DEAR HELOISE: There's just no way around it: I make the worst pie crust on the planet! I saw one of your readers recently had a pie crust recipe, but I forgot to save it. Can you help me out with a decent recipe for a pie crust?
-- Lucy W., Colorado
DEAR READER: Lucy, as a matter of fact, I have my mother's original recipe from 1959, and it was always crisp, crunchy and delicious! Be sure to sift the dry ingredients before measuring.
Heloise's Never Fail Pie Crust
21/4 cups flour
3/4 cups shortening
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons very cold water
Mix the flour and shortening with the salt. Blend with a fork until the size of peas. Add the water. Roll out between two sheets of wax paper. Makes enough for one pie crust.
DEAR HELOISE: As a bachelor in his first apartment, I'm now cooking for myself. So, please tell me the difference between simmering and steaming. Aren't they the same thing?
-- Henry D., Oregon
DEAR READER: Henry, simmering means cooking in a liquid that's just below boiling. Bubbles form below the surface. Steaming means cooking over boiling water using a colander or another type of perforated heat-resistant container to hold the food above the water.
DEAR HELOISE: You can freeze potato chips. I just made that discovery when my brother and I were watching a movie and munching on chips. We had half a bag left, so I closed it up and placed the bag in the freezer. Three days later, they were still very fresh.
-- Bryan O'M.,
Pascagoula, Miss.
DEAR HELOISE: Can you freeze cheese?
-- Tiffany M.,
Fairfield, Conn.
DEAR READER: Tiffany, hard cheeses do OK, but soft cheeses suffer in texture and taste when frozen.
DEAR HELOISE: I save the plastic net bags when I buy onions, potatoes and carrots. They are very strong. When I go to the grocery store, I fill them with produce such as tomatoes, zucchini, lettuce or apples. They're lightweight, and I can recycle them several times.
-- Darcy W., Deleware
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email
Heloise@Heloise.com
Food on 05/09/2018