On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1064

and25%solidsatkitchentemperature,andat
thetemperaturesthatthepastrydoughreaches
as it’s mixed and formed. It turns out that
butter has the right consistency for making
pastry in a relatively narrow temperature
range, between 58 and 68ºF/15–20ºC. Lard is
properly workable at only slightly warmer
temperatures, up to 75ºF/25ºC. Our flavorful
naturalfatseasilygettoosoftinthekitchento
makegoodpastry.Thisiswhypastrymakers
often prechill ingredients and utensils, work
on a cold marble surface that keeps the
ingredientscoolduringthemixingandrolling
out,andvalueassistantswithconstitutionally
coldhands.
Fat Consistency: ShorteningsAre Forgiving
Manufacturers of vegetable shortenings
control the consistency of their products by
controlling how much of the base oil’s
unsaturated fat is hydrogenated (p. 801).
Standard cake shortening has the desirable


15–25%solidsoveratemperaturerangetriple
that of butter, from 53 to 85ºF/12–30ºC. It’s
therefore much easier to make flaky pastry
with shortening than with butter. Because
laminated pastries and breads are especially
tricky to make, professionals and
manufacturersoftenuseshorteningsthathave
been formulated specifically for their

production. Danish margarines are workable
up to 95ºF/35ºC, and puff-pastry margarines
to115ºF/46ºC:theydon’tmeltuntilwellinto
the baking process! However, high melting
points have an important drawback: they
mean that the fat remains solid at mouth
temperature.Wherebutterandlardmeltinthe
mouth and release luscious flavor,
manufactured pastry shortenings can leave a
pastyorwaxyresidueinthemouth,andhave
no true flavor of their own (they’re often
flavoredwithmilksolids).
FoodWords:Pastry,Pasta,Pâté,Pie