Rant: My mother in law told me my pie crust was 'too pretty'

She meant it as a backhanded compliment but it bothered me for days. I was spending 45 minutes crimping and decorating edges that would just get eaten. Now I do a simple fork press and focus on the filling instead. My apple pies actually taste better because I'm not overworking the dough trying to make it look perfect. Has anyone else had someone's weird comment make you rethink your whole process?

2 comments

2 Comments

kevin_schmidt971d ago

Honestly, the 'too pretty' comment hits different when you realize it might be about control, not the crust. Some people get weird when you take time for yourself in the kitchen, like the extra effort is showing them up or something. My sister's friend once said my braided bread looked 'like it belongs in a magazine' in that same snarky tone, and now I just do a quick twist instead of the whole thing. Focusing on the filling sounds like you flipped it from her jab to making your pie actually better, which is a win in my book.

lee73319h ago

My Aunt June spent 45 minutes on a lattice crust once and her sister-in-law said it looked "store bought" with this sneer. @kevin_schmidt97, I think some people just can't handle anyone putting in more effort than them, like it's a personal attack on their own shortcuts. Now I just do a solid top crust with cutouts and load up the filling, way less drama that way.