Crisco all-vegetable shortening came on the market in 1911. I wonder what sort of competition there was between the two products. I've certainly never considered using today's lard in baking, etc.
I use lard for pie pastry as it never turns out flaky for me if I use shortening or oil regardless of how many times I try. Now, about the tin that lard came in: I bet those were saved and reused.
Bunny, try freezing your butter or margarine, and then grating it into your flour, stirring the grated bits into the flour as you go along so it doesn't all pile up. Add the water, and stir with a fork. Try to handle the pastry as little as possible, as the warmth from your hands will make it tough. Freeze or refrigerant the crust before you put it into the oven. The shock of going from the cold to the hot oven will make it puff up.
Lady Anne - Thanks for the tip about freezing the fat. I was the one delegated to make the pastry when I was a kid as my hands are usually cold, and just for the reason you said. I'll try the freezing, and cooling the pastry before it hits the oven. I learned to bake from my grandmother who was a baker by trade, so I do what she did.
I love the taste that butter lends to pastry and some fried foods, so my thrifty self learned to mix a bit in for frying , but I've never tried it for pastry. Now, it's on the list. With two good recommendations, I can't go wrong. And I still want one of those big old tins. I'd have loved to have found that tin - and those scraps! I've been saving coffee tins for a while now to cover with fabric,label and stuff with new bits and pieces from Clover who makes some of the most useful new tools for sewing and knitting. Much more of this, and I'll have to make a New Year's resolutions list.
If you bake, coffee cans make great bread pans. Put the dough in the tin and sit the lid on top. When the lid pops off the bread is ready to bake. You can gat a good number of them in the oven. They are great for lunch meat - which is frequently round - and the ridges makes it easy the get even slices.
8 comments:
Crisco all-vegetable shortening came on the market in 1911. I wonder what sort of competition there was between the two products. I've certainly never considered using today's lard in baking, etc.
I use lard for pie pastry as it never turns out flaky for me if I use shortening or oil regardless of how many times I try. Now, about the tin that lard came in: I bet those were saved and reused.
Bunny, try freezing your butter or margarine, and then grating it into your flour, stirring the grated bits into the flour as you go along so it doesn't all pile up. Add the water, and stir with a fork. Try to handle the pastry as little as possible, as the warmth from your hands will make it tough. Freeze or refrigerant the crust before you put it into the oven. The shock of going from the cold to the hot oven will make it puff up.
Lady Anne - Thanks for the tip about freezing the fat. I was the one delegated to make the pastry when I was a kid as my hands are usually cold, and just for the reason you said. I'll try the freezing, and cooling the pastry before it hits the oven. I learned to bake from my grandmother who was a baker by trade, so I do what she did.
My late mother in law, who was the epitome of good plain farm cook, used a combination of butter (for the flavor) and lard (for flakiness).
Bunny, about 20 years ago I was in a church thrift store in a little burg in North Carolina ad picked up a lard can just packed with quilt scraps.
I love the taste that butter lends to pastry and some fried foods, so my thrifty self learned to mix a bit in for frying , but I've never tried it for pastry. Now, it's on the list. With two good recommendations, I can't go wrong.
And I still want one of those big old tins. I'd have loved to have found that tin - and those scraps! I've been saving coffee tins for a while now to cover with fabric,label and stuff with new bits and pieces from Clover who makes some of the most useful new tools for sewing and knitting.
Much more of this, and I'll have to make a New Year's resolutions list.
If you bake, coffee cans make great bread pans. Put the dough in the tin and sit the lid on top. When the lid pops off the bread is ready to bake. You can gat a good number of them in the oven. They are great for lunch meat - which is frequently round - and the ridges makes it easy the get even slices.
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