As a published https://www.amazon.com/Sally-McKenney/e/B00F9GGV4E” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener nofollow sponsored”>baking cookbook author
, I’ve tested MANY baking tools. And I’m happy to recommend my favorites to fellow home bakers. I believe these are the best pie baking tools, and along with the https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/category/desserts/pies-crisps-tarts/”>pie recipes and tutorials on my website, will set you up for pie success.
I’ve developed and published dozens of https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/category/desserts/pies-crisps-tarts/”>pie recipes on my website, in addition to helpful tutorials on how to make successful pie crusts. Starting with how to make the BEST homemade buttery flaky https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/baking-basics-homemade-buttery-flaky-pie-crust/”>pie crust, a perfect https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/how-to-make-a-perfect-graham-cracker-crust/”>graham cracker crust, and https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/how-to-blind-bake-pie-crust/”>how to par-bake pie crust; then moving on to more advanced skills like https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/lattice-pie-crust/”>how to lattice pie crust, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/how-to-braid-pie-crust/”>how to braid pie crust, and other https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/pie-crust-designs/”>pie crust designs.
All this recipe testing, photographing, and filming video tutorials means that I have made a LOT of pies!
From https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/category/desserts/pies-crisps-tarts/fruit-pies/”>fruit pies like https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/deep-dish-apple-pie/”>apple pie, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cherry-pie/”>cherry pie, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/peach-pie-recipe/”>peach pie, and https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-blueberry-pie/”>blueberry pie; to rich and smooth https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/category/desserts/pies-crisps-tarts/cream-custard-pies/”>cream pies like https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/french-silk-pie/”>French silk pie, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/the-great-pumpkin-pie-recipe/”>pumpkin pie, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-banana-cream-pie/”>banana cream pie, and https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cheesecake-pie/”>cheesecake pie…
With all of this pie-making practice (including recipe fails!), I’ve learned which kitchen tools are most helpful for making homemade pies. And I’m so happy to share it all with you.
Stock Your Kitchen With These 10 Pie Baking Tools
All of the pie baking tools in this list are items I own. I list 10 here, but some include more than 1 item. Use your best judgment on which items you would use based on my descriptions. None of this post is sponsored, and I’m not working with these brands; they’re truly just items I love and am happy to recommend to fellow home bakers. A lot of these links are affiliate links.
One of the most essential pie baking tools is a quality pie dish. Though I also own ceramic and metal pie dishes, my preferred choice is glassware. Glass heats slowly, and this gradual heat is perfect to evenly cook pie, including the bottom of the crust, the filling, and the edges. You can also SEE the bottom of the crust browning, which is helpful for dishes with long bake times. This https://amzn.to/2LJYp1w” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener nofollow sponsored”>Pyrex pie dish has fluted rims, allowing you to crimp the edges of your crust with ease. It has thick glass and has never warped—even through my hundreds of pies!
I also love my https://rstyle.me/n/by2sfnb7kf7″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener nofollow sponsored”>Emile Henry French Ceramic Ruffled Pie Dish because the pies are consistently gorgeous and so is the pie dish! However, ceramic pie dishes heat slowly and your pies may take longer to bake.
Pie dough, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/flaky-buttermilk-biscuits/”>biscuits, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/scones-recipe/”>scones, streusel, and other delicious miracles are made with a pastry blender. It’s handy for breaking up cold fat into tiny little pieces among your other ingredients, without completely incorporating it. Cold butter bits = flaky dough. A metal pastry cutter keeps your butter cold where other tools (or your hands) might warm it, which is the opposite of what you’re trying to accomplish.
You need a lot of arm muscle and twists of the wrist, and while you CAN use 2 forks for this, sometimes using forks to cut in hard cold butter just doesn’t… well, cut it. This http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Dough-Blender-Blades/dp/B000QJE48O?tag=sallsbakiaddi-20″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow”>pastry cutter has a soft non-slip grip and sturdy stainless steel blades that make the process a whole lot easier and quicker. Bonus: it’s dishwasher safe!
I prefer doing this by hand, but if you’d rather use a food processor, I love this https://amzn.to/3TS1Ja6″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow”>food processor.
A rolling pin is an essential pie baking tool in any baker’s kitchen and it’s not only for pies. You use it to roll out dough for https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/category/desserts/cookies/cut-out-cookies/”>cut-out cookies, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-croissants/”>croissants, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/berry-turnovers/”>turnovers, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/easy-cinnamon-rolls-from-scratch/”>cinnamon rolls, and even https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-pizza-crust-recipe/”>pizza dough. This particular https://amzn.to/2J8VrkL” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow”>wood rolling pin is long and sturdy, and has held up well through years of frequent use.
A https://rstyle.me/n/dcphusb7kf7″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow”>marble rolling pin is excellent, too. It’s cool to the touch, which makes it perfect for rolling out pie crust (which you want to keep cold). This one is beautiful enough to display—and it even comes with a stand to make that possible!
A pastry wheel is helpful for cutting pie dough, particularly when you’re making a https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/lattice-pie-crust/”>lattice top crust. This fluted https://amzn.to/3rNtx3l” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow”>pastry wheel cuts with a beautiful wavy edge, which instantly adds flair to your lattice. It’s what we use for these https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-cheese-crackers/”>homemade cheese crackers, and it’s also used for making homemade ravioli.
If you don’t want to overstuff your kitchen gadget drawer, a simple https://amzn.to/2J8bpM4″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener nofollow sponsored”>pizza cutter also works well for cutting pie dough strips.
A pastry brush is an essential pie baking tool and what you need to brush egg wash on pie dough, for that beautifully shiny golden crust. Brushing on an egg wash also helps seal the dough into itself, so it serves a functional purpose as well as an aesthetic one.
You’ll also use a pastry brush to brush melted butter on https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/soft-dinner-rolls/”>dinner rolls, and buttermilk on https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/flaky-buttermilk-biscuits/”>biscuits; and when you make homemade https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/soft-caramel-candies/”>caramel candies, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/rough-puff-pastry/”>puff pastry, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/raspberry-danish-braid/”>pastry braids, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/sweet-vanilla-bean-biscotti/”>biscotti, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/scones-recipe/”>scones, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/croissant-bread/”>croissant bread, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/berry-cobbler/”>berry cobbler… the list goes on!
I have both types of pastry brushes, but I really like this https://amzn.to/3gr3tZd” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow”>silicone brush because it can go in the dishwasher.
I use a https://amzn.to/2POQY7T” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow sponsored noopener”>pie crust shield just about every time I bake a pie, whether it’s a traditional pie crust or a graham cracker crust. A shield keeps the crust edge covered, but the center of the pie exposed, protecting the edges from browning too quickly or, worse, burning. Let the pie bake for a while uncovered, but check it often to see how the edges are looking.
You can also make a pie crust shield out of aluminum foil, and here’s how: Take a piece of aluminum foil and fold it in half. Cut out a half circle. When you open it back up, you’ll have a square of foil with a circle cut out of the center.
If your pie recipe requires a fully baked or par-baked pie crust before adding the filling, follow the directions in this https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/how-to-blind-bake-pie-crust/”>How to Par-Bake Pie Crust guide. You’ll need 2 packs of pie weights, which are metal or ceramic beads that serve to weigh down the crust to prevent puffing/shrinking. You can also use dried beans instead. Be sure to line the crust with parchment paper first.
Here’s why pie weights are needed when baking pie crust without a filling: As the pie dough bakes, the fat melts. And as the fat melts, it creates steam, which lifts up the dough. Steam is both good and bad. It creates all those delicious flaky layers, but it also causes the dough to puff up. If nothing is weighing it down, the bottom of the pie crust will puff up, then shrink down the sides of the pie dish.
The silicone mat creates a non-stick surface for rolling out pie dough, that is also non-slip, to keep everything in place. The handy measurements are useful for rolling and shaping pie dough into the right size circle, and the large surface area keeps your work surface clean.
In my https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh8tNonq-tNjbygATa5k2tMCA_ktIaSR1″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow sponsored noopener” class=”broken_link”>pie videos, you’ll typically see me rolling out pie dough right on my counter, but I’ll admit, things can get pretty messy in my kitchen on pie-baking days! A silicone mat can help cut down on kitchen cleanup.
For more accurate measuring, definitely pick up a food scale. This https://amzn.to/3BtYKLH” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow”>OXO food scale is the one I use. A gram is always a gram. An ounce is always an ounce. A cup is NOT always a cup, and therefore weighing is the most accurate way to measure. My team and I include weight measurements in all my recipes.
You can also use it to weigh the halves of your pie dough after you cut it in half, to make sure the 2 crusts are equal in size.
Yes, a cupcake carrier—not a typo! This is actually what I use to store and transport pies, https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/category/desserts/cupcakes/”>cupcakes, AND https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/category/desserts/cookies/”>cookies. A 9-inch pie dish fits well in this carrier, and there’s a little extra room on the side for napkins and serving utensils.
But if you want something round, this https://amzn.to/3TqfDAw” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow”>10-inch portable pie carrier looks like a great option, and comes with inserts for safely transporting eggs, cupcakes, and more.
Fun Extras
I try not to overload my kitchen with unnecessary gadgets, but for the pie-loving baker in your life (whether that’s you or someone you know!), here are a few fun extra pie-baking accessories:
If you’re looking for more baking-related gift ideas, check out https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/baking-gifts/”>100+ Gift Ideas for a Baker.
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