FOOD TECHNOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Two butter knives – Two knives held together at an angle may be substituted for a pastry blender when cutting in butter. Use the knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the pieces of flour-coated butter become smaller and have the texture of coarse crumbs.

Detailed explanation-2: -"Cutting in” means working a solid fat into a flour mixture with a pastry blender (or two knives) until the fat is evenly distributed in little crumbs with a few larger, pea-sized pieces. The smaller crumbs act as a tenderizer for your dough and the larger pieces are what make the pastry flaky.

Detailed explanation-3: -A pastry blender or beater is used to cut butter or other fats into dry ingredients like flour.

Detailed explanation-4: -Therefore, the main purpose of cutting fat into the flour is to shorten the protein strands so that you can have a more tender and flaky baked good. This is also why professional bakers often refer to fat in general as shortening, and not just the product that is called shortening.