This is a corn-oil crust, popular in the 1950s. It could not be easier to make. It doesn’t hold up well to lengthy refrigeration, which is good because then you know you have to finish the pie sooner rather than later!

Single-Crust Dough:

• 1 cup + two Tablespoons unsifted flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup corn oil (NOT some other type of oil and not "lite" oil)
• 2 Tablespoons cold water (unless you have ice water coming out of your tap, put cold water in a glass and put in some ice cubes. Otherwise, it's "warm" water, not "cold" water.)

Mix flour & salt; blend in the oil. Sprinkle the water on, mix, and gather into a ball. If the dough "feels dry," add a little more oil.

Roll between two sheets of waxed paper. Peel off one sheet of the waxed paper and invert the crust into the pie pan. Slowly peel off the remaining waxed paper.

If you are making the crust to fill after baking, take a fork and prick holes in the bottom to prevent steam bubbles from cracking the crust. Make a "reasonable" number of pricks. Do not use beans or pie weights because you can't remove that stuff without damaging the baked crust. Bake at 450 F (323.22 C) for 12-15 minutes (until golden, not beige).

If you are making a filled crust (like a pumpkin pie), follow the baking directions for the filling.

Two-Crust Dough:

• 1-3/4 cups unsifted flour
• 1/2 cup corn oil (NOT some other type of oil and not "lite" oil)
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tablespoons cold water (see above for definition of "cold" water)

Mix flour & salt; blend in the oil. Sprinkle the water on, mix, and gather into a ball. If the dough "feels dry," add a little more oil.

Divide dough into two parts, using the lager portion for the bottom crust. Roll between two sheets of waxed paper. Peel off one sheet of the waxed paper and invert crust into the pie pan. Slowly peel off the remaining waxed paper. Add your filling. Then roll out the top crust between two new sheets of waxed paper. (Come on, don't be stingy! Waxed paper is cheap.)

Bake at 450 F (232.22 C) for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 F (176.67 C) and bake according to the directions for whatever filling you are using.

You can brush some cream (or whole milk) on the top crust. This makes it brown nicely. You can sprinkle some sugar on the cream. If you don't like the idea of using cream, real milk or sugar—why are you baking a pie in the first place? Pie is not a diet food.

In the alternative, you can make some ruvels with the left over dough and a bit more flour and sprinkle them on the top of the pie. (My great aunt used to do this; it makes the pie look "finished." She used a lard crust, of course, and considered oil crusts to be degenerate.)