Found my grandma's trick for her rhubarb pie crust in a 1974 church cookbook

Stella Bennett · 2026-04-13T11:05:06.168228+00:00

The bottom was always soggy when I tried to make it, but her note said to sprinkle a tablespoon of crushed saltines over the fruit before adding the top crust... it worked perfectly, absorbing the extra juice. Does anyone else have those old binder recipes with weird little fixes like that?

rileygonzalez4mo ago

@sethp26 cracked and saltine crumbs are the only things I trust more than my own soggy baking attempts lol

7

beth_sanchez6mo ago

Those old binder fixes are just messy guesswork, honestly. Modern recipes are tested in real kitchens with exact science behind them. Why trust a random note from 1974 when you can find a proven method online that explains the chemistry? A proper thickener like cornstarch works better than hoping crackers absorb juice.

5

sethp266mo ago

Oh man, my friend tried that exact saltine trick last year after her blueberry pie was a mess. It totally saved it, even if @beth_sanchez thinks it's just a messy guess. Those old notes just have a different kind of smart.

3