Vinegar might seem odd in a pastry crust but, in her book, "Cookwise," Shirley Corriher explains that vinegar tenderizes flour by breaking down its long gluten molecules into smaller pieces.

"Gluten is protein ... so acidic ingredients are ideal for tender crusts," Corriher writes. Lemon juice, orange juice concentrate, buttermilk and sour cream are some of the other acidic ingredients that can be added to pastry recipes for that purpose.

As for other pie-crust tips, we agree with the suggestions that Annette Kunes of Crystal Lake, Ill., offered as pastry "secrets" learned from her mother:

1. It's important that the water added to the dry ingredients is very cold. Adding some ice cubes to the water will ensure that it is sufficiently cold before adding to the flour mixture.

2. Sprinkle the water over the flour mixture and keep adding it until the dough comes together. Kunes usually uses a little more water than the recipe calls for.

3. Chill your pie dough at least an hour before rolling out.

4. Do not overknead the dough. The less you touch it the better.

Vinegar pie crust

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Chilling time: 1 hour

Yield: 4 single crusts for 9-inch pies

Karen Piscopo of Hillside submitted this recipe for pie crust. "I came by this recipe through a friend of the family who says it's impossible to mess up," Piscopo wrote. Tasters described it as "very flaky" and delicious. Because the unbaked pie shells or dough balls can be refrigerated (up to three days) or frozen (up to 2 months), it's recommended to make the full recipe to keep from dividing the egg.

4 cups flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1¾1 ps shortening or lard

1 egg

1 tablespoon vinegar

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons ice cold water

1. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening with a fork or pastry blender until the dough resembles cornmeal set aside.

2. Whisk together the egg and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk in the cold water. Add ½ cup of this mixture to the dough, blending together with a fork. Add remaining mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, blending with a fork until it comes together into a ball.

3. Divide dough into 4 balls, then flatten into discs. Transfer each disk to a food storage bag and refrigerate at least 1 hour before rolling and placing into pie shell. Refrigerate or freeze remaining balls for later use. You also can roll out the crusts, and freeze in the pie pans.