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We baked both a delicate coconut cream pie and a hearty apple pie in this dish, and were impressed with the results of both pies. We immediately noticed that the tight fluting around the edge makes a great guide for a consistent finger-crimped pie crust. The coconut cream pie released cleanly and evenly from the plate in perfect slices, while both the top and bottom crusts of the apple pie cooked all the way through. Learn how to crimp and flute pie crust so you can make beautiful homemade pies with picture-perfect edges that hold the pie’s filling in place. Watch the video tutorial for a step-by-step guide through the hows and whys of these two pie crust techniques, and see how easy it is to give your pies the perfect finishing touch before baking. Crimp & Flute Pie Crust Whichever edge you have, fluted or crimped, don’t forget to brush the top crust and edges with egg wash before baking. Egg wash is simply an egg mixed with a little milk or water, and it gives the crust a gorgeous glossy sheen, and helps to develop that rich golden-brown color you want. Pies, both sweet and savory, are usually served in the pan they were baked in. That’s why looks matter more for pie pans than for other baking pans. Many manufacturers offer different color options and attractive designs.
Donna Currie has written for The Spruce Eats since 2016. A seasoned recipe writer and gadget tester, she also wrote the cookbook Make Ahead Bread. You don’t need any special tools (though I’m not sure a fork really counts as a special tool, LOL), just your hands. Actually, you only need 3 fingers! To test out just how much filling could fit in this pie pan, we loaded it up with 4.5 pounds of apples, which is on the large side even for an apple pie. We were impressed to see that the apples baked perfectly even all the way through the pie without turning into applesauce, and the crust cooked nicely on the bottom without being soggy. When comparing this plate side-by-side with the Great Jones pie plate, we thought the plates looked and performed nearly identically, with only a few minor cosmetic differences. This one is slightly deeper, though.
The biggest perk of a glass pie plate is being able to see what’s going on with your crust while it’s baking. Even when the top crust seems nicely golden brown, the bottom crust may need a few more minutes to fully cook, especially with juicy fruit filling in an insulated dish. A glass plate like the Pyrex Easy Grab Pie Plate takes the guesswork out of knowing if your crust is fully cooked.
Cast iron might not be the very first thing that comes to mind when considering which pie pan to buy, but it's an option that we found to be worthy. As you might expect from a cast iron pie pan, the style is more rustic, although the gently wavy top edge is a nice touch that makes it feel like it's intended for baking delicate things. Since it's cast iron, it's also a little heavier than other pie pans, weighing a little over 3.5 pounds. But considering several of the other pie plates on this list weigh nearly 3 pounds, we were a little surprised that this option wasn't much heavier. If easy cleanup is an important consideration, choose a pie pan that can be put in the dishwasher over one that requires hand-washing. Available in three colors, the retro design plays up the nostalgic feeling of a fresh-baked pie straight out of your grandma’s oven—which is really half the point of a comforting homemade pie in the first place. And if taken care of, it's likely that this pie dish might last generations and actually be someone's grandmother's pie dish one day. How thoroughly the crusts cooked in each pan during pre-baking, as well as completely raw double-crust pies. We judged doneness based on the final crust color, crispness after the pie cooled completely, and how well the crusts sliced and released from the pans. Additionally, we noted if the crusts cooked at the same rate as the fillings, or if either needed additional time. We found that the Emile Henry ruffled pie dish was a perfect fit for almost any style of pie. Shallower custard pies that are made with a smaller pie shell won't look like they're being swallowed by the pan since there isn't a formal rim, and larger pies have plenty of room to grow. We also found that the dish has a whopping 6-cup capacity, meaning you can comfortably load your next apple pie up with well over four pounds of sliced apples.Most pie pans are 9 or 10 inches in diameter, but there are also models in between, which is a good compromise for any standard-size pie. A 2-inch-deep pie plate works best for double-crust pies and single-crust pies with a generous filling. A 1.5-inch-deep pie plate can be used both for double-crust and single-crust pies.
How well the pans distribute heat, especially when baking custard pies, evenly cooking the filling from the center to the edge without over or under-baking the filling. After researching the top-selling and highest-rated pie pans in every style and material currently on the market, we tested and evaluate each of these options side-by-side. The pans were used to test several different types of pies, from blind-baked shells to custard pies, crumb crust pies, and large double-crust fruit pies. We paid special attention to:Abigail Abesamis Demarest is a freelance writer, editor, and former New Yorker based in sunny Panama City Beach, Florida.She still loves her Emile Henry Ruffled Pie Dish. Pie pans come in ceramic, glass, metal, steel, cast iron, and porcelain. Each material has its pros and cons. Ceramic pans are well-insulated, hold the heat, and the pies bake and brown evenly. A glass pan lets you monitor the crust while baking so you don’t overbake or underbake it. Metal pie pans are inexpensive and conduct heat very well but that can lead to a brown crust well before the filling is done. The heavier a metal pan, the less likely it is prone to warping.
Fluting the edges means giving it that classic wavy, scalloped look that never goes out of style, just like my favorite apple pie. The size of the pans, including the true diameter of the pan as well as the depth and overall volume. Brush the edges, as well as the top (if using a double-crust pie) with egg wash. If making a sweet pie, and to add a little sparkle and crunch, you can sprinkle the dough with a little coarse sugar. Deep-dish pie means you can have more filling in your fruit pie and more meat in your shepherd’s pie with enough room left for a generous topping of mashed potatoes. This pretty deep-dish ceramic pie plate has a cheery blue exterior with creamy white on the inside of the pan and on top of the rim. I especially love fluting the edges of a one-crust pie, like a coconut cream pie or a quiche, because it’s a way to add a little flair without a top crust design.To crimp the edges of the pie, you just need a regular fork. Place your index finger on top of the fork, and press the tines down into the edges of the crust, continuing all the way around the pie crust. It’s that simple! Any special features that set the pan apart, including handles, lids, size, transparency, or aesthetic design. Pies baked in metal pie pans usually cook faster than in ceramic and glass pans. Because metal conducts heat faster, the outside of the pie is likely to cook faster than the inside of the pie, which is most noticeable when cooking custard pies. The crust is also likely to brown faster in a metal pie pan, sometimes requiring you to cover the rim of the crust with foil when baking especially large pies, like apple pie, that take longer to bake. Pies baked in ceramic and glass plates tend to cook uniformly across the pie, since the pie plate provides more insulation than metal and heats up at the same speed as the pie filling. Pies may take anywhere from a few more minutes to half an hour longer to cook all the way through compared to metal plates.
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