Nancy Young wrote:

> Dave Smith wrote:
>
> > My pie crust doesn't always turn out as well as my best batches, but even the
> > worst has been better than the best store bought. I get enough rave reviews of my
> > pastry to keep me at it.
>
> Here's something to consider. I think many of us here don't make
> pies very often, if ever. It's rather difficult to become
> proficient in something if you might try it maybe once a year.
>
> I'm lucky to live near places that make pie professionally every
> day of the year, of course including the crust. I'm pretty happy
> with Mrs. Smith rather than making my own pumpkin pie. If I want
> quiche, I buy the red box crust. Not everyone is a baker.
>
> Now, if someone talks about buying premade meatballs, we'll be
> having a different conversation.
>

Well there you go. I consider meatballs to be way more work than pie pastry. You have
to soak the bread, get out all the ingredients, mix it altogether and then the tedious
chore of making all those little meat balls.

Maybe all you need is a quick lesson in pastry making. There are only a few
ingredients, flour salt, shortening water ( optional and preferred) egg and vinegar.
The single most important factor is not to overwork it. Don't cut up the shortening too
fine. Don't handle the dough too much and roll it out gently from inside out rotating
the direction of roll to get an approximate circle.

One other thing about pie pastry ..... get decent pie pans. Not great ones, just
decent. I like those dark blue enamel (Ironware ??) Aluminum is useless and Pyrex is
not much better. I made two pie shells last week, one in an enamel pan and the other
in Pyrex. The Pyres did not cook as evenly.

Meatballs on the other hand, I find to be a tedious chore. There are more ingredients,
it takes more time and more work to get them all thoroughly combines, and then you have
to form all those little balls. And then they usually need some sort of sauce, more
ingredients, more work.

FWIW.... I finally got to use one of my new kitchen gadgets the other day. Last summer
I was in a nice little kitchen accessory store and picked up a little meatball former
gizmo, like a pair of scissors but with two little round cups instead of blades.
Useless little gizmo if I ever saw one. Maybe I am doing something wrong, but half of
them stuck in one side or the other, and some on both sides, making two half balls.