When it comes to making a pie, there are a few tools you’ll want to have on hand: a pie plate, of course, but also things like a rolling pin, food processor or dough cutter, and pie server. (Yes, it’s worth it!)
If you’re serious about making pie—or if you’re just curious and want to give it an honest shot—here are the pie-making tools we recommend.
A lot of pie crust recipes (including two of our own) call for using a food processor to mix butter into flour. If you don't have a food processor, or you like the idea of doing it all by hand, you can do just that. Or maybe meet somewhere in the middle and opt for a pastry cutter! Some bakers even swear a pastry cutter gives them a flakier crust, because they have more control over the dough.
Spring Chef Dough Blender and Pastry Cutter, $10 from Amazon
Or hey, use a food processor! You'll find instructions for pie crust glory via food processor method in this recipe and this recipe. You can't fault how easy it makes everything.
Cuisinart 7-Cup Food Processor, $120 from Amazon
Really? A pie server is an essential pie-making tool? Yes.
"I think you really need an actual pie server," says Emma. "I made do for years without one, and serving was always a nightmare of mangled slices. I'm not sure why it took me so long to get one, but I'm glad I did! I have a few ornate pie servers thrifted from secondhand stores, but this practical one also gets the job done nicely."
Stainless Steel Pie Server with Wood Handle, $5 from Amazon
You don't have to have ceramic pie weights to blind-bake a pie. You can use beans, rice, or even sugar. But if you're making a lot of pie, ceramic pie weights are super convenient.
Ceramic Pie Weights, $6 from Amazon
Take a lattice pie to the next level by weaving ruffled strips of pie dough instead of straight! A fluted pastry wheel will do that for you. The end result is so pretty.
Pastry and Pasta Cutter Wheel, $17 from Amazon
Depending on the type of pie you're making and the pie plate you're using, the edges of the pie crust may darken before the pie filling is completely cooked. You can cover it with a quickly-made aluminum foil ring, or pop a pie crust shield like this one on your pie! Saves time (and aluminum foil).
Aluminum Pie Crust Shield, $6 from Amazon
A pie bird, also known as a pie chimney or pie funnel, is a little prop that, when placed in the center of a pie prior to baking, helps vent steam so the pie filling doesn't bubble over. Claudia has one and loves it. You get the same result by cutting slits into the pie crust top, but that's not nearly as whimsical.
Norpro Ceramic Pie Bird, $3 from Amazon
If you want to really get into pie making, then we recommend getting Pie School: Lessons in Fruit, Flour, and Butter by Kate Lebo. "Pie School is my FAVORITE pie book," says Summer. It promises to help you "master the art, science, and magic of creating the perfect pie," and we attest to its ability to do that!
Pie School: Lessons in Fruit, Flour, and Butter by Kate Lebo, $22 from Amazon
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Cambria Bold is the Product and Lifestyle Director for Simply Recipes. She has almost a decade's worth of online editorial experience and know-how, first as the Managing Editor for Apartment Therapy's green living site Re-Nest (RIP) and later as the Design and Lifestyle Editor for The Kitchn. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and their two little girls. And, yes, this is her real name.
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