A utensil most often associated with baking activities that allows fine or coarse ground substances to be sifted and spread over a variety of surfaces when preparing foods. Also referred to as a mini-sifter, the traditional use of a flour duster is to enable a fine dusting of flour or finely ground ingredients to be spread evenly over surfaces for duties such as rolling dough, when dusting baking pans or when topping foods. In addition, flour dusters can be used to evenly sprinkle powdered sugar, granular sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, bread crumbs, cookie crumbs, cornmeal, and nuts over baking pans, stones, and over foods. It works especially well for stenciling when spreading a decorative coating of an ingredient.
To operate a flour duster, press the spring-loaded handles together when placing the duster head into the ingredients to be coated, covering the coils of the head with an even coating of ingredients. Then relax the handles lightly to compress the coils holding the ingredients. As the duster is held above the item being dusted, move the head as the handles are compressed together to spread the contents around the item being dusted. As the round stainless steel coiled springs are spread apart the powdered substance is dispersed evenly on the item being prepared.