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Description
- A pastry blender is made of five or six parallel U-shaped steel wires attached at both ends to a handle.
- A pastry blender is used to cut cold butter into a flour mixture to distribute the fat without melting it such as in making pie crusts or biscuits.
Substitutions
- Two knives held together at an angle may be substituted for a pastry blender. Use the knives to cut the fat into the dry ingredients until the pieces of flour-coated fat become smaller and have the texture of coarse crumbs. A fork may also be used instead of two knives.
Tips
- Be sure the butter is cold when cutting it into the flour. If the butter is too soft, the mixture becomes overworked, resulting in a pastry that is not flaky and tender.
- Cut butter into chunks before mixing with a pastry blender so the butter will be easier to mix.
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