Helpful Hints

To make the best pie crust, everything has to be cold: the ingredients, the bowl, the tools, even your hands. In fact, especially your hands. The idea is that keeping the dough cold prevents the fat from melting. So before you use the mixing bowl, put it in the freezer for half an hour. Same thing with your equipment if it feels warm. If your hands are too warm, put them under cold water or do what Joan Crawford did every morning before going to the studio, and plunge them into a bowl of ice water. You may not be in your comfort zone but your pie crust will thank you.