Few things make people as nervous in the kitchen as making pastry dough. This is understandable because it’s easy to get wrong, and you can end up with something tough or soggy, instead of a light and ...

1. Sift together flours, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and shortening and toss to coat the fats with flour. 2. Using a pastry blender, cut fats into flour until the mixture ...

When a recipe calls for you to cream together a baking fat such as butter or shortening and a downy substance such as flour, sugar or confectioner's sugar, a pastry blender is your go-to kitchen tool.

Pie crusts have a reputation for being tricky: too dry and they crack, too wet and they turn soggy, and if you overwork the dough you end up with tough pastry instead of flaky layers. Pastry pros have ...