Tips for Better Piecrusts

To keep bottom piecrusts from being soggy, preheat the oven. Begin baking pies in the lower third of the oven, where there is more heat.

Do not add moist filling to piecrust until just before baking, except where directed in the recipe.

Do not set the filled pie plate on a cold baking sheet in the oven. If you are using a baking sheet under the pie plate, preheat it in the oven.

Cool all pies on a wire rack to prevent moisture condensation on the lower crust as the pie cools.

Butter the pie pans before adding the pastry. It helps the crust to brown.

Use pie plates or anodized aluminum with a dull finish. Shiny metal and glass deflect heat.

Never pull or stretch dough to fit the pan or it will shrink back during baking.

Cover pastry edges or tops with foil after the pie has begun to brown to prevent it from getting too brown.

To prevent smoking of pie juices spilled on the bottom of the oven, sprinkle salt on the juice. Before you bake the pie you can place a piece of foil on the bottom of the oven to catch any spills.

To patch tears or holes in an unbaked piecrust, brush water or beaten egg over the edges of the tear and press on scraps of rolled dough before baking.

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