Are you aware of the sacrilege committed by Crisco and shortening? Any bakers out there?
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I searched google images with “crisco pie crust water flour” and found a lot of old images. Really interesting are the recipes that include a bit of baking soda and vinegar. It seems like that combo would produce micro bubbles in the dough. Baking is top of mind with US Thanksgiving holiday arriving soon.
Many years ago Penn & Teller came out with a book titled “How To Play With Your Food”. In it they included a recipe for some biscuits that you could copy and leave out at your work in the break room or wherever for your friends or coworkers to find. Of course, two of the ingredients just happened to be baking soda and vinegar.
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charlieg wrote:
And I am curious, how many out there, assuming you cook, still use it? I know if you want real Mexican refried beans, you must use the lard. It's a fat content issue.
Guilty. I fry my eggs and burgers in real fat. Anything else, I did not taste any difference. YMMV, I am not a tasting prodigy. Also, fat is cheap; no one wants it, since everyone does proteine drinks before going to a sport school. Don't buy that; ask your family for the stuff they throw away. Cheap as can be and tastes better :thumbsup:
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: "If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
lol, truth. I have a few young adults in the house that enjoy their bacon. Having slowly moved away from non-stick pans to cast iron, I keep a bowl of bacon grease near my gas range. Makes everything taste better... well almost, don't put it in your cereal.
Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.
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Not knowing what Crisco is may leave many of us out of the conversation. I'm assuming it's some sort of non-butter fat (in a tin??) and they've changed the ingredients... As for lard, yes I use lard for some things. I leave the pastry to SWMBO but do make crumble toppings, (better than hers) and for that I use 50/50 lard / margarine. But only because that's how I was brought up. [Update - so I leveraged the immense power of the internet, and after lengthy researches, now know what Crisco is. Looks like it switched recipe to reduce fats and include lots of palm oil. I don't know the US feeling about palm oil (sigh, I should google that too I guess) but there's considerable resistance to it in the UK due to its environmental impacts. It is found in just about every vegetable-based fat/spread, but in small proportions. Try and find an alternative with less palm oil (which can make spreads really watery, and presumably contributes to the sogginess) and more sunflower oil. Problem is that's expensive right now thanks to Putin. :( ]
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I plead guilty as charged. Yes, Crisco is one of those quintessential American products that in the 60/70s that was ubiquitous in households everywhere. As for the Crisco changes, yes, that is exactly what they did. Since we typically bake about 3 times/year, I just don't worry about using "healthier" products - a very dubious claim. There is so much crap in American food, it's astounding. One example I find completely heinous.... during covid with people stuck at home, may suburban people in the US started their own chicken collection. It's an interesting distraction - somehow I got duped into getting 6 but I did get a free coup. Anyway, I get anywhere from 3-7 eggs each day, unless my little rat dog sneaks in and steals a few (I'm going to pop her with my air rifle if I ever catch her). If you see a fresh egg like this, the yolks are a deep yellow - they are simply beautiful. So, now the egg industry is dying their yolks. Ugh.
Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.
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I plead guilty as charged. Yes, Crisco is one of those quintessential American products that in the 60/70s that was ubiquitous in households everywhere. As for the Crisco changes, yes, that is exactly what they did. Since we typically bake about 3 times/year, I just don't worry about using "healthier" products - a very dubious claim. There is so much crap in American food, it's astounding. One example I find completely heinous.... during covid with people stuck at home, may suburban people in the US started their own chicken collection. It's an interesting distraction - somehow I got duped into getting 6 but I did get a free coup. Anyway, I get anywhere from 3-7 eggs each day, unless my little rat dog sneaks in and steals a few (I'm going to pop her with my air rifle if I ever catch her). If you see a fresh egg like this, the yolks are a deep yellow - they are simply beautiful. So, now the egg industry is dying their yolks. Ugh.
Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.
Oh yes, a fresh (really fresh) egg is a glorious golden colour. I visit the south-west of England very frequently, and always make sure I come back with a box of fresh eggs from a near-neighbour, who has a little honesty box outside their terraced house. The other thing is that in the US, eggs sold commercially are washed. This removes not only any minor bits of feather and straw, but the completely effective antibacterial membrane that naturally protects an egg, so that shop-bought eggs need to be kept in the fridge. In most other places eggs are sold unwashed, and therefore don't need to be put in the fridge, and stay fresher for longer. Glad there was some little benefit from Covid for you! :)
Telegraph marker posts ... nothing to do with IT Phasmid email discussion group ... also nothing to do with IT Beekeeping and honey site ... still nothing to do with IT
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lol, truth. I have a few young adults in the house that enjoy their bacon. Having slowly moved away from non-stick pans to cast iron, I keep a bowl of bacon grease near my gas range. Makes everything taste better... well almost, don't put it in your cereal.
Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.
charlieg wrote:
Having slowly moved away from non-stick pans to cast iron
Cast iron pan was the best tip ever. I was the kind of cook that uses oil in a non-stick pan. So yes, compliments to you that fat is just half of the secret. Even unions taste better. It's a weird investment, but cast iron does not need replacement in your life, ever :thumbsup:
charlieg wrote:
well almost, don't put it in your cereal
:laugh:
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: "If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
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Oh yes, a fresh (really fresh) egg is a glorious golden colour. I visit the south-west of England very frequently, and always make sure I come back with a box of fresh eggs from a near-neighbour, who has a little honesty box outside their terraced house. The other thing is that in the US, eggs sold commercially are washed. This removes not only any minor bits of feather and straw, but the completely effective antibacterial membrane that naturally protects an egg, so that shop-bought eggs need to be kept in the fridge. In most other places eggs are sold unwashed, and therefore don't need to be put in the fridge, and stay fresher for longer. Glad there was some little benefit from Covid for you! :)
Telegraph marker posts ... nothing to do with IT Phasmid email discussion group ... also nothing to do with IT Beekeeping and honey site ... still nothing to do with IT
DerekT-P wrote:
This removes not only any minor bits of feather and straw
Err...it also reduces (or eliminates?) the chance for Salmonella also. Which sourcing from a backyard must account for also. Salmonella Outbreaks Linked to Backyard Poultry | CDC[^]
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DerekT-P wrote:
This removes not only any minor bits of feather and straw
Err...it also reduces (or eliminates?) the chance for Salmonella also. Which sourcing from a backyard must account for also. Salmonella Outbreaks Linked to Backyard Poultry | CDC[^]
Oh absolutely, and that's why in some places (Australia, the USA, Japan and others) they are washed or blanched. In the UK hens are vaccinated against salmonella, which combined with animal welfare standards keeps salmonella infection rates extremely low in the laying population. UK Food Standards advice is that "British Lion eggs* can safely be eaten runny, or even raw, by pregnant women, young children and elderly". In the US, the Department of Agriculture states "Everyone is advised against eating raw or undercooked egg yolks, whites or products containing them". Just different approaches to a common problem. Personally, I love a fried egg with a runny yolk, or toast "soldiers" dipped into the runny yolk of a soft-boiled egg. :-) Apologies that this thread has veered off topic; mea culpa. * That doesn't mean eggs from our British lions. It refers to a standards mark stamped on eggs that meet the food hygiene standards and are NOT washed
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Oh absolutely, and that's why in some places (Australia, the USA, Japan and others) they are washed or blanched. In the UK hens are vaccinated against salmonella, which combined with animal welfare standards keeps salmonella infection rates extremely low in the laying population. UK Food Standards advice is that "British Lion eggs* can safely be eaten runny, or even raw, by pregnant women, young children and elderly". In the US, the Department of Agriculture states "Everyone is advised against eating raw or undercooked egg yolks, whites or products containing them". Just different approaches to a common problem. Personally, I love a fried egg with a runny yolk, or toast "soldiers" dipped into the runny yolk of a soft-boiled egg. :-) Apologies that this thread has veered off topic; mea culpa. * That doesn't mean eggs from our British lions. It refers to a standards mark stamped on eggs that meet the food hygiene standards and are NOT washed
Telegraph marker posts ... nothing to do with IT Phasmid email discussion group ... also nothing to do with IT Beekeeping and honey site ... still nothing to do with IT
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So, I'll get back to the health post in a moment. All of you rock in those comments. But let's talk pies and specifically pie crust. Roll with me for a bit. Here in the US, Thanksgiving will be later this week, and in addition to turkey, there must be pies. To keep things in context, my wife and I are a bit of necessary foodies. Raising our huge family there was no money for prepped food. Taking the family out was an annual thing. So, in the early 90s, you would see our family assault Sam's Club - think Costco, but we didn't have a Costco at the time. The older boys would fan out for the bulk flour and rice, a couple of gallons of olive oil - it was very entertaining for those watching us :) Keeping with the necessity of scratch cooking, we always made our own pies. Pie crust, etc. This was during early 80s to early 90s. Then around about late 90s, I tried to make a pie again. And the Crisco recipe was garbage. Crust came out soggy. My wife shifted over to butter, but even that did not satisfy me. I wanted that flakey crust. Grr. So, I started researching, and holy elephant, did I find a lot of irate bakers. Turns out Crisco changed their recipe for the ostensible reason of making it healthier. Your baked goods sucked, but hey price of progress. Don't get me wrong, we did not have pie every night. But when we did, I had 11 sad faces trying to eat soggy crust pie. So, shortly, I am off to the grocery store to buy lard. And I am curious, how many out there, assuming you cook, still use it? I know if you want real Mexican refried beans, you must use the lard. It's a fat content issue. :)
Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.
So, I am happy to report that the crust is back to normal. Flakey and actually crusty rather than the old goop. As for eggs, and post Covid, the CDC has so damaged it's credibility that the USA has a real issue with the agency. We're still working through the BS.
Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.
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So, I'll get back to the health post in a moment. All of you rock in those comments. But let's talk pies and specifically pie crust. Roll with me for a bit. Here in the US, Thanksgiving will be later this week, and in addition to turkey, there must be pies. To keep things in context, my wife and I are a bit of necessary foodies. Raising our huge family there was no money for prepped food. Taking the family out was an annual thing. So, in the early 90s, you would see our family assault Sam's Club - think Costco, but we didn't have a Costco at the time. The older boys would fan out for the bulk flour and rice, a couple of gallons of olive oil - it was very entertaining for those watching us :) Keeping with the necessity of scratch cooking, we always made our own pies. Pie crust, etc. This was during early 80s to early 90s. Then around about late 90s, I tried to make a pie again. And the Crisco recipe was garbage. Crust came out soggy. My wife shifted over to butter, but even that did not satisfy me. I wanted that flakey crust. Grr. So, I started researching, and holy elephant, did I find a lot of irate bakers. Turns out Crisco changed their recipe for the ostensible reason of making it healthier. Your baked goods sucked, but hey price of progress. Don't get me wrong, we did not have pie every night. But when we did, I had 11 sad faces trying to eat soggy crust pie. So, shortly, I am off to the grocery store to buy lard. And I am curious, how many out there, assuming you cook, still use it? I know if you want real Mexican refried beans, you must use the lard. It's a fat content issue. :)
Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.
I use lard and butter. The last time I bought it the cashier asked me what it is. I avoid the hydroginated lard though.
Curvature of the Mind now with 3D
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I use lard and butter. The last time I bought it the cashier asked me what it is. I avoid the hydroginated lard though.
Curvature of the Mind now with 3D
The other pie crusts were made with butter. The apple pie came out most excellent, and the crust did not get gooey after the first day :) The only thing I care about in my food is MSG. Results in an instant migraine for my wife.
Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.