I finally tried my grandma's 'secret' pie crust recipe

For years I thought her claim that using frozen butter and vodka made a better crust was just an old wives' tale. I stuck with my simple shortening recipe. Last Thanksgiving, I gave hers a shot exactly as written, grating 8 ounces of frozen butter and using 2 tablespoons of vodka. The crust was flaky and tender, not tough like mine always were. It's now the only recipe I use for fruit pies. Has anyone else had a family recipe tip that sounded weird but actually worked?

3 comments

3 Comments

williamm8216d ago

Worth the fuss?" Yeah, once you taste it you'll never go back to ice water.

emery19923d ago

Is it really worth all that extra work just for pie crust? I've made decent crusts with plain old butter and ice water for years. It sounds like a lot of fuss for a small difference.

jesse_green5523d ago

My buddy swore by that method too, @emery199, until his wife made one with vodka. He said it was the flakiest crust he ever had, and now he won't shut up about it.