If you don't make pies often you might think the type of pie plate or pan you use doesn't really matter. You see them at the store made of all sorts of materials, of different depths and designs, from flat edge to fluted from decorative to utilitarian and in all colors. However, depending on what pie you are making all of these things do matter and sometimes matter quite a bit. I have a full collection as you will see below. I would say the pan I've used most over the years would be the glass.
But you may say, those ceramic pie plates are much prettier. Yes, they can be very attractive. But they have several issues. First, if you are making a creampie or other unfilled crust, they just don't work very well. When the empty shell bakes, even with pie weights in place, the slippery sides of the ceramic plate just don't keep the crust up well during baking. Over my many tests, at least half suffered from the dough sliding down the side of the ceramic plate as the empty shell baked. I had no problems baking empty shells when using my metal or glass plates. The secondary problem is that they don't transfer heat to the bottom and sides of the crust near as efficiently as metal, especially if they are light in color. Darker colors on the outside and inside tend to brown the bottom crust better, so if you are insistent on ceramic, get darker pans. I received as a gift an expensive (about $40) Emile Henry Pie Dish. These look lovely, with a big fluted edge and come in many designs and colorations. Unfortunately, mine was white. It doesn't brown well at all. For some recipes that may be okay (say cookie crumb or a very long custard pie bake that takes an hour or so), but if you are doing a standard pie crust with say a shorter baking fruit pie, which you want to be browned, crisp and flaky, a light colored ceramic pie plate is not your friend even when placed on a pre-heated baking sheet. This is especially true for wet ingredients like fruit pies where you need the crust to cook and brown quickly.
Now you might be asking 'is there a best of all worlds here?' Perhaps. A relative newcomer is the Creo Smartglass Pie Plate which was created with the aim of combining the best features of glass pie pans and ceramic pans. In my use it bakes well and has all the features of glass from the baking perspective, but it has the decorative qualities of the ceramic dishes, that look so lovely on the table or buffet. So if you don't mind spending $10 more for a nicer looking dish, then this could be a good option for you. They are available on Amazon. I for one think I make lovely pies and they don't need a pretty pan to take away from their attention.
Aluminum foil disposable pans are also an option, but their flimsy construction makes them a poor choice for anything other than taking to a bake sale. Even then I suggest placing them inside a steel or glass pie plate before attempting to bake in them, as they often bake unevenly and it is very easy to spill the pie while moving it in a foil pan.
Edge: Look for a pie plate with a flat standard edge. While most all of the various plate materials comes with other, more decorative looking edges, they just get in the way when you are making your pie. Those big wavy edges you find on some of the high-end ceramic pans look beautiful sitting on the shelf. But when you try to crimp the edges of your top and bottom crust together, you'll be fighting the fluted edge all the way around. I make various edges on my pies, sometimes doing the classic pinched technique creating either a big or small ruffle. Sometimes I make fork edge. Other times I cut out dough leaves and make a border. For all of these, a flat standard edge plate is best. My deep dish glass Pyrex has a little fluted edge and handles, but these are not large enough to be bothersome. If you want to make a one-crust pie, and you want to make it lay around that big fluted edge that so many of the ceramic pans now have, you can do this. But even then, cutting the pie and getting it out is hard with those large wavy designs. So just buy a plate with a flat standard edge for maximum versatility.
Size: Purchase pie plates in the 9-inch size. This is a pretty standard size as most recipes are designed to make a pie in this sized plate. You can find 8-inch, 6-inch and even 10-12 inch sizes. But for making a classic dessert pie, the standard 9-inch size is best. Larger pie pieces are hard to get out of the pan in one piece with the filling intact. Stick with the standard.
But what about depth? I prefer pie dishes that are between 1 1/4 inches and 2 inches deep. The classic Pyrex pie dish is 9 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches deep, which is perfect for most recipes. My 'deep dish' go-to pan is 1 3/4 inches deep (shown above). I have a 2-inch deep pan that I rarely use because it is also 9 1/2 inches wide. This makes a large pie and takes more dough and more filling than standard recipes provide. A friend has a ceramic beauty of over 2 inches deep and nearly 10 inches wide. The only dessert pies he's made in it sit rather down in the dish, because he uses a standard crust, making them look a bit undesirable. He does however use it to make a top-crust only chicken pot pie, and it works well for that if you're feeding a big crowd.
Baking Sheets: As noted above most of the time you will want to pre-heat your oven with a baking sheet inside on the rack set in the lowest position. I often pre-heat the sheet at 400-500F degrees, then reduce the temperature 10 minutes before baking to the pie's regular baking temperature. I do this for all pies in all pans, except as noted above when I'm using the metal pans for a long-cooking pie. If the pie bakes 45 minutes or less, I use the preheated baking sheet to ensure I get a nice, brown, crisp bottom and side crust no matter what pie I'm baking.
Pie Crust Shields: If you bake pies regularly, you'll want to invest in a couple pie crust shields. These are useful for pies that tend to brown too much around the edge. You can of course also fold some foil strips for this purpose but having these handy works well if you bake regularly. I have the brand shown but there are many varieties available.
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| Williams-Sonoma Gold Pie Plate - Non Stick |
Material: The type of material your pie plate is made from really can make a difference, especially if a crisp, flaky standard pie crust is important. I've tested metal, glass, and ceramic on all sorts of pies. I would say if you can only have one pan and you usually make a standard pie crust, then go with the metal if you can find a good one. However, that isn't always easy if you want them made of steel, which is the best metal for the job. It's a better conductor of heat than ceramic or glass, both of which heats more slowly. Second, since steel is strong, the metal plates can be made thinner than plates of other materials (such as aluminum), which helps them heat faster quickly baking and browning your crust before your moist pie ingredients can make it soggy. For a fruit pie these pans work the best. However, be careful if you have a long-baking custard type pie (like pumpkin) as they can over-brown the crust because of their great ability to transfer heat. For a long-baking pie (say nearly an hour or more) in a metal pan I do not pre-heat the baking sheet like I do for fruit pies, and always do if I'm baking using glass or ceramic whether they are fruit or custard.
The shiny, inexpensive (under $10) stainless steel pans work well, but are not usually dishwasher safe and do scratch, although this doesn't affect their performance. However, they don't look very attractive. The newer professional-weight pie pan from Williams-Sonoma is a bit pricey (about $20) and is made from aluminum-coated steel and called the Goldtouch nonstick pan. It too scratches as you cut the pie, but again that hasn't reduced its performance and it is dishwasher safe. However, it's only available from Williams-Sonoma, making it harder to acquire.
My second choice would be glass (Pyrex or Anchor Hocking type, ranging from $5-$20 each.) But while glass does okay with a standard pie crust if placed on a pre-heated baking sheet, it doesn't do well with a graham cracker or cookie crumb crust. Both of these tend to stick to the glass. So while they cook up just fine, getting the pie piece out of the glass plate intact is not easy. Don't even consider trying a French pastry type crust (what they call pate brisee) in a glass pie plate. For graham cracker and cookie crust pies, the ceramic or metal pans release best. So while these are likely the go-to choice for most bakers, that is because most bakers make fruit or custard pies, for which they do very well as they use a standard pie crust.
The shiny, inexpensive (under $10) stainless steel pans work well, but are not usually dishwasher safe and do scratch, although this doesn't affect their performance. However, they don't look very attractive. The newer professional-weight pie pan from Williams-Sonoma is a bit pricey (about $20) and is made from aluminum-coated steel and called the Goldtouch nonstick pan. It too scratches as you cut the pie, but again that hasn't reduced its performance and it is dishwasher safe. However, it's only available from Williams-Sonoma, making it harder to acquire.
My second choice would be glass (Pyrex or Anchor Hocking type, ranging from $5-$20 each.) But while glass does okay with a standard pie crust if placed on a pre-heated baking sheet, it doesn't do well with a graham cracker or cookie crumb crust. Both of these tend to stick to the glass. So while they cook up just fine, getting the pie piece out of the glass plate intact is not easy. Don't even consider trying a French pastry type crust (what they call pate brisee) in a glass pie plate. For graham cracker and cookie crust pies, the ceramic or metal pans release best. So while these are likely the go-to choice for most bakers, that is because most bakers make fruit or custard pies, for which they do very well as they use a standard pie crust.
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| Classic Deep Dish Pyrex Glass |
But you may say, those ceramic pie plates are much prettier. Yes, they can be very attractive. But they have several issues. First, if you are making a creampie or other unfilled crust, they just don't work very well. When the empty shell bakes, even with pie weights in place, the slippery sides of the ceramic plate just don't keep the crust up well during baking. Over my many tests, at least half suffered from the dough sliding down the side of the ceramic plate as the empty shell baked. I had no problems baking empty shells when using my metal or glass plates. The secondary problem is that they don't transfer heat to the bottom and sides of the crust near as efficiently as metal, especially if they are light in color. Darker colors on the outside and inside tend to brown the bottom crust better, so if you are insistent on ceramic, get darker pans. I received as a gift an expensive (about $40) Emile Henry Pie Dish. These look lovely, with a big fluted edge and come in many designs and colorations. Unfortunately, mine was white. It doesn't brown well at all. For some recipes that may be okay (say cookie crumb or a very long custard pie bake that takes an hour or so), but if you are doing a standard pie crust with say a shorter baking fruit pie, which you want to be browned, crisp and flaky, a light colored ceramic pie plate is not your friend even when placed on a pre-heated baking sheet. This is especially true for wet ingredients like fruit pies where you need the crust to cook and brown quickly.
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| Emile Henry Deep Dish Ceramic |
Aluminum foil disposable pans are also an option, but their flimsy construction makes them a poor choice for anything other than taking to a bake sale. Even then I suggest placing them inside a steel or glass pie plate before attempting to bake in them, as they often bake unevenly and it is very easy to spill the pie while moving it in a foil pan.
Edge: Look for a pie plate with a flat standard edge. While most all of the various plate materials comes with other, more decorative looking edges, they just get in the way when you are making your pie. Those big wavy edges you find on some of the high-end ceramic pans look beautiful sitting on the shelf. But when you try to crimp the edges of your top and bottom crust together, you'll be fighting the fluted edge all the way around. I make various edges on my pies, sometimes doing the classic pinched technique creating either a big or small ruffle. Sometimes I make fork edge. Other times I cut out dough leaves and make a border. For all of these, a flat standard edge plate is best. My deep dish glass Pyrex has a little fluted edge and handles, but these are not large enough to be bothersome. If you want to make a one-crust pie, and you want to make it lay around that big fluted edge that so many of the ceramic pans now have, you can do this. But even then, cutting the pie and getting it out is hard with those large wavy designs. So just buy a plate with a flat standard edge for maximum versatility.
Size: Purchase pie plates in the 9-inch size. This is a pretty standard size as most recipes are designed to make a pie in this sized plate. You can find 8-inch, 6-inch and even 10-12 inch sizes. But for making a classic dessert pie, the standard 9-inch size is best. Larger pie pieces are hard to get out of the pan in one piece with the filling intact. Stick with the standard.
But what about depth? I prefer pie dishes that are between 1 1/4 inches and 2 inches deep. The classic Pyrex pie dish is 9 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches deep, which is perfect for most recipes. My 'deep dish' go-to pan is 1 3/4 inches deep (shown above). I have a 2-inch deep pan that I rarely use because it is also 9 1/2 inches wide. This makes a large pie and takes more dough and more filling than standard recipes provide. A friend has a ceramic beauty of over 2 inches deep and nearly 10 inches wide. The only dessert pies he's made in it sit rather down in the dish, because he uses a standard crust, making them look a bit undesirable. He does however use it to make a top-crust only chicken pot pie, and it works well for that if you're feeding a big crowd.
Baking Sheets: As noted above most of the time you will want to pre-heat your oven with a baking sheet inside on the rack set in the lowest position. I often pre-heat the sheet at 400-500F degrees, then reduce the temperature 10 minutes before baking to the pie's regular baking temperature. I do this for all pies in all pans, except as noted above when I'm using the metal pans for a long-cooking pie. If the pie bakes 45 minutes or less, I use the preheated baking sheet to ensure I get a nice, brown, crisp bottom and side crust no matter what pie I'm baking.
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