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Butter vs shortening in pie crust: my big test last Sunday
I finally did a side by side test with pie dough last Sunday and I gotta say butter won by a mile. I made two identical batches of crust, one with all butter and one with all vegetable shortening, same flour same water same technique. The shortening crust was super flaky but it had this weird greasy mouthfeel and barely any taste. The butter crust though, it was tender and flavorful and even the color was better because it browned up nice in the oven. I rolled them both out at the same thickness and used them for the same apple pie filling. My husband actually asked what was different about the butter one because he said it tasted more like real pie. The only downside is that butter is more expensive, like double the cost for this batch, and it's harder to work with if your kitchen is warm. Has anyone else tried lard instead? I keep hearing that's the real secret weapon but I'm nervous about the flavor.
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king.robin14d ago
Lard is totally worth trying. My grandma used it her whole life and her crusts were legendary, no contest. The flavor is more savory and subtle, not greasy like shortening, and it gives you that flake without the weird coating on your tongue. I think the butter vs. shortening thing is like a lot of stuff in cooking - the fancier, more expensive option usually wins on taste but loses on convenience and cost. It's the same pattern you see with cheap bread versus bakery bread or jarred sauce versus homemade.
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