Hints for Pie

• A pie crust will be easier to make if all ingredients are cool.
• A teaspoon of vinegar added to pie dough helps make a flaky crust.
• Add a minimum amount of liquid to the pastry, or it will become tough.
• Pie crust will not be hard or tough when milk is used in place of the water.
• When making pie crust, add a little baking powder to keep the crust light and tender.
• Sprinkle the pastry board with 3/4 tablespoon of quick rolled oats before rolling a pie crust. It tastes nutty and provides extra nutrition.
• When baking a single pie crust, place gently in the pan and prick thoroughly. Check after baking 5 minutes and prick again in any puffed areas.
• For a single pie crust, use a scrap of pastry and press the crust against the sides of the pan so that no air can get under the crust.
• Pies should be baked in non-shiny pans to enhance the browning. Glass baking dishes also work well.
• To prevent soggy pie crusts, brush the bottom crust with egg white before pouring in fruit filling, or sprinkle with a light coating of flour and sugar.
• For a quick crust, coat a pie pan with butter and press in crushed corn flake crumbs. This is especially good with pumpkin pie.
• For a shiny pie crust, brush the top of the pie with a mixture of 1 egg, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon cooking oil. Bake as usual.
• One tablespoon of lemon Jello over apple pie before putting on the top crust will prevent runover and add flavor. Try raspberry Jello on cherry pie.
• When making pumpkin pie, separate the eggs, reserving the whites. When all ingredients are mixed, add the stiffly beaten whites for a fluffier pie.
• Put a layer of marshmallows in the bottom of a pumpkin pie, then add filling. You will have a nice topping as they come to the surface.
• Vanilla adds flavor to fruit pies.
• The meringue on pie will be higher if you add a pinch of cream of tartar to the beaten whites.
• Mix 1 teaspoon cornstarch for each egg white with the sugar, then add it to the whites for a nice meringue.
• If the juice from your apple pie runs over in the oven, shake some salt on it, which causes the juice to burn to a crisp so it can be removed.
• To prevent crust from becoming soggy with cream pie, sprinkle crust with powdered sugar.
• Folding the top crust over the lower crust before crimping will keep the juices in the pie.
• In making custard-type pies, bake at a high temperature for about ten minutes to prevent a soggy crust. Then finish baking at a low temperature.