Biscuits are a quick bread, can be light and airy, or heavy as hockey pucks. The secret is in handling them the right amount, enough to pull the ingredients all together, but not enough to make them tough.
While you can buy refrigerator case tube biscuits, these are a snap to make and taste better...they just make a bit more of a mess on the counter with rolling out and cutting and all.
Preheat oven to 450o
Stir flour, baking powder and salt together. I use a whisk for this. Cut in the fat. My wife uses two knives. Others use a pastry cutter. I just use my finger tips to blend the shortening in with the flour. You could even use your food processor, but it's one more bowl to clean. Finger tips are quick, easy and always available.
Add the milk and mix through the flour until combined. Turn out onto a floured board or counter and knead for 30 seconds or less until it all comes together smoothly. If you knead the biscuit dough too much it will get tough. Take it easy. Roll out or pat until it is about 1/2 inch thick. If you have a biscuit cutter, push straight down through the dough until you hit the table top, then twist. This will give you a clean straight rising biscuit. You can also use a drinking glass, although this is a little less "clean" for the edge. A really easy, non-wasteful method is to square up your dough pile and then use a sharp knife to cut it into square biscuits. No muss, no fuss and tastes pretty much the same.
Put the biscuits on a baking sheet or in the bottom of a cake pan so that the edges just touch and put in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until the biscuits are risen and light brown on the top.