I am used to "cut in" butter into small pieces to make things like pie crust. Which tool am I?

I am used to "cut in" butter into small pieces to make things like pie crust. Which tool am I?

• A. Pastry blender/pastry knife
• B. Chef's knife
• C. Rubber scraper
• D. Whisk

Answer: (A)

When you want a pie crust with a light, flaky texture, you cut cold butter into the flour so the fat is distributed in small pieces rather than melted into a paste. The tool designed for this job is the pastry blender (or pastry knife). Its blades or wires break the butter into pea-sized bits as you work, keeping everything cold and preventing too much gluten from forming. A chef’s knife would crush and heat the butter, more like cutting fat into rough chunks than evenly cutting it in. A rubber scraper is great for mixing and scraping, not for actually cutting the fat into the flour. A whisk adds air, which isn’t the goal here. So the pastry blender or pastry knife is the best choice for the cut-in step.

When you want a pie crust with a light, flaky texture, you cut cold butter into the flour so the fat is distributed in small pieces rather than melted into a paste. The tool designed for this job is the pastry blender (or pastry knife). Its blades or wires break the butter into pea-sized bits as you work, keeping everything cold and preventing too much gluten from forming. A chef’s knife would crush and heat the butter, more like cutting fat into rough chunks than evenly cutting it in. A rubber scraper is great for mixing and scraping, not for actually cutting the fat into the flour. A whisk adds air, which isn’t the goal here. So the pastry blender or pastry knife is the best choice for the cut-in step.