When making a pie with a graham cracker crust, keep the bottom from getting soggy by using only butter or regular margarine, not low-fat spreads, which add water. Bake your crust to make it crisp,…
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Pastry cutouts are a fast, festive way to dress up plain single-crust pies. To make cutouts, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out with 1/2- or 1-inch cookie cutters of desired shape. If…
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To top off double-crust pies before baking, use a pastry brush to lightly and evenly apply one of the following washes to the top crust, avoiding the edges:
For a shine and light browning,…
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To make my pie crust firmer, I add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar for each cup of flour. My crusts turn out great. —Caroline C., Boise, Idaho
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If the edge of your pie crust is becoming too brown while baking, cover it with foil. It's easy to make a foil cover that can be washed and reused. On a 12-inch disposable foil pizza pan, draw a…
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Many cherry pie recipes call for a few drops of red food coloring in the filling, since tart pie cherries lose some color when cooked.
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When a recipe calls for a 9-in. graham cracker crust, you can make one from scratch in a pretty pie plate. Begin by crushing 24 graham cracker squares to yield 1-1/2 cups crumbs. In a mixing bowl,…
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A pizza cutter is a handy tool to use when cutting strips for a lattice crust. —Laurie Todd, Columbus, Mississippi
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Here's a tip for a smooth, clean cut on a chiffon or other refrigerator-type pie. Warm the blade of a sharp knife in hot water, then dry and make a cut. Clean and rewarm knife before each cut.…
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A reader's pie crust falls apart when she rolls it out. Her recipe includes 1 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup shortening and 3 tablespoons water. What can be done?
For a single-crust pie…
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