AIBU to use lard to make pastry?

[Yambabe]

Just that really. Had teenage Dniece over for a few hours this afternoon while DSIL went shopping, and as I have a glut of eggs at the moment we did a bit of baking and made some savoury and sweet tartlets.

I don't often make my own pastry but today I thought it would be nice for Dniece to see how it's done from scratch so we made it just like my mum taught me to many years ago - 50/50 lard and butter.

Health-conscious DSIL was horrified to hear this when she came to pick Dniece up and was told about what we'd been doing, apparently lard is poison and nobody uses it to cook with these days and we're all going to drop down dead from clogged arteries at any second etc etc. Lectured me for a good few minutes while I just kind of stood there with this face, then wouldn't let Dniece take any of the goodies home with her.

I know lard isn't the healthiest of foodstuffs but as an occasional thing (I probably make my own pastry half a dozen times a year if that!) surely it's not the end of the world?

So WIBU using lard to make pastry (cos it's sooo much nicer and crispy and stuff with it)? None of us are veggie btw so that wasn't the issue.

I'm grinning about it now thinking back but at the time I wasn't so happy and Dniece was a bit miffed that she'd helped make all these nice things then couldn't take any home. DSIL needs to take a chill pill right?

[Lolipoplady]

Your SIL is being very unreasonable! Your poor niece not being allowed to take anything home. I hope she got to try some of her baking while she was still with you.

[MrHannahSnell]

You mean you can make pastry without lard!!!

[MitzyLeFrouf]

Good old lard. All the best pastries have it. And such a lovely splat of a word.

And yes, it's practically trendy again. Coconut oil is quaking in its boots that it will be knocked off its perch.

[honeylulu]

Lard adds beautiful lightness (incongruously) to pastry. I always make my mince pie pastry one third lard. Also Cornish pasties are meant to be made with lard (according to nigella - I do not proclaim to be Cornish) yum yum.
Fat is no longer the horror it was. Sugar is the new evil.

[BackforGood]

YANBU at all. How else would you make pastry ?

Indeed, my 14 yr old had to take lard in to her school cookery lesson just last week, so they could learn how to make pastry.....

Your SiL is clearly a loon.

[MitzyLeFrouf]

DH was appalled when he watched them make jam on tv - he had no idea it was like, 50% sugar?!

Bless the sweet child's innocence.

[DuckAndPancakes]

The best pastry is made with lard.

YADNBU and I now miss my Nana's Apple pies and mince pies terribly.

[Blu]

Yup, 50 / 50 lard and butter is best.
Lard can be hard to buy these days. We always had a block in the fridge, for pastry and frying.

[MadisonAvenue]

Half lard and half butter here too. It's how my Mom taught me to make pastry and how we were taught in home economics too.

[FurryLittleTwerp]

For shortcrust pastry I use half fat to flour, half lard, half butter, more or less.

If I want flakier pastry I put more lard than butter.

More butter than lard makes it crumblier.

I also like lard for frying eggs in & for greasing my Yorkshire pudding tins

[Yambabe]

Well as DBIL is over at the moment helping DH burn some garden rubbish (and drinking beer and eating baked goods!) I asked him how she/they make pastry.

He said - direct quote - "We open a packet and add water. But these are much nicer"!

I have a glass of and am feeling a little smug....

[MothertotheLordsofmisrule]

I've always made pastry with lard and it is a very good point about people not really understanding what goes into food.

I think they believe peas are pooped out of machine, judging by the number of 'sad face' people in my local paper a couple of years ago holding up a pea pod that shock horror looked like it had been grown!

All because it had a caterpillar inside it - jeez we used to just take out the I chewed peas and chuck the rest.

[Allalonenow]

And the best chips are cooked in lard too!

[DeathStare]

He said - direct quote - "We open a packet and add water. But these are much nicer"!

Did you point out to him that chances are the lard is already in the packet when they open it?

[HalsallRedux]

Just wanted to agree with everyone. Dm taught me to make pastry with half lard, half butter, and it's the best, traditional, way to give proper shortness and crumble to the baked result. Like others, though, I've generally taken to using all butter - but I do know it should really be 50% lard!

Completely agree that too many people are clueless about how food is actually made, and what goes into it. We had 'cookery' lessons at school and actually cooked (I remember making croissants from scratch) - nowadays it's too often 'food tech', i.e. mixing up the contents of pre-bought jars and packets, if threads on here are anything to go by.

[Timeforabiscuit]

I never knew about 50:50 lard to butter, did food technology in the 90s and my mother was a dieter -so margarine only!

No wonder my pastry has always been crap - definitely trying this now, is it worth the effort vs the pre rolled chilled sheets?

[tibbawyrots]

It's worth making your own, definitely. I made Cornish pasties yesterday and they're sitting there calling my name. I think that 10.25am is a bit early for lunch though 😂

The only pastry I buy ready made is flaky or puff as even Mary Berry says that she buys hers ready made! What's good enough for Mary Berry...

[Trills]

I don't use lard because I'd then have to keep lard in.

Agree that being afraid of real fat is very out of fashion.

[Crinkle77]

Err doesn't everyone use lard?

[BarbaraofSeville]

Lard lasts for months, if not years Trills and it's very cheap.

I have a pack of beef dripping, that I assume would behave the same way. I think I bought it to make roast potatoes on Christmas Day 2014 and it's still totally fine in the fridge - we only have roast dinners every couple of months or so.

People who still think saturated fat bad/weirdy low fat shit good and don't realise that it's sugar and refined carbohydrates that's the real baddy are a bit dim really. The packet pastry mix was probably full of all kinds of rubbish.

[LittleBearPad]

Yanbu. I remember my DGM making pastry with lard. It was gorgeous. If you have any custard tarts left I'm happy to help you out

[mateysmum]

I don't know where you live blu that it's hard to get lard. Lidl has it by the ton and all the supermarkets stock it.

I nearly always use 50:50 lard to butter, only use all butter for a rich sweet pastry where you want a different texture and a little more sweetness.

Your SIL is not only being totally U, she's also really rather ignorant - yeah of course prepared bought pastry mix is healthier than lard!?

[Trills]

Oh I know it's not hard to keep but I'd have to think of it while in a shop that sells it - it never seems to come to mind.

[QueenStreaky]

I guess it's all a matter of personal taste. I used to make 50:50 because that's how I was taught, but one day I made it with all butter because I'd run out of lard and it was infinitely better (to my taste, anyway), and I've done it that way ever since. My pastry is always praised so it must be ok I suppose. Each to their own, eh?

[ForHarry]

Half butter half lard agreed.

Lard is groovy again - this made me smile but it is true, along with boiling up bones!