Had a customer tell me my pie crust was too tough. Changed my whole method.

Some older lady at the farmer's market bought my apple pie and came back the next week. She said the crust was like a cracker, not flaky. I was using ice water but I never bothered to chill my butter enough. Now I cube the butter and throw it in the freezer for 15 minutes before cutting it into the flour. Makes a huge difference in how tender the crust turns out. Anyone else get specific complaints that actually helped your baking?

3 comments

3 Comments

viola_ward25d ago

Oh come on, you really changed your whole method over one old lady's complaint? Sounds like she was just being picky. Not everyone's gonna love your pie, that's just how it goes. I've had people tell me my cookies were too soft and I just told them to bake 'em longer themselves. You can't please everyone, and trying to change your whole recipe based on one feedback is a slippery slope. Next thing you know you're adjusting your crust for every person who walks by and your original recipe's gone.

jade_johnson24d ago

Three years ago a friend told me my chili was too spicy and I literally didn't make it again for six months... just sat there in the recipe box feeling bad about myself. Ended up tweaking the whole spice blend and now it's some completely different dish that nobody even asks for anymore. Looking back I should've just said "hey, grab some sour cream" and moved on with my life. You're totally right though, that one picky person's opinion can snowball into you losing the thing people actually loved about your cooking in the first place.

felix_williams7124d ago

Totally feel you on this one. It's really easy to second-guess yourself when someone gives you a weird look over something you made with love.

-1