When you’re working with pie dough, or any kind of pastry dough, keeping it cool is essential. That’s easier said than done in the heat of the summer. Out for just a few minutes in a hot kitchen, your dough can end up soft, sticky and nearly impossible to work with.

So what’s a baker to do, only bake pies in the cool months? No way! Thanks to this “Better Way” tip from a reader in Texas (he knows his hot-weather baking!), you’ll learn a trick for keeping your solid-surface countertop cool so your dough stays pliable and you can bake thosesweet summer piesall season long.