jadel wrote:
On Nov 2, 5:10 pm, Larry Sheldon <lfshel... at (no spam) gmail.com> wrote:

Not going to that soon, however--I scalded my left hand pretty painfully
a while ago baking some little applesauce pies in an experiment.


Applesauce pies? What were you thinking?

Made an apple pie yesterday, cooked down the peelings a cores and about
an apple-worth of slices.

Decided to try making some little pies (inspired by memories of
applesauce turnovers from junior high days).

Major goal is learning to make old-fashioned pie dough (flour, salt,
lard, ice water.

Another goal is using up frozen fruit that has been in the freezer for
years,
The part about hurting myself did not involve thinking at all.

Major goal is learning to make old-fashioned pie dough (flour, salt,
lard, ice water.

Here is the two-crust Betty Crocker recipe I got from a website.
http://tinyurl.com/y9bjb7a

Two-Crust Pie: Mix 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Cut
in 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening, using pastry blender (or

I know where my pastry blender is, but I use my Cuisinart instead. Use
short pulses and don't get carried away. For shortening, I like half
lard, half butter, but I usually use all butter because I haven't seen
unadulterated lard in years. One of these days, I may look at the
ingredients of the manteca de cerda in a bodega in town.

Jerry Avins wrote:

Major goal is learning to make old-fashioned pie dough (flour, salt,
lard, ice water.

Here is the two-crust Betty Crocker recipe I got from a website.
http://tinyurl.com/y9bjb7a

Two-Crust Pie: Mix 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt in medium bowl.
Cut in 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening, using pastry blender (or

Recipe I'm using is for one crust--essentially the same -- mine calls
for 1/3 cup lard (not shortening) for a cup of sifted flour, and I'm
using "a little" salt (probable 1/4 tsp).


I know where my pastry blender is, but I use my Cuisinart instead. Use
short pulses and don't get carried away. For shortening, I like half
lard, half butter, but I usually use all butter because I haven't seen
unadulterated lard in years. One of these days, I may look at the
ingredients of the manteca de cerda in a bodega in town.

I've never gotten a "Cuisinart" --I have a small spice and herb chopper
that I hardly ever use, and a 5 qt and a 12 mixer (a "Kitchenaid" from
when it was owned by Hobart, and a Hobart) that I use a lot.

For the pie dough (and for biscuits, shortcakes and scones) the tool of
choice is the pastry blender.

(I have an elderly "Osterizer" that I use for malted milks and for
repairing broken gravies.)

I get manteca (lard) at the Walmart and I think the other groceries all
carry it. Don't expect to find it in the refrigerators.

I get manteca (lard) at the Walmart and I think the other groceries
all carry it. Don't expect to find it in the refrigerators.

The stuff in my supermarkets have hydrogenated lard and some other goodies.

Interesting--come at it another way and get this:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10449262

And you are right--it does have additives. Never noticed that before.

Interesting.

Fold and roll top edge under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal; flute
as desired.

I get manteca (lard) at the Walmart and I think the other groceries
all carry it. Don't expect to find it in the refrigerators.

The stuff in my supermarkets have hydrogenated lard and some other
goodies.

This is what mine looks like -- I also have a multi-pound pail that I am
emptying.

As I say, I don't think it is refrigerated.

http://todayeye.wordpress.com/2007/12/25/fat-of-the-land-manteca/600/

Must not have gotten it at Walmart, they stock "Morrell", their site says.

Interesting--come at it another way and get this:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10449262

And you are right--it does have additives. Never noticed that before.

Interesting.

Tried sweet (or "unsalted") butter a while back--tasted terrible!

Found that it has "butter, and natural flavors" -- makes it taste like
margarine.

So I use salted butter and leave the salt out of the recipe.

So I use salted butter and leave the salt out of the recipe.

I use sweet butter and leave the salt out too. There's a shaker on the
table for those who need it. The diet isn't onerous, but it's not by
choice.

Hydrogenated fat is also known as saturated fat, not good news for the
arteries.

Probably not good for folks who eat suet, but what's the effect on birds?

Jerry Avins wrote:
Ray wrote:
Larry Sheldon <lfsheldon at (no spam) gmail.com> wrote:

As I say, I don't think it is refrigerated.

My grocery store keeps the lard (Morrell brand, I think)
refrigerated, but I don't know whether that's required.

Morrell is the stuff in my Stop%Shop, it has hydrogenated lard and
other additives.

"Hydrogenated" doesn't bother me because Im think is just means
"hydrogen added" (with a little heat I assume) to make fats that are
liquid at room temperature solidify.

The other stuff----not so sure.

Larry Sheldon <lfsheldon at (no spam) gmail.com> wrote:

I'm thinking if I try this, I'll try wrapping the cages in waxed
paper and cast the stuff in the cages (I've got 5 or six, I bet).

The hot suet mix might dissolve some of the wax from the paper. But
judging from the commercial suet cakes I've handled, the birds probably
wouldn't care about a little wax.

Birds aren't the only ones: the chocolate coating that Dairy Queen dips
their cones into contains paraffin wax so it hardens quickly when it
contacts the ice cream.

I use 3" masking tape when I fill my logs I do not know why you could

Hydrogenated fat is also known as saturated fat, not good news for the
arteries.

Probably not good for folks who eat suet, but what's the effect on birds?

Ray wrote:
Jerry Avins <j... at (no spam) ieee.org> wrote:

Larry Sheldon wrote:

"Hydrogenated" doesn't bother me because Im think is just means
"hydrogen added" (with a little heat I assume) to make fats that
are liquid at room temperature solidify.

That produces the dreaded trans fats.

Unless it's fully hydrogenated, in which case it's saturated (if my
brain hasn't completely atrophied since Organic Chem, that's what
saturated means) but doesn't contain trans fats.

When I bought some really cheap peanut butter[1] for making suet it had
a rather waxy appearance, unlike any PB I'd seen before.  The label
listed "fully hydrogenated" vegetable oil, which I assume was the
reason for the waxiness.

[1] "Valu Time" brand, about half the price of the real stuff

Please be patient because the old fart (me) has a story to tell.
Way back there was a parent's evening at a school that one of my
kids attended. The parents were separated into small groups, each
with a table, a blender, a bag of salted in the shell peanuts, and
a bottle of vegetable oil. We were instructed to make peanut butter.
Huh?
Somewhat intuitive; shell the peanuts, add the oil, put the blender
on high speed, and voila! Peanut butter! And it was good.
I haven't tried this since, but I often wonder what other oils
would work ... peanut, canola, olive?

Dick in MN

Jerry Avins <jya at (no spam) ieee.org> wrote:

Larry Sheldon wrote:

"Hydrogenated" doesn't bother me because Im think is just means
"hydrogen added" (with a little heat I assume) to make fats that
are liquid at room temperature solidify.

That produces the dreaded trans fats.

Unless it's fully hydrogenated, in which case it's saturated (if my
brain hasn't completely atrophied since Organic Chem, that's what
saturated means) but doesn't contain trans fats.

When I bought some really cheap peanut butter[1] for making suet it had
a rather waxy appearance, unlike any PB I'd seen before. The label
listed "fully hydrogenated" vegetable oil, which I assume was the
reason for the waxiness.

[1] "Valu Time" brand, about half the price of the real stuff
Please be patient because the old fart (me) has a story to tell.

On Nov 4, 4:40 pm, dickr2 <dic... at (no spam) frontier.com> wrote:
Ray wrote:
Jerry Avins <j... at (no spam) ieee.org> wrote:
Larry Sheldon wrote:
"Hydrogenated" doesn't bother me because Im think is just means
"hydrogen added" (with a little heat I assume) to make fats that
are liquid at room temperature solidify.
That produces the dreaded trans fats.
Unless it's fully hydrogenated, in which case it's saturated (if my
brain hasn't completely atrophied since Organic Chem, that's what
saturated means) but doesn't contain trans fats.
When I bought some really cheap peanut butter[1] for making suet it had
a rather waxy appearance, unlike any PB I'd seen before. The label
listed "fully hydrogenated" vegetable oil, which I assume was the
reason for the waxiness.
[1] "Valu Time" brand, about half the price of the real stuff
Please be patient because the old fart (me) has a story to tell.
Way back there was a parent's evening at a school that one of my
kids attended. The parents were separated into small groups, each
with a table, a blender, a bag of salted in the shell peanuts, and
a bottle of vegetable oil. We were instructed to make peanut butter.
Huh?
Somewhat intuitive; shell the peanuts, add the oil, put the blender
on high speed, and voila! Peanut butter! And it was good.
I haven't tried this since, but I often wonder what other oils
would work ... peanut, canola, olive?

Dick in MN

The best peanut butter uses peanut oil, but only a couple tablespoons
for about four cups of fresh-roasted peanuts. Any neutral oil would
do, but not 5W-20.

Unfortunately, the big name peanut butters may include canola oil,
molasses and sugar.

J. Del Col (not a big fan of peanut butter)