What is the best plate to bake a pie on?
CON: Aluminum plates, especially coated ones, are typically not knife-friendly, meaning if you use a knife to cut the finished pie, you will likely cut through or scratch the coating. Glass: Glass plates are the number-one choice for many pie bakers that I know.
What are the different types of pie plates?
What you probably care about the most is the material, though. There’s glass, ceramic, and metal. Before we get too far into talking about the best pie plate, let’s take a quick look at the difference between these materials. Glass pie plates: Glass heats slowly and allows heat to build gradually and evenly.
What's the best type of pie pan?
If you're looking for something more affordable, try Lindy's Stainless Steel 9-inch Pie Pan ( view at Amazon ). It's a practically indestructible pan that won’t rust, crack, bend, shatter, or wear out. Pie pans come in ceramic, glass, metal, steel, cast iron, and porcelain.
Which is better for baking ceramic or glass pie plates?
Ceramic plates, in my opinion, provide the best of both worlds -- they conduct slow, even heat, similar to glass pie plates, but they also provide a beautiful serving vessel. PRO: Many ceramic plates are freezer-to-oven safe, a major advantage when you want to bake ahead.
What is the best material for a pie plate?
Metal pie plates, whether aluminum or steel, conduct heat more efficiently than plates made from glass or ceramic, which can help yield a crisp crust, but they may be more likely to overcook a particularly long-baking pie, such as a juicy deep-dish fruit pie.
What kind of pie pans are best?
Our Top Pie Dish PicksBest Overall: Pyrex 9-Inch Glass Pie Plate.Best Deep Dish: Emile Henry Modern Classics Pie Dish, 9"Most Transportable: OXO Good Grips Pie Plate with Lid.Best Metal: Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Pro Nonstick Pie Plate.Good for More Than Pie: Le Creuset Pie Dish.
Is it better to use glass or metal pie pan?
Although metal pans conduct heat better, glass more than makes up for that because it is clear, so radiant energy can pass through the pan and help the crust bake.
What type of pie pan is best for baking pies?
The Pyrex 9-inch Pie Plate has been around for a long time for good reason. It's just the right size for most recipes, it's sturdy and inexpensive, and it bakes quite evenly. The ability to see through the bottom to check the browning on the crust is also a huge bonus for novice and experienced pie bakers alike.
How do I choose a pie pan?
Get one with a dull finish rather than a shiny one. (Dark or dull metal pans absorb heat and bake faster than shiny pans.) Heavier metal pans made of a good heat conductor, like aluminum, give you a more evenly baked crust than thinner, less conductive metal surfaces like tin.
Is glass or metal better for baking?
Retains heat better than metal: A glass pan is pricier and heavier than a metal one and retains heat better (which is why a metal pan cools quickly on the counter and a glass one does not) and is great for keeping a dessert warm at the table, like a hot fudge pudding cake.
Is Pyrex good for baking pies?
The tempered Pyrex® glass can go directly into a preheated oven, and it heats evenly for consistent results—yet it's just as great for making no-bake and freezer pies.
Why does pie crust stick to glass pie pan?
For one, if you don't apply non-stick spray to the pan, then there's a very good chance that it will end up sticking. Another cause of this happening is when there is a crack in the pie crust and the filling leaks out, baking between the crust and the pan.
Should I Grease pie plate?
It's not necessary to grease and flour a pie pan. If you grease a pie pan, you can end up with a texture you don't want. For a flaky and tender pie crust, do not grease the pan. A light blast of a cooking spray should suffice to avoid sticking.
How do you keep the bottom of a pie from getting soggy?
Sprinkle dried breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes, or other types of cereal, on the bottom crust before filling and baking in the oven. This will prevent the filling from turning the crust soggy.
Is ceramic good for baking pies?
Like glass dishes, ceramic pie dishes conduct heat slowly and evenly, which helps yield uniformly golden crusts and thoroughly cooked fillings, even when making fruit pies, like apple, that require lengthy cooks to soften down.
Do you grease a ceramic pie plate?
When you are making a pastry of any kind, you shouldn't need to grease your pan. You can spray a little bit of cooking spray but this is not usually recommended for ceramic pans and it's also not usually necessary either.
How do you keep the bottom of a pie from getting soggy?
Sprinkle dried breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes, or other types of cereal, on the bottom crust before filling and baking in the oven. This will prevent the filling from turning the crust soggy.
Is stoneware good for pies?
Stoneware is a durable, oven-safe material that makes it easy to bake and serve your pies, quiches, soufflés, and more. Ruffled edges give your desserts the perfect shape, and the two-toned design adds a contemporary look to your bakeware. This versatile platter is also great for salads, appetizers, and dinner.
Should I Grease pie plate?
It's not necessary to grease and flour a pie pan. If you grease a pie pan, you can end up with a texture you don't want. For a flaky and tender pie crust, do not grease the pan. A light blast of a cooking spray should suffice to avoid sticking.
Are glass pie pans oven safe?
Generations of cooks have counted on our glass pie pan, a classic for sweet or savory pies, quiches, cheesecakes and more. The tempered Pyrex® glass can go directly into a preheated oven, and it heats evenly for consistent results—yet it's just as great for making no-bake and freezer pies.
The best pie plate
At 2 inches deep, this dish holds more than most glass plates we tested. It’s better able to handle dramatic temperature changes such as going from freezer to oven, it bakes evenly, and it lets you easily see when the bottom of your pie is browned.
A prettier deep-dish pie plate
Deep and sturdy, this pie plate bakes more evenly than other ceramic dishes we tested, holds up under a broiler (which glass can’t do), and comes in several elegant colors.
A shallower pie plate
If you like to make cream pies or prefer extra crust, the 1½-inch-deep Pyrex is the ideal size and bakes a beautiful crust.
The best pie plate
At 2 inches deep, this dish holds more than most glass plates we tested. It’s better able to handle dramatic temperature changes such as going from freezer to oven, it bakes evenly, and it lets you easily see when the bottom of your pie is browned.
A prettier deep-dish pie plate
Deep and sturdy, this pie plate bakes more evenly than other ceramic dishes we tested, holds up under a broiler (which glass can’t do), and comes in several elegant colors.
A shallower pie plate
If you like to make cream pies or prefer extra crust, the 1½-inch-deep Pyrex is the ideal size and bakes a beautiful crust.
Who should get this
If you like to bake pies even just once or twice a year, having a pie plate in your kitchen is worth it. Sure, you have ways to get around using one—making a slab pie or galette on a baking sheet, for instance, or just using a disposable aluminum tin.
Avoid soggy or burnt crusts with the right pan
Donna Currie is a food writer and blogger specializing in recipes and kitchen gadgets. She covers kitchen tools and gadgets for The Spruce Eats and is the author of Make Ahead Bread.
What to Look for in a Pie Pan
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.
FAQs
There are a lot of different opinions about whether or not you should grease a pie pan, but generally speaking, a quick spritz of cooking spray on the bottom of a pie dish will help keep your pie from sticking to the bottom of the pan—but there's no need to overdo it.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
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.
A Note About Types of Pie Dishes
There are three main categories of pie dishes on the market today: glass, ceramic, and metal. In this test, I set out to find the best all-purpose dish for all of your pie needs. All three materials have benefits, but versatility was the name of the game here.
The Best Pie Plate Overall: Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Nonstick Pie Dish
This sturdy metal dish performed exceptionally well in both tests. The pies baked evenly to a perfect golden brown color and the slices were easy to remove when cool. This dish especially excelled in the berry pie test, and produced the most evenly baked and crisp crust of the bunch.
Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Nonstick Pie Dish
This sturdy metal dish was the winner of our test of the best pie dishes. The pies baked evenly golden brown and the slices were easy to remove when cool.
The Best Budget Pie Plate: Pyrex 9-inch Pie Dish
The Pyrex 9-inch Pie Dish has been around for a long time for good reason. It's just the right size for most recipes, it’s sturdy, inexpensive, and it bakes quite evenly. Being able to see through the bottom to check the browning on the crust is also a huge bonus for novice and experienced bakers alike.
Testing Method
To test the pie dishes, I baked a double-crust berry pie in each. Based on their performance in this initial test, I then chose my top five pans and baked a key lime pie with a pat in the pan graham cracker crust to see how they'd handle a custard rather than fruit pie.
Factors Evaluated
Does the pan feel like it's made of high-quality materials and like it could last for many blueberry pie-filled summers and pumpkin-pie packed Thanksgivings? Is it easy to wash and care for?
Other Pie Plates I Tested
The USA Pan Aluminized Steel Pie Pan was also a favorite. Pies baked beautifully in this metal plate. It has a ridged bottom meant to facilitate air circulation and add warp resistance and it did a wonderful job browning the bottom crust of the berry pie.
In Search of the Best Pie Dish
Making flaky, perfectly golden pies can be a daunting task for novice cooks and experienced bakers alike. Still, with a little patience and the right tools—starting with a sturdy pie plate—beautiful results are within anyone's reach.
The Pie Dishes
When picking a roster of pie plates to test, we tried to include representatives from all the major categories.
The Tests
A well-performing pie dish needs to do a lot more than look good. Namely: it should be versatile enough to yield evenly baked, golden crusts and thoroughly-cooked fillings every time, whether the task at hand is a fruit pie, savory pie, press-in crust, custard pie, or quiche.
Our Favorite Pie Dishes
In a win for value and a victory of function over form, the most inexpensive and arguably simplest pie dish we tested turned out to be our consistent favorite.
Also Considered
This nonstick metal pan is attractive, well made, and appealingly sturdy in the hand. Made from commercial-grade aluminized steel to distribute heat quickly and evenly, we loved the way it produced blind baked shells that were uniformly golden and lifted cleanly out of the pan without a crumb left behind.
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