" > wrote in message
...
On Apr 5, 6:16 pm, "brooklyn1" > wrote:
> Billie wrote:
> > I make deviled eggs a lot, but for the life of me, I cannot get the
> > sprinkle of paprika correct. I've used everything from jars with fine
> > sifters on top, to just using my fingers, and I can't get it to look
> > like a fine dusting. My late mother-in-law used to get it done
> > perfectly, but I end up with clumps.
>
> Your mother in law's paprika has likely been sitting in her cupboard for
> like ten years.
> The fresher and better quality the paprika the more likely it will clump.
> Old paprika (that may well have been ground with some filler) will have
> had
> its essential oils evaporate so will be less likely to clump... cinnamon
> the
> same. I dust with ground paprika, cinnamon, cocoa by placing a bit into a
> mesh tea disfuser and tapping it over the food with a wooden spoon handle.
> Some store the paprika and cinnamon shaker with rice or beans, but those
> absorb the essential oils, robbing the flavor/aroma... fine with salt but
> not with spices.

Thanks for all the advice. I do live in a humid climate, and I store
all my spices in stainless steel containers, so it is moist. And you
were right about my m-i-l, I'm sure the only thing she used paprika
for was to dust her deviled eggs and a bottle lasted her forever.

Try it with smoked paprika. Very different taste.