What is a Pie Pan? Its Uses and Advantages
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So…What is a pie pan? And…why would you use it? Want to make a good apple pie? You will need a pie pan and here you will find out what a pie pan is and how to use it.
Have you ever felt a longing for a delicious sweet dish just after waking up from a refreshing nap? Yes? But then there comes a situation when you want to make a pie and fall short of the right cookware. Baking is a perfect option to satisfy your taste buds. As the summer season is on, you get a lot of time to experiment with dishes during the vacation. Most people have a desire to make pies; unfortunately, they don’t have the proper equipment. The lack of cookware makes them use regular pans for baking, and then you end up making an unappetizing looking pie.
Increase your confidence in cooking
Baking and cooking by yourself increases your confidence in the cooking domain. But, when the outcome is unsatisfactory, you might start to question yourself. To avoid this while making a pie, the first step would be…to get a pie pan, otherwise known as pie plate, in your cookware collection. Making a crispy pie with soft insides could be a challenging job for newbies. The important thing is having the right tools for baking, and the pie pan is the only requirement here.
Click here to read our expert reviews on the 10 best pie pans on the market.
Making a crusty, delicious, and perfectly baked pie does not take a lot of effort. Pie pan comes in a variety of sizes and materials. One should always select the best size and quality of a pie pan. It helps to intensify the taste and presentation of your pie. People are always questioning what is the best pie pan among the different varieties. To solve this topic loaded with confusion, we are here to help you with pie pans. We will be addressing a few major points related to pie pans. Make sure to read the article till the end.
- Pack of 2
- Soft contours for easy cleaning
- Nonporous glass wont absorb stains or odors
- Reusable glass lasts longer than disposable plastic and foil
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What is a Pie Pan?
A pie pan is a baking dish that helps you bake a pie perfectly. It is a circular, slanty edge dish with a smooth/ fluted rim and a shallow depth. The rim design is necessary to secure the crusty edge of the pie. Pies are the dishes that have savory or sweet ingredients inside them. Pie pans are also commonly known as a pie plate or pie dish.
Pie pans comes in a few varieties of sizes and depth; the most basic one measures 9 inches diameter and 1- 1/4 inches deep. The average pie pans measure 9- 10 inches and 1/2 deep, while the smaller ones are 4 inches and 1/2 inch deep. The variety in sizes allows you to select a pan according to the ingredients you use. These pans also have a difference in materials such as silicon, ceramic, stainless steel, cast iron, porcelain, wood, silver, glass, brushed steel, and aluminum. All of them provide a specific characteristic to the pie.
Let us look at few uses of pie pans…
As the name suggests, the most fundamental use of a pie pan is to bake a pie. But there are a few other dishes that can also be baked in a pie pan. Let us have a detailed look:
Pies are perfect and just delightful to consume in every season. The best use of a pie pan rests with your recipe. You can make apple pie, custard pies, peach pies, maple banana pies, and many more. The pie dish doesn’t only fulfill your sweet tooth desire, read the next point to know more.
Most people don’t know this but pie pans can also do things other than baking. You can also use a pie pan to make non-veg recipes such as chicken pot pie, crab pie, beef nacho pie, tomato-baked fish, meatloaf with bacon topping, and much more.
A pie plate can also be used to prepare tart recipes. Not only this, but you can also use the pie plate for baking cake.
There are several different ways to use pastry in your pie pan
Generally, pies are made of pastry and filling – sweet or savory. There are several ways you can use pastry in a pie pan. On the bottom, bottom and top or just top.
How to stop soggy bottom pie crust
To stop soggy bottom pie crust you will need to blind bake the pastry.
What this means is you will need to bake the pastry before adding the filling. The easiest way to do this is to grease the pie pan and place your pastry in. Add a sheet of baking paper (or brown paper) and then place pastry weights on top. Bake this in the oven for about 15 minutes or what your recipe recommends.
The weights stop the pastry bubbling up and distorting.
Doing this cooks the pastry and the filling won’t make it soggy. If you put the filling straight on top of the raw pastry, the pastry can become very wet.
Your filling can be added and the pie returned to the oven to continue cooking.
Pie crust top and bottom
Using pie crust top and bottom can be a bit fiddly but a crunchy pie with soft filling is well worth the effort. Firstly, to stop soggy bottom pie crust, blind bake your pastry in the pie pan. See instructions above.
Once this has come out of the oven allow it to cool slightly so you can handle the pie. You can then add the filling and place the top pastry over – allowing the pastry to hang slightly over the sides of the dish.
Carefully, because the pie pan can still be hot, cut the overhang with a knife. Don’t forget to cut slits or holes in the pastry to allow the steam to escape. You can decorate the top of the pie crust with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar or left over bits of pastry.
You can also cut the pastry into ribbons and create a hatch style top for your pie.
Always follow your recipe for the best results.
Sometimes you will need 2 different types of pastry for a top and bottom pie. That could be a buttery, short crust on the bottom and puff pastry on top.
Pie crust top
Sometimes you will make a pie with just a pie crust top. These are very easy to make as you just place your filling and add the pastry on top.
Let the pastry overhang the edges of the pie pan and trim carefully with a knife. Decorate as needed.
Always remember to allow the steam to escape from your pie.
You can see that a pie pan can be multipurpose. Baking experts suggest that it is essential to include a pie pan in your cookware set.
Advantages of a pie pan:
As we have already mentioned the uses of a pie pan. There are a few advantages also that a pie pan offers to its users. Let us have a look at a few of them:
- To start with, pie pans are very lightweight to carry and handle. You can easily carry it and place it inside an oven.
- The maximum oven-safe temperature is also moderate. You will not have to worry about damage to the pans.
- Pie pans have perfect edges that will give the best shape to your pie.
- It is very easy to clean these pans. You just have to wash it with hot water and there you go, all the stains will vanish!
=> Check This Also: Pie Pans Vs. Tart Pans: Which Is Better?
Conclusion
Pie pans make baking pies fun and easy.
They are a versatile piece of cookware that can give you plenty of different options when baking pies. The US is well known for its Apple pie. Make yours a hit with your family and friends by using a pie pan.
The most common pie pan is 9 – 10 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch deep. You can get golden crusts and delicious fillings using the right pie pan.
They come in several different materials but glass and aluminized steel are probably the best known.
A pie pan is an essential addition to any cookware set. Happy baking!
