Frozen Butter

This week's tip is a kitchen tip.  I enjoy watching Chef at Home on the Food Network.  Chef Michael Smith is from my neck of the woods, and I like his cooking without a recipe style.  I like his house too.  And the way he says ice.  (Oyce).  I say ice the same way.  Like I said, the same neck of the woods. 

Chef Michael often gives handy little short cuts and tips, and one of my favorites is using frozen butter when you're baking.  I often buy butter on sale and toss it in the deep freeze to stock pile it for the holidays when they jack the price up.  One day on one of his shows Chef Michael was making biscuits, and shared this tip.  Instead of cutting in the butter in the traditional manner, he suggested you take the measured amount of (frozen) butter and grate it into the ingredients and then toss it all together.  Presto!  This really cuts down on the work of making biscuits (or pie dough, or apple crisp).  Also, when the ice crystals in the butter melt in the oven, they create steam pockets which makes for a lighter, fluffier biscuit (or pastry).  Try it next time you need to cut in some butter, it's really a time saver.