Guest guest Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 what's a pastry cutter? ________________________________ ~ PT ~ <patchouli_troll Friday, January 2, 2009 7:36:10 AM [recipe*] Pineapple Squares This recipe is a family favorite from way back. Pineapple Squares Crust: 1 cup flour 1 1/2 cups oatmeal 1 cup vegetable shortening 1 cup brown sugar 3/4 tsp salt Filling: 2 cups crushed pineapple, drained of most of the juice 2 tsp cornstarch 1/2 cup sugar Combine filling ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and allow the sugar to dissolve and the mixture to thicken slightly. Cool. Combine the crust ingredients using a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs and starts to stick together. Press crust onto the bottom of a 13x9 inch cake pan and a bit up the sides to form a rim. Pour filling over top and spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. ~ PT ~ " Follow your bliss, don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they'd be. " ~ Joseph Campbell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 Hi Deanne! A pastry cutter (sometimes called a pastry blender) is a simple kitchen tool that's used to " cut " fats like shortening, margarine, butter, etc. into the dry ingredients (usually flour or a flour mixture) of a recipe. They're sort of a D shape in design with a flat handle across the top and four or five blades, or sometimes wires that run parallel to one another. You use a sort of cutting motion to combine the ingredients, distributing the fat through the flour without actually combining them into a soft or sticky mass. It's the fat in pastries (like pie crusts for instance) that makes them flaky by creating little pockets in the dough as it bakes. Pastry cutters aren't expensive and can be easily found in most kitchen tool sections of the mart type stores, hardwares or even grocery stores. You can use two table knives in a cutting motion against one another and accomplish the same result - just takes a little longer, but if you're going to do much pastry or biscuit making the actual pastry cutter is a handy dandy tool! Hope this helps! Blessings! MtWitchCat , Deanne Campbell <deanne757 wrote: > > what's a pastry cutter? > > > > > ________________________________ > ~ PT ~ <patchouli_troll > > Friday, January 2, 2009 7:36:10 AM > [recipe*] Pineapple Squares > > > This recipe is a family favorite from way back. > > Pineapple Squares > > Crust: > 1 cup flour > 1 1/2 cups oatmeal > 1 cup vegetable shortening > 1 cup brown sugar > 3/4 tsp salt > > Filling: > 2 cups crushed pineapple, drained of most of the juice > 2 tsp cornstarch > 1/2 cup sugar > > Combine filling ingredients in a small saucepan. > Bring to a boil and allow the sugar to dissolve and > the mixture to thicken slightly. Cool. > > Combine the crust ingredients using a pastry cutter > until it resembles coarse crumbs and starts to stick > together. Press crust onto the bottom of a 13x9 inch > cake pan and a bit up the sides to form a rim. > Pour filling over top and spread evenly. > Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. > > ~ PT ~ > > " Follow your bliss, don't be afraid, and doors will open > where you didn't know they'd be. " > ~ Joseph Campbell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 Wow! Great description, mtwitchcat. When I saw the question posted I was wondering how I would explain this handy tool to someone; I use it so often when making scones and biscuits. Anyway, here is a link to another desciption and a picture, too: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Pastry_Cutter My kitchen would not be complete without one. ~ PT ~ Let your life be a message that your children will never forget. ~ Harry Van Verkhoff ``````````````````````````````````` , " mtwitchcat " <catdancing wrote: > > Hi Deanne! > A pastry cutter (sometimes called a pastry blender) is a simple > kitchen tool that's used to " cut " fats like shortening, margarine, > butter, etc. into the dry ingredients (usually flour or a flour > mixture) of a recipe. They're sort of a D shape in design with a flat > handle across the top and four or five blades, or sometimes wires > that run parallel to one another. You use a sort of cutting motion to > combine the ingredients, distributing the fat through the flour > without actually combining them into a soft or sticky mass. It's the > fat in pastries (like pie crusts for instance) that makes them flaky > by creating little pockets in the dough as it bakes. > > Pastry cutters aren't expensive and can be easily found in most > kitchen tool sections of the mart type stores, hardwares or even > grocery stores. You can use two table knives in a cutting motion > against one another and accomplish the same result - just takes a > little longer, but if you're going to do much pastry or biscuit > making the actual pastry cutter is a handy dandy tool! Hope this > helps! > Blessings! > MtWitchCat > > > > > , Deanne Campbell > <deanne757@> wrote: > > > > what's a pastry cutter? > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > ~ PT ~ <patchouli_troll@> > > > > Friday, January 2, 2009 7:36:10 AM > > [recipe*] Pineapple Squares > > > > > > This recipe is a family favorite from way back. > > > > Pineapple Squares > > > > Crust: > > 1 cup flour > > 1 1/2 cups oatmeal > > 1 cup vegetable shortening > > 1 cup brown sugar > > 3/4 tsp salt > > > > Filling: > > 2 cups crushed pineapple, drained of most of the juice > > 2 tsp cornstarch > > 1/2 cup sugar > > > > Combine filling ingredients in a small saucepan. > > Bring to a boil and allow the sugar to dissolve and > > the mixture to thicken slightly. Cool. > > > > Combine the crust ingredients using a pastry cutter > > until it resembles coarse crumbs and starts to stick > > together. Press crust onto the bottom of a 13x9 inch > > cake pan and a bit up the sides to form a rim. > > Pour filling over top and spread evenly. > > Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. > > > > ~ PT ~ > > > > " Follow your bliss, don't be afraid, and doors will open > > where you didn't know they'd be. " > > ~ Joseph Campbell > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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