure an airtight seal. This does not apply if your sprayer and hose are equipped with quick connect couplings. (This is the reservoir attached to the bottom of your spray gun.) Use just enough to submerge the siphon tube in it. This is usually the lower of two screws above the handle (pistol grip) of the sprayer. Aim the nozzle into a waste bucket and squeeze the trigger. It usually takes a few seconds for the sprayer system to prime with liquid, so at first, only air will come out of the nozzle. After a moment, you should get a flow of paint thinner. If no thinner comes out of the nozzle, you may have to disassemble the sprayer to check for stoppages or loose seals in the siphon tube assembly. A funnel helps, here, so you can return it to the original container. Mineral spirits and turpentine (two common thinners) are flammable solvents, and should only be stored in their original containers.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Turn on the air compressor. Adjust the regulator on the compressor to between 12 and 25 PSI (pounds per square inch). Attach the air hose coupling to the sprayer. Pour a small amount of paint thinner into the paint cup. Open the metering valve slightly. Prime the sprayer. Empty the spray cup of any remaining thinner.