Loading…
2
Why I stopped trying to recreate my grandma's pie crust
I always dreamed of baking pies with a perfect crust just like my grandma's. She had a secret touch I never got, even after lots of tries. My last go at it gave me a soggy bottom and hard edges, which totally put me off. Life got busy and I slowly dropped the whole idea over time. Now I'm kinda wanting to pick it back up but feel stuck. Anyone have tips for getting past kitchen fails like this? I could use some simple advice on pie crust that won't make me quit again.
4 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In4 Comments
quinnr587mo ago
Have you ever considered that giving up on pie crust might be part of a bigger habit where we drop things after they don't match a perfect picture in our heads? I see it all the time, not just in baking, where we hold up old memories as the only standard and feel defeated when our reality doesn't measure up. It's okay to let go of copying grandma exactly and just focus on what works for you now, even if it's a little different. Starting with a simple, forgiving recipe could help you enjoy baking again without that pressure to recreate the past.
6
avery_flores177mo ago
Ugh, I felt this in my soul. My great-aunt’s biscuits were the same way, a magic I could never catch, and I’d end up with hockey pucks. What @quinnr58 said really hits home, about how we compare everything to this perfect memory. Maybe your grandma’s crust was perfect for her kitchen, her oven, even her hands (weird, but true). I had to stop trying to clone those biscuits and just aim for something I liked, even if it was different. Starting super basic helped me, like a crust with just oil and flour, no fancy steps. It takes the pressure off so you can just enjoy making something tasty, not a museum copy.
4
michael6697mo ago
Ever wonder if your grandma's secret touch was just her not caring if it was perfect? My mom's famous cookies were always a little burnt because she'd get talking on the phone. Maybe the magic wasn't in a perfect recipe, but in the fact she made it so often she stopped worrying. Try making the worst pie crust on purpose, like just smash some dough in the pan, bake it, and eat the filling. It gets the job done and kills the idea that it has to be a showstopper every time.
2