The Ultimate Guide to Pie Making Gear

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Electric Appliances

This section will include just a few: food processor, of course; Kitchen Aid mixer (mixing dough and meringue); handheld electric mixer; immersion blender

The Best Food Processor

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Picks and Pie Pans

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9" USA Pan Aluminzied Steel Pan

Probably my favorite "everyday" pie pan.

There's so much to like about this pan: it's reasonably priced; rugged enough to drive a truck over; not too big or too small; and it does yeoman's work of browning your bottom crust.

It's not scratch proof, but I don't exactly baby my pans and my USA Pan pans show very few signs of abuse.

If you only want to keep a handful of pies pan around, this should be one of them.

Two Standout Glass Pie Plates

Glass makes for a more pedestrian, just get-er-done pie plate material than some other choices, but it's also durable, dependable, and does your bottom crust proud in the browning department. Every pie baker should own at least one, preferably two - these two.

The Oxo Good-Grips Glass 9" Pie Plate has a nice wide rim, which makes for both a handy gripping area and plenty of real estate to rest your fluted pie crust edge on. The bonus is a plastic lid, a great feature if you plan to transport your pie or need extra height to accommodate a meringue topping. At 2-inches deep, it's perhaps best for deep-dish fruit pies.

For shallower pies like chess pies, pumpkin pies, and pecan pies, I prefer the Pyrex 9" Glass Pie Plate. It's 1 1/2 inches deep, which may not sound like a big difference compared to the Oxo plate, but it is, filling-wise.

Incidentally, the Oxo pan is made from a special type of glass that, they say, can go from fridge or freezer into a hot oven without fear of the sudden temperature change shattering your pan. Not so with the Pyrex.

Ceramic Pie Plate (Emile Henry? +)

Lodge Cast Iron Pan

9-inch Foil Pans

Small Hand Tools and Incidentals You Can Really Use

Pastry Blender

Blending Fork or Pastry Fork

This elegant little item is the perfect tool for mixing pie dough by hand.

If I'm making a butter dough by hand, I'll start with my pastry blender (see above) to break up the cold butter, but then switch to my pastry fork when I add the liquid. The wide-set tines will rake through the mixture and redistribute the moisture, whereas a big spoon or smaller fork will just shovel everything around.

I must reach for this thing half a dozen times a day, using it for everything from making an omelet to carving meat or mixing up my veggie burgers.My preferred blending fork, pictured here, is made by Endurance. It has a large handle grip, a graceful arc on the business end, and I haven't found another that's half as good for the job. Get two.