First Pie of 2021

[countryguy]

Eddie,

The label on the Crisco oil states derived from Soybeans. I alternate between buying Crisco and Mazola oils....maybe I'll try Mazola next time.

I only have glass pie plates and the ceramic deep dish pan I used for this pie. When I made the filling, it appeared that there was too much for a standard size pan so that is why I used the deep dish ceramic pan.

Gary

 

[foraloysius]

Ah thank you Eddie for the recipe! I make a crumble now and then, so that is doable.

 

[circlew]

Gary, your pie looks good, too.

I usually buy Wesson Best Blend oil, though I've never used it for a crust. I've used it in a chocolate cake, and it turned out fine. I alternately use Crisco Blends, and it's OK, too. Any oil if not very fresh can have an off flavor and odor. I kept some too long one time, and it smelled more like it had come from Sherwin-Williams!

 

[kenwashesmonday]

My partner uses half Crisco and half butter.  He cuts the cold butter in with a pastry cutter, leaving small chunks of butter in the dough.  The dough must stay cold, and it's a good idea to pre-chill the mixing bowl.  The Crisco makes it flakey, and the butter adds flavor.

 

Pie crust is tricky, and I'm one of many who has never had any luck making it. 

 

[ea56]

Re: Repies #19 and 22

Gary,

When I first started to make this kind of pie crust using oil I too was using Pyrex pie pans, although I did have a few old metal pans too.

 

 I found that the Pyrex pans being heavy made it difficult to transfer the bottom crust into the pan by placing the empty pan upside down on top of the rolled out crust and flipping both the crust and the pan over in one movement.

 

 Also, because the Pyrex glass retains heat more than aluminum or steel I found that the edges of the crust had a tendency to over brown, almost to the point of burning, even with foil placed around the edge of the pie before placing the pie in the oven.  

 

I tried using some of my old metal pans and the crust came out so much better and it was a snap to flip the crust and pan over to get the bottom crust into the pan.  So this is why I recommend using metal pie pans.  But you certainly seemed to do a fine job with your ceramic pan.  If your comfortable with this pan no reason to change.

 

I too thought that the amount of the filling was too much for a regular 9” pan, but as it happens its just the right amount.  The beauty is that the top crust rests right on top of the filling and once the pie is baked there is no hollow gap between the top crust and the apple filling.  And it didn’t run out onto the baking sheet I placed the pie on before baking.

 

Ken,

I used to make my pie crust like your partner, only I didn’t use butter, just Crisco.  It always came out good, but it is more work and much more messy than the Oil Pie Crust I started experimenting with several months ago.  The Oil Pie Crust comes out tender and flaky, it just melts in your mouth.  Both David and I prefer it over crust made with shortening and its healthier than using saturated fat.  That being said I’m sure that you partner makes a hella good pie too!

 

If someone had told me that making crust this way was a good idea a year ago I would have been skeptical.   But I’ve found that I was pleasantly surprised.  And my husband, who I’ve been making pies for for almost 40 years now says these are the best pies I’ve ever baked.  And this is from a man that sang the praises to my pie crust for years,  In fact many years ago he wanted me to open a  Pie Shop because he said my pies were better than anyone else's.  He just now got up, and his first words to me were about how good the Peach Pie was that I baked yesterday.  And believe me he would tell me if he didn’t like something.

 

I think that anyone that has good results with what they are doing in the kitchen should keep it up.  But I’m always looking for new ways to make baking easier and better.  Who knows what my next experiment will lead me too.

 

Eddie

[this post was last edited: 1/30/2021-13:25]

 

[jamiel]

I grew up w/my mom making oil crust...she did NOT have a hand for pastry so this was as good as it got. She had even altered the Betty Crocker recipe to make a little more crust so she could roll it easier. Oil crust is not a conventionally flaky crust, slightly more crumbly, but holds up well in the refrigerator and works nicely on an icebox pie.