Feelings about pie fats run deep. There's the all-butter camp and the all-shortening camp. There's the camp that likes to combine the two and the small but vociferous camp that champions pies made with lard. Pioneer Woman decided to put each of these pie fats to the test in a blind tasting. Guess which one came out on top?
The contenders in this taste-test were butter, shortening, butter-flavored shortening, leaf lard, and because every good taste-test needs a control group, store-bought pie crust. The crusts were tasted plain in the form of the cookies you see above with no pie-filling adornment.
As you could probably guess, the store-bought crust came out on the bottom. But the rest of the crusts had their pros and cons. I'm with Ree in that the biggest surprise was the crust made with all shortening, a crust I make quite often. This crust had great flaky texture but a flavor that Ree could only describe as "blech." I guess the tasty pie filling hides a lot!
It was really revealing to see these crusts side-by-side like this. You can see the different textures in the photos and start to understand why you might want to choose one over another.
In the end, butter ruled the day. Ree said it was "cookie-like in texture" and with a "really good, yummy flavor." Truly, one can never go wrong with anything butter.
What do you use in your pie crusts?
• Read the Full Story: Pie Fats Revealed! from The Pioneer Woman
Related: 5 Steps to Master the Perfect Pie Crust
(Image: Ree Drummond from The Pioneer Woman)
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I often do all-shortening for the sake of the lactose-intolerant one in my family. But my druthers is butter. A compromise mix is frequent.
Lard, never. But I'm a vegetarian so it's not even a consideration.
I've just started my pie making career but have been doing both, no complaints from the eaters of my pies yet but I might have to try all butter next.
I use 3/4 butter and 1/4 shortening.
I usually make all butter crusts, but tried the 3/4 butter with 1/4 shortening combo recently and it was great. I think I will be using this method from now on.
I use half lard, half butter. The cost of home rendered lard is hard to beat, and I like the texture of the mixture. I add the butter for the flavor.
All butter for me, but I'm most concerned with the flavor. Lard and/or shortening would probably yield a more tender and flaky crust though.
Half-lard, half butter if there are no vegetarians planning on eating it. It there are, all butter.
From a health perspective, I don't trust shortening.
Gotta agree with eallen. Half lard (from pastured pigs; rendered from leaf lard) and half butter. Butter for most of the flavor, and flakiness, lard for a bit of flavor but mostly for tenderness.
Lard all the way for me
My dad always made half butter, half lard (I believe because he had one grandmother in the lard only camp and one in the butter only camp). But my fiance keeps kosher, so lard is out and we do all butter or buy vegan frozen crusts.
I'm a 100% butter crust lady, but I had to make a dairy-free pumpkin pie (& crust) for tomorrow and was upset about the idea of using Earth Balance or hydrogenated shortening since the dinner hosts said No to lard right off the bat.
I found a very simple and easy recipe for Oil Pie Dough, which came out beautifully with just some room temperature vegetable oil.
I don't use shortening in my kitchen (I do not trust manufactured "foods") and butter has always worked beautifully for me. If I could get my hands on some good lard I'd use that and I'd love to do a taste test between the two!
mmmmmmmm butter......