9
Grandma's pastry blender trick finally clicked for me
For years my pie crusts came out tough and I blamed the flour or the butter temperature. Then my mom mentioned her mom always froze her pastry blender for 20 minutes before using it on cold butter. Anyone else have a family trick that took way too long to actually try?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
olivia_hernandez5d ago
Oh man that is genius! I never thought to freeze the blender. My grandma used to keep her rolling pin in the freezer too but I always forgot. I finally figured out that if I microwave my butter for like 8 seconds before cutting it into the flour it turns out flakier. I don't know why it works but it does.
8
alicec864d ago
Right? It's wild how little kitchen tricks like that just click one day. I swear half the stuff we do in cooking is just small hacks that someone's grandma figured out decades ago. @olivia_hernandez your microwave trick reminds me of how I eventually learned to keep my pizza stone in the oven all the time to avoid it cracking. It's like once you figure out one little thing, you start seeing the pattern everywhere. Same goes for tools and repairs honestly, little shortcuts make the big tasks way less annoying.
3
elizabeth_ramirez2d ago
Read somewhere that the science behind it is all about keeping the butter fat solid as long as possible while the flour coats it. The frozen blender means you're not melting the butter with the heat from your hands or the metal while you cut it in. My grandma used to put her pastry cutter in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes before using it, which probably does the same thing just slower. What's the worst baking tip you ever got from someone?
1