Pie Crusts

[talon]

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-unplugged-kitchen-20100930,0,3852897.story

"But I may be on my way to becoming a hybrid baker, using appliances to keep it fun - and turning them off from time to time to keep a hand in, as it were."

Hmmmm - I've never, ever made pie crust in a food processor. I have this little device called a "pastry cutter" that I've used for years to make pie crusts - it's better than using a pair of knives to cut butter into the flour mix. It also comes in handy to chop cold butter into smaller bits to toss into the frying pan for sautéing or to top yeast cakes or make biscuits or certain cookies.

I have a food processor, but I've only ever used it for making large batches of things. Now that I mostly cook just for me, I rarely use it at all outside of holidays.

And doesn't the author know a wire whisk is far, far easier and better to use than those old rotary egg beaters? I have an egg beater - I used it as punishment for the children when they were younger. Not one complains when I hand them a whisk for beating eggs or making batters, not after a childhood spent trying to make egg beaters work. And to this day, if one of my grown children misbehaves, all I have to do is whisper "egg beater" and I get an instant well-behaved adult.

It works almost better than "Sit" in my commands repertoire.

I still can't imagine getting a good pie crust from a food processor.