Make your pie look AND taste great with these dishes!(Amazon)
While some of you might be thinking of scary costumes and falling leaves this time of year, my thoughts turn to one thing: pumpkin pie. Oh, I know that we're still more than a month away from Thanksgiving, but it's never too early for pie in my book. Of course, pumpkin pie isn't the only kind of pie — there's apple pie, cherry pie, pecan pie, and many more!
And in order to make pie, you need things to make pie with! Here are my recommendations for the things you need in your kitchen in order to whip up an excellent filled pastry, no matter the time of year.
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The fact that this No. 1 bestseller acts as both a blender and food processor is enough to catch our attention — but knowing it's currently down to its best price of the year? That puts it over the top.
With a 72-ounce blending pitcher and 8-cup food processor bowl, you'll be able to whip up frozen margaritas and salsa for a crowd. The 1500-watt motor also makes pulverizing everything from ice to frozen fruit a piece of cake.
The most important item you need to make a pie? Why, a pie plate of course. I absolutely love this classic one from Emile Henry. It's made from oven- and microwave-safe ceramic and has fantastic heat retention plus it's durable and scratch-resistant. Plus, it looks gorgeous! Bake your pie in this, and it's sure to take center stage at your next family get-together.
"Deepest pie plate I've ever seen!" exclaimed a five-star review. "Perfect for savory as well as sweet pies. A baker's dream pie plate, very well made, very well glazed, crusts come out flaky and crispy, can pile apple pies to the ceiling, and bakes everything to perfection. Can't rave enough about this superb pie plate. Came wrapped to prevent any damage whatsoever and arrived very quickly so I could get started baking right away. Easy to clean when a floured baking spray was used. Perfect pie plate for yourself or to give as a gift to your favorite pie-baker."
A much more affordable option are these Pyrex pie plates. You can get two for under $17! That means twice the pie for less than half the price! As they're see-through, you can also easily see how brown the crust is as you're baking it.
"Pyrex makes beautiful bakeware, and these are no exception," said a happy shopper. "I own many pieces and have gifted many pieces, this included. This 2 pack came well packaged and was delivered on time. The dishes have the perfect pie "crimped" crust design, which is great for the perfect pie look. They are beautiful dishes and you can't go wrong with this purchase."
Making pie dough by hand can be a messy affair, especially if your hands tend to run hot. Well, consider using a professional pastry cutter instead. It helps cut butter into flour or sugar without leaving you with dirty hands. It's great not just for pies but also biscuits, scones, pastries and more. Plus you can use it to chop fruit and mash avocados, too.
A reviewer called this the best pastry cutter: "Wow, the quality of this is amazing. Very sturdy and the 4 inch is perfect fit for my hand. Easy to hold and use. Even my husband was impressed with the quality and sturdiness of this product. [...] Very easy to cut butter into the flour as I did not want to use my hands making pie dough. The blades cut through the cold butter with minimal effort. Press, twist, and lift when cutting butter. I put this in the freezer so it is cold as all of the other ingredients. I highly recommend this if you are considering purchasing, you won't be disappointed."
One of my kitchen must-haves is a good bench scraper, and this OXO model is best-in-class. It's excellent for dividing dough into halves or quarters. It gives a cleaner cut than using a knife, plus this Good Grips scraper actually has quarter-inch markings on the side which makes for easy measuring. I also love that it's dishwasher-safe.
One Amazon shopper said this makes her feel like a boss in the kitchen: "I’ve been suffering with a really cheap, flimsy and well worn bakery scraper for years. I’d always default to using a knife if I had to cut down the dough since I was afraid my old scraper would fold like a taco if I put more than a little pressure on it. Now, I’ve been on a tear making rolls, different pastries, scones whatever. This thing is built to take a beating get washed in the dishwasher and then take another beating without giving you any worrisome feelings that your hand is going to get impaled should you actually try to cut something. Do yourself a favor and ditch the cheapy scraper that came with your baking set and get one of these. You’ll be so much happier baking."
Mixing bowls are essential in any baking endeavor, which definitely includes making pie. These stainless steel models from Cuisinart are fantastic for mixing dough, filling, or whatever else you fancy. They come in 1.5-quart, 3-quart and 5-quart sizes, plus each of them have their own lids. which makes it that much easier to chill dough in the fridge, should you need to do that.
"This is a good set of mixing bowls if you're cooking for yourself or you and your partner," said a five-star review. "Stainless steel means they are light (but not flimsy) and can take a beating. No struggling to get the middle bowl from your stack of glass bowls in the upper cabinet. If you drop one, it won't break, and no need to gingerly set it in the sink."
On the other hand, if you like the option of using your bowls in the microwave occasionally, then these Pyrex glass ones are a must-have. They're dishwasher- and freezer-safe, too.
"My family uses lots of Pyrex, and their products have never let us down!" said a happy shopper. "Like our baking dishes, these bowls are solid, but lightweight, and a breeze to clean up. Having 3 sizes that nest together perfectly is awesome, and they are probably our most-used mixing bowls in our cabinet."
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The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
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