# Math help, please **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 13, 2017, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-help-please/804391 "2017-12-13T13:55:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-help-please/804391/41 "2017-12-19T12:24:27Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > But scraps of rough or full-on puff pastry degrade after recombination. [ Can you be like Alton Brown and explain why? It is it a type of dough you’re not supposed to work with very much, and thus mixing it well enough to combine it hurts it? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-help-please/804391/42 "2017-12-19T14:51:38Z")
The dough has layers of butter in it that forms flaky layers when baked.If you’ve ever heard people talking about a dough being well laminated, that’s what they’re referring to. Just mushing the scraps together and rolling it out again ruins the layers and it doesn’t rise as much or get as flaky. If it’s necessary to reuse the scraps, lay them all on top of each other in a sort of stack so that when you roll it out, you preserve as much of the layers as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-help-please/804391/43 "2017-12-19T15:28:40Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > The dough has layers of butter in it that forms flaky layers when baked.If you’ve ever heard people talking about a dough being well laminated, that’s what they’re referring to. Just mushing the scraps together and rolling it out again ruins the layers and it doesn’t rise as much or get as flaky. > > If it’s necessary to reuse the scraps, lay them all on top of each other in a sort of stack so that when you roll it out, you preserve as much of the layers as possible. Reworking the dough also gets the gluten fired up, which can make it tough. It helps to refrigerate it for awhile after re-rolling to settle things down and re-chill the butter. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-help-please/804391/44 "2017-12-27T16:50:12Z")
I made some pretty excellent mince pies this year using Paul Hollywood’s recipe. I used a jar of Robertson’s doctored up with orange zest, candied peel, a handful of currants, and a splash of sherry. I even made a few with caramel custard filling, as **MaxTheVool** isn’t fond of fruit desserts. There’s still half a jar of mince left. I might have to make a second batch. ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-help-please/804391/45 "2017-12-29T01:40:53Z")
Off topic but mince is exactly what? I just googled this yesterday as mincemeat and came up with recipes containing raisins, currants, apple and lots of spices. Does that sound correct? And is this product available pre made? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-help-please/804391/46 "2017-12-29T02:38:10Z")
Yup. I \*think \*in bygone eras it included some meatscraps or suet or such. Nowadays it’s spiced raisins, apples, etc. Here’s a national brand at Publix: [Product Details | Publix Super Markets](http://www.publix.com/pd/none-such-mincemeat-classic-original/RIO-PCI-101237) It’s common in the baking aisle during the holiday season. Maybe not easy to find at other times of the year except in a very wide ranging grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-help-please/804391/47 "2017-12-29T04:26:28Z")
Yes, my jar alluded to above is Robertson’s brand, made by Smuckers in the US. I got it at the local Safeway here in the SF Bay Area. I also added a bit more spice - cinnamon, nutmeg and ground clove. No actual meat. I did make a second batch today. They came out even better 🙂 I took them to a friend’s for games and no American bugger would eat them ☹ Oh well, they came home with me 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-help-please/804391/48 "2017-12-29T14:10:02Z")
Mince pies or tarts were bog-standard American holiday fare when I was a kid. Nothing exotic about them at all. You’d always have a mince pie and a pumpkin pie. Somehow over the last 40-ish years mince went out and pecan or apple came in as the other standard US holiday pie beside pumpkin. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-help-please/804391/49 "2017-12-29T15:42:39Z")
> [@Buttercup\_Smith](#): > > Off topic but mince is exactly what? I just googled this yesterday as mincemeat and came up with recipes containing raisins, currants, apple and lots of spices. Does that sound correct? And is this product available pre made? There’s mince and there’s mincemeat. The latter obviously contains meat, and the former doesn’t; [this](https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/christmas-brandied-mince-tarts-recipe) is the recipe I used and it was excellent. Whatever is left over can be frozen until next Christmas. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-help-please/804391.md?page=2)