Tips to Make a Beautiful and Delicious Pie

 Hello friends!

I am in no way a pie expert, but I have been making pie for the last 3 years and I have learned a lot and want to share. Please comment tips if you have any! I'll update as well when I think or learn of something!

Pie Crust

• Always work with ice cold water, a cool kitchen, and cold butter!
• If you can, make your hands cold before handling the crust. Put a cloth in the freezer and wrap your hands for a few seconds, hold something cold- whatever you can do:)
• DO NOT OVER MIX! To achieve a perfectly flakey pie crust, blend carefully until the largest pieces of butter are about pea sized. 
• If you can, use a pastry cutter or a food processor. It cuts the time down and you don't have to worry as much about warm hands. 
• Here is my recipe for pie crust, and a video

Elevating Your Pie

• It can be really easy to take a boring pie and make it a bit prettier and cookie cutters are a very easy way to do so
• Plunger cutters allow you to add intricate designs, layer them for a quick, easy, and impressive looking pie (video)
• Regular circular cookie cutters can make fun geometric designs 
• Use a pizza wheel to make strips of pie crust and do some weaving

Egg Wash, Cream Wash, Sugar Toppings

• Using an egg or cream wash can add a nice golden glaze to your pie, here is a video that shows the results of different washes
• To paint your pies, add some food coloring to your wash
• My egg and cream wash is 1 egg to 2 tablespoons of cream and is my favorite wash to add and is great for adding coloring

Miscellaneous 

• Don't preheat your oven until you are finished decorating- while the oven is preheating- put your pie in the freezer (this will help any designs you make retain their shape)
• Do not put a pie in until the oven is completely preheated and is hot, hot, HOT!
• When working at high temperatures (anything above 400), placing aluminum foil around the edges for half of the total cook time can keep your edges from burning- play around with it- I have pies that I do it with, but some I don't because I like it crispier (like on chicken pot pie)
• Always add a bit more sugar than the recipe calls for

Make pie, not war!