Straight to the Level
In case you’re going to put money into pie weights, spend your cash on FurRain Ceramic Pie Weights, which have sufficient heft to cowl most pie pans and include a sturdy container for storage. We additionally appreciated Mrs. Anderson’s Ceramic Pie Weights, offered you purchase two units.
Pie weights are important for correctly blind baking a pie shell. The burden needs to be evenly disrupted throughout the pie shells to carry the dough in place whereas it units within the oven, stopping bubbly bottoms and slumped sides. Whereas there are various alternate options to conventional pie weights (dry beans and granulated sugar are widespread selections—extra on each beneath), pie weights are a baking device you should buy as soon as and maintain for all times. In case you’ve received a dependable set of pie weights available, there’s no questioning should you’ve received sufficient dry beans in your cupboard or what to do with the toasted sugar.
Whereas I’ve my very own sophisticated relationship with pie weights as knowledgeable baker, it just lately turned time for me to switch the set I misplaced in a transfer three years in the past. (Learn: My pie weights spilled out of their field and throughout our transferring container.) So, on a hunt for my new pie weights and your new pie weights, I examined 9 widespread units, alongside granulated sugar and dry beans as controls. I selected two winners which can be really the most effective answer for blind baking pies with out taking on an excessive amount of pantry area.
The Winners, at a Look
Of all of the ceramic pie weights I examined, these had simply the correct amount of beads for filling a nine- to 11-inch pie shell. Whilst you might purchase multiples of different units (or divide larger units), these additionally had a storage container that made them an ideal one-time buy that may be maintained simply for loads of future makes use of.
Whereas I examined these pie weights with a smaller set (simply eight ounces) they carried out in addition to the profitable weights when it comes to even crispness on the pie bottoms with no denting or dimpling. My solely caveat? I want I had two of those half-pound units or had bought Mrs. Anderson’s bigger set, which has one and a half kilos of beads. Each units include thick plastic containers with tight-fitting lids for storage.
Critical Eats’ former baking editor Stella Parks championed this low cost and efficient alternative to pie weights and it really works extremely nicely. Goal for utilizing about two kilos of sugar for a nine-inch shell. You’ll be able to reuse the sugar for blind baking about 3 times earlier than it turns golden, and it may then be utilized in baking recipes. If protecting this a lot sugar available for blind baking is cumbersome, take into account investing in ceramic bead pie weights.
The Checks
Critical Eats / Meghan Splawn
- Blind Bake Pie Take a look at: I used store-bought pie dough to line nine-inch stainless-steel pie pans with dough. Earlier than baking, I crimped the pie’s edges and docked their bottoms with a fork. I lined every pie pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil and crammed it with a unique pie weight. I baked every pie shell on a sheet pan for 20 minutes at 375˚F, then allowed it to chill for 10 minutes with the pie weights in place. After cooling, I eliminated the foil and pie weights. I recorded the convenience of removing and the way every pie crust had blind baked within the oven.
- Management Checks: As with the opposite pie weights, each beans and sugar have been used as management exams. For the beans check, I used two kilos of dried crimson kidney beans. For the sugar check, I used two and a half kilos of granulated sugar.
- Common Use and Care Checks: Earlier than use, I washed and dried any pie weights that required washing, primarily the ceramic beads. After testing, I washed, dried, and saved every pie weight, noting how simple or arduous every of those duties was.
What We Discovered
Weight Mattered Extra Than Materials
Critical Eats / Meghan Splawn
Even weight distribution is essential to blind baking—an excessive amount of weight may cause dimpling within the dough or result in underbaked areas, whereas too little weight results in effervescent and slumping. So having sufficient of no matter materials (weights, beans, or sugar) in an empty pie shell finally makes for fewer bubbles, much less aspect slumping, and extra even browning. The very best pie weight units weigh between 1.2 and two kilos in complete. For instance, BC Precision Slingshot Ammo Balls made from carbon metal appear perfect for blind baking however they left the examined pie crust unbaked and closely dimpled.
However Ceramic Pie Weights Outperformed Steel
Critical Eats / Meghan Splawn
Ceramic pie weights, just like the FurRain Ceramic Pie Weights and Mrs. Anderson’s Baking Ceramic Pie Weights, and the granulated sugar management had probably the most evenly baked crusts of all of the completely different pie weights, whereas some stainless-steel and aluminum weights in related weight lessons got here out of the oven with moist, unbaked bottoms. The Jefferson Street Ceramics Clay Pie Weights and Matfer Bourgeat Baking Beans pie weights have been significantly unhealthy offenders; each had promising supplies (clay and aluminum, respectively) however the examined pie shells have been dimpled and underbaked.
One more reason to like ceramic beads? They cool and dry shortly. Cooling shortly means you could get them again into their storage container sooner after washing. As for laundry, all beads take about the identical time to scrub—use a colander to dunk them in sizzling soapy water, drain, and rinse—however the ceramic beads dry sooner than metal or aluminum. This was true of ceramic units that had extra quantity however smaller beads, like Jefferson Avenue Ceramics Clay Pie Weights, in addition to the smaller set with larger beads like Mrs. Anderson’s Baking Ceramic Pie Weights and FurRain Ceramic Pie Weights
Storage Was an Vital Consideration
Critical Eats / Meghan Splawn
Having misplaced my very own pie weights a couple of years in the past in the course of the aforementioned transferring catastrophe, I can converse to the necessity for a dependable pie weights storage answer. If you wish to have your pie weights available for a few years with out dropping them, search for a set with a container made from sturdy plastic with a tight-fitting lid. Keep away from glass jars (they break!) or luggage, which might come unfastened in your cupboard. Though fairly, the mesh bag of Jefferson Avenue Ceramics Clay Pie Weights was arduous to refill and the string was not safe sufficient to maintain the beads in when it was inevitably loosened. I appreciated the thick plastic containers with tight-fitting lids of FurRain Ceramic Pie Weights and Mrs. Anderson’s Baking Ceramic Pie Weights.
The Standards: What to Search for In a Pie Weights
Critical Eats / Meghan Splawn
Search for a set of ceramic pie weights within the 1.2 to 2.5-pound vary. You should buy a number of units of 1 model if that works in your price range and storage. A sturdy storage container made out of thick plastic with a safe lid is a should for making your pie weights helpful for years to return.
Our Favourite Pie Weights
What we appreciated: Weighing in at just-enough 1.2 kilos of ceramic beads, one set of those pie weights evenly distributed themselves throughout the pie plate and crammed it about midway. This implies should you’re baking with a nine-inch pie pan, you gained’t have any bubbly bottoms or slumped sides. Plus, the ceramic building ensures the underside will bake evenly as they’ve sufficient weight and quantity whereas additionally insulating the pie crust throughout baking. These have been simple to scrub in heat soapy water they usually dried shortly.
What we didn’t like: Do observe the producer’s instructions to scrub and dry these earlier than use, as a result of they got here out of the package deal dusty! Whereas the storage container is nice for, um, storage, it may be arduous to maneuver used pie weights from the foil again to the container due to its slender opening.
Key Specs
- Materials: Ceramic
- Weight: 1.2 kilos
- Storage container: Heavy-duty plastic with a tight-fitting lid
Critical Eats / Meghan Splawn
What we appreciated: Like my different profitable set, these beads are sufficiently weighty. They produced a superbly parbaked pie crust on the underside. Just like the FurRain beads, they retailer properly. I examined with an eight-ounce package deal however a 1.5-pound container would possible have been tied neck-and-neck with our winner.
What we didn’t like: A single set is lower than $10, making this an inexpensive possibility, however at eight ounces, there’s not sufficient quantity to carry the pie crust’s aspect up whereas baking. Meaning there was some shrinking and slumping alongside the perimeters. A straightforward answer can be shopping for a number of eight-ounce units or shopping for Mrs. Anderson’s 1.5-pound set of the identical beads.
- Materials: Ceramic
- Weight: 8 ounces
- Storage container: Heavy-duty plastic with a tight-fitting lid
Critical Eats / Meghan Splawn
What we appreciated: Sugar is affordable and available! Plus, after a couple of makes use of it’s going to flip golden and caramelized, making it scrumptious for baking.
What we didn’t like: It is going to spill a bit as you switch it out and in of the container and pie shell, plus you’ve received to determine a storage answer that works for you. A large-mouth glass storage jar is good for holding the sugar between makes use of and a canning funnel will provide help to transfer the sugar from pie to jar, as soon as cooled.
Key Specs
- Materials: Sugar
- Weight: Use 2 kilos per pie shell
- Storage container: Use a zip-top bag or jar with a tight-fitting lid between makes use of
Critical Eats / Meghan Splawn
The Competitors
- Jefferson Street Ceramics Clay Pie Weights: I needed to like these wonky, imperfect pie weights and would love to check them once more, dividing the two.4 kilos between two shells. I additionally hated the mesh storage bag as a result of it was arduous to refill and spilled when knocked over.
- Williams Sonoma Pie Weights Jar: Much like Mrs. Anderson’s, these might be nice should you purchased two or three units. The glass storage jar pressured me out as a result of it felt each tiny and extremely breakable.
- Chicago Metallic Pie Weight: This distinctive weight did an honest job of making certain a baked backside due to the stainless-steel center, however there was some cracking on the perimeters the place silicone flaps struggled to maintain the crust in place.
- Matfer Bourgeat Baking Beans: I actually needed to love these cool aluminum beans and assume they may work in a unique portion with fewer beans within the pie shell.
- Hannah’s Baking Pie Weights Chain: This stainless-steel chain truly did an ideal job stopping bubbles on the underside of the pan and baked evenly, however with no aspect assist there was a number of slumping.
- BC Precision Slingshot Ammo Balls: One other too-heavy contender that resulted in a soggy, dimple backside! Additionally, the container broke in delivery and I spent a while pulling plastic shards out of the balls earlier than baking.
- PressPerfect Silicone Pie Weight: This didn’t match the 9-inch pie shells and it felt prefer it was lacking a aspect piece to maintain the entire thing in place. (Spoiler: It was.)
FAQs
Do you actually need pie weights?
For any pie recipe requiring a parbaked or fully-baked pie shell, sure, you do. Pie weights primarily maintain the crust in place because it bakes, which prevents slumping, shrinking, and enormous bubbles from ruining the form and construction of the completed pie
What can be utilized as an alternative of pie weights?
Dried beans, rice, and sugar can be utilized as an alternative of pie weights. Our favourite various is granulated sugar, because it’s cheap and reusable. That stated, sugar could be messy to work with and also you want a big quantity to fill every pie. Pie weights have sufficient density to carry down crusts with out filling the pie pan to the highest, plus they’re infinitely reusable and gained’t depart your work area sticky.
How heavy are pie weights?
Pie weight units can range in measurement from eight ounces to seven kilos. A set within the 1.5 to 2.5-pound vary is the most effective for many house cooks.
Are you able to prepare dinner beans after utilizing them pie weights?
You reuse dried beans as pie weights, however you can’t prepare dinner them as beans for consuming after baking.
Why We’re the Consultants
- Meghan Splawn is a meals author and recipe developer who has labored in meals media since 2006.
- Her work consists of 15 years within the check kitchen with Alton Brown in addition to at websites together with Merely Recipes, TheKitchn.com, and Critical Eats.
- Meghan’s freezer is absolutely stocked for vacation pies after baking over 16 pies for this story.
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