Name: Never Fail Pie Crust
Yield: 3 pie crusts
Ingredients: 3 cups (700 g ) flour; 1¼ cup (300 g) shortening; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 egg , beaten; ⅓ cup (80 ml) cold water; 1 tablespoon white vinegar

Why it works: Flour and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

Never Fail Pie Crust

3 pie crusts

Ingredients

Directions

Combine flour, shortening and salt. Cut in shortening with fork (or pastry blender) until it resembles corn meal.
Combine water and vinegar with beaten egg. Add to flour mixture a little at a time until a soft dough forms.
Divide dough into three discs, and use or freeze individually.
When using, roll out onto a floured surface to desired measurements.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

638Calories

19 gProtein

18 gFat

96 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together106,462 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + vinegartop 27% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together8,652 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Egg + vinegartop 33% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together12,922 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).