Rubbing flour and butter together

[GinAndOnIt]

Is the most tedious thing I've ever had to do. I'm surely making it more difficult than it needs to be.

I made cheese scones the other week, and whinged the whole time. I keep avoiding pastry recipes.

I want to make a crumble with some lovely home grown apples I was given, and I don't know if I can face it.

I plan to ask for a lovely electric mixer of some sort for Christmas, but does anyone have any secrets about how to make it just marginally more pleasurable?

My fingers feel like they seize up into a claw within about 5 minutes of doing it. But I really want crumble!

I so want a KitchenAid. My friend had one for Christmas and I am jealous.

I was going to suggest the masher-doodad that Polter posted. They are great. You just mash the flour and butter with it and it chops it all into tiny bits of floury butter. Perfect.

I've used a KitchenAid before and didn't see the appeal I don't have the best track record with gadgets though, so it was highly likely I was using it wrong. All these people who love them can't be wrong...

I've just watched a video of the wire thing in action. I'm sending that Amazon link to DP as we speak!

I must try the flour butter in the mixer will be chuffed if it works. I am having a dreadful time with one of my thumbs and doing it one handed earlier this week when i wanted pastry took forever.
How would you use that pastry blender?

Finally found a picture (couldn't find anything in Lakeland Plastics though )

Not soft butter like when you make a cake but not straight out of the fridge, cube it and rub.

I have one of those gadgets, tends to lie at the back the drawer unused though

If you are on a budget then Kenwood chefs are amazing.

I hate to get floury butter all over my hands so I just soften the butter a little in the microwave and use a fork. It works just as well with no mess.

Butter straight from the fridge grated into a bowl. Scatter the flour and coat the butter (can use a fork for this but). Only then rub in. I only ever do a half assed job of the rubbing but it doesn't really matter. Then add the sugar and some oats for added crunch.

Although I do use my magamox for pastry

Do you use fingers and thumb to mix? Try putting some mix on the palm of your hand and rubbing with the fingertips of the other. It stops the cramping, and works very quickly. Also, run your hands under very cold water, and dry well...you need cold hands for pastry.

Oh good tip magic thank you! There is still hope for crumble for tea tonight

Also, if you're making crumble, don't mix the butter into much. If you leave a few little lumps, you'll get a nice crunchy top. If it's mixed in too much it turns into dough.

I only discovered this last week but for crumble topping you can mix the flour, sugar and oats etc and melt the butter then stir it in, like in this apple crumble tart recipe: thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/apple-crumble-tart
It was lovely!

GRATE THE BUTTER! OH PLEASE JUST GRATE THE BUTTER!! It's miraculous, literally takes a minute or two to run really cold grated butter into flour

I did patisserie as part of training to be a chef and even our pastry teacher had a Kenwood, embrace the gadgetry! These things were invented for a reason ;)