By Gwen Buchanan

What do we pay for the cost of convenience? Of course convenience foods save time, but when we compare the cost to that of making the food “from scratch” can we save money? The answer may be yes, according to Shirley Camp, University of Illinois Extension nutrition and wellness educator. Recently Camp presented a workshop on making pastry. With the upcoming holiday season, families often serve pies as the dessert. While preparing for the workshop, Camp kept track of the cost of the various ingredients to give participants an idea of whether or not it cost less to make pies at home.
 Participants reported that whole fruit pies in the grocery store and other sources sold from $9 to $12 per pie. If you buy a slice of pie at the restaurant, how much is it—$2 to $3? A red raspberry pie using purchased frozen raspberries cost about $6.50 to make and that included using 2 bags of frozen red raspberries and making the pie crust from scratch.
 If you have your own fruit such as apples, peaches or berries, your cost could be much less than paying the $4.76 for 4 cups of frozen red raspberries.
 A chocolate cream pie with egg white meringue cost about $3 to make with the crust and chocolate pudding made from scratch. That also included the crust.  
 Costs of cooking from scratch will vary depending on the initial cost of the ingredients. Some of the ingredients you will take from your cupboard instead of buying new every time. For this project, cost of the flour was $1.48, and the cost of the shortening was $4.62 for a 3-pound can. Camp used 3 cups of flour and 1 cup of shortening in the crust recipe plus 1 teaspoon of salt and some water. She estimated that the cost to make the crust for a 2-crust pie at $1.07.  
 Compare that to the cost of frozen or refrigerator crusts. Of course it takes some practice to be able to make a great pie crust. If you enjoy cooking, maybe you will want to try to make your own pies for your family—then you know what ingredients go into the pies and that you have used the freshest ingredients available.

 Measure the flour into a large bowl, and stir in the salt using a fork. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, fork or two knives until the mixture resembles the texture of cornmeal. Add the water, a tablespoon at a time, using a fork to toss the mixture. Add only enough water until you can form the mixture into a ball. Too much water will make the dough sticky and hard to handle; too little water will cause the mixture to be dry and crumbly. Let the mixture set for 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 2 parts. Flour a pastry board or cloth lightly. Form half of the dough into a ball, and roll the dough out with a rolling pin. Roll from the center out, lifting and turning the crust. Roll to about 1/8-inch thickness. Fold in quarters, and gently place into pie pan smoothing out bubbles without stretching the dough.  
If you are going to make a fruit pie, add the fruit filling and top with the other half of the pie crust that you have rolled to fit the pan. Moisten the edges of the bottom crust before putting the top crust on and press the two edges together. Trim off excess pastry 1/2-inch beyond the edge of the pan. Flute (pinch the edge together in a decorative manner) the edges of the crust. Bake the pie as directed in your filling recipe.
If you are making a custard-type pie such as pumpkin or pecan, add the filling to the single crust that has been rolled and fluted around the edge. Bake according to your recipe directions. For a cream-type pie such as chocolate, coconut, or banana, place the crust into the pie pan and flute the edges. Use a fork and prick the entire crust (bottom and sides) and bake at 450 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes or until crust is brown. Remove from oven, cool, fill and use your favorite topping following your recipe directions.
Gwen Buchanan is FNP/ Youth and Family Program Coordinator, University Of Illinois Extension – Woodford County.