To Prepare Pastry

See that all utensils used-pastry board, basin, rolling pin, etc. - are clean and cool. The board or marble should be smooth and perfectly flat. Use it for pastry-making only.

Clean, dry hands are a must for pastry-making. In the summer, when hands are apt to be warm, mix the pastry as much as possible with a knife or a pastry cutter to keep it cool.

Make pastry in as cool a place as possible; the colder it is kept during the making, the lighter it will be. In hot weather, pastry should be wrapped in foil or a damp cloth and allowed to “repose” in the refrigerator for at least ½ hour before it is used.