"Paul M. Cook" wrote:
>
> "Nancy2" > wrote in message
> ups.com...
> > On Sep 26, 6:45 pm, "Paul M. Cook" >
> > wrote:
> > > "Drew Cutter" > wrote in message
> > >
> > > ...
> > >
> > > > Been watching foodtv on the pie contest. Vinegar was used for the
> crust.
> > > > Can you use vinegar for any pie crust ? Does it really make a
> > > > difference ?
> > >
> > > I've eaten my share of pies in my life. I've baked pies since I was 12.
> > > Never have I come across a recipe that called for vinegar, never have I
> > > eaten a pie that had vinegar in the crust and I can think of no reason
> > > whatsoever I would ever put vinegar in a pie crust. Pie crust is flour,
> ice
> > > water, shortening and salt. That's it.
> > >
> > > Look FoodTV has decayed to the point where it's most popular 'cooks" not
> > > only cannot cook but admit it as well. I'd just chalk it up to a
> channel
> > > that considers canned chili topped with butter soaked cornbread to be a
> > > "healthy" dish.
> > >
> > > Paul
> >
> > In my experience, vinegar in a pie crust is an old-timey thing. It
> > has nothing to do with FTV or no FTV. If you haven't ever used it or
> > run across it or eaten it, that's your experience, not a benchmark.
> > It's difficult if not impossible to tell when a crust has vinegar in
> > it.
>
> OK, but what does it do for the crust? It's an acid so presumably if you
> had a base as well you'd get some CO2 action but there is none in a pie
> dough. So what's the point?
>
> Paul

A vinegar-containing pie crust recipe was the first pie crust recipe
that ever worked for me (have lost that one since but there are plenty
more on the Net). AFAIK the acid supposedly prevents the gluten from
forming the long strands that would toughen the crust. If you can taste
the vinegar the person making the crust has used too much! Light
handling and letting the pastry rest in the fridge would probably
achieve the same thing.