Should you preheat the pie maker? Should you grease the pie holes? What’s the best pastry to use? How much filling should you use? These are just some of the questions novice pie maker users ask at the beginning of their journey. But whatever your level of experience, there’s always room for a few foundational pie maker tips to help improve your cooking results. These tips will help you create delicious, crispy pies in a jiffy – and we’re confident they’ll earn a place at the next school bake sale!
Grease your pie maker
It’s essential to place a light coating of oil or butter on the bottom and the top of the pie holes. This helps you create a crispy pie similar to those you buy from the bakery.
Preheat your pie maker
Heating up a pie maker is nothing like preheating an oven. It takes just a few minutes for the pie maker to heat up, so, understandably, some people skip this step. But it’s important to preheat the pie maker, so you have a better chance of a crispy pie shell right from the beginning of the cooking process.
Prepare pastry tops and bottoms while the pie maker preheats
The few minutes required to preheat the pie maker are best used for cutting up pastry tops and bottoms. Try using various pastry cutters for aesthetic flair. However, don’t cut too many because pastry can quickly become challenging to handle. Cut what is needed to fit the pie maker.
Don’t overfill the pie maker
The best pies aren’t bulging with filling. You should fill the pie holes to about ¾ of their capacity, so you don’t risk the filling causing holes in the pastry.
Clean your pie maker while it’s warm
Cleaning appliances might not be at the top of everyone’s list. Still, even convenience tools like pie makers require maintenance to prolong their lifespan. The good news is, because of their non-stick coating, pie makers are easy to clean. Simply wipe the surface when the pie maker is warm so that any melted bits can be whisked away quickly instead of being left to harden. By cleaning the pie maker each time you use it, you’re setting yourself up for ease and success next time you make pies.
There’s no need to share with these individual traditional apple pies that can be made in your pie maker. Serve them with a scoop of ice cream for a dessert you can’t resist.
These sweet and retro Passiona cakes are made in the pie makerwith just 3 ingredients.
Put your pie maker to good use with these tasty 4-ingredient chicken and bacon pie maker pies. Filled with baked beans, crispy bacon and melted cheese, they’ll be devoured straight from the pie maker, and they’re also great for the lunch box!
Put your pie maker to good use with these quick and easy mushroom risotto cups. Saute off your delicious button mushrooms, then let the pie maker do the work of making them crispy on the outside and oozy in the middle.
Filled with a zesty lemon curd centre, make these homemade lemon custard pie maker doughnuts in your pie maker!
Put your pie maker to work with this recipe for spinach and cheese puffs. They’re crispy on the outside, and cheesy in the centre, and are the perfect quick meal or lunch box filler.
Master the sponge cake in mini form with this easy pie maker recipe. There’s custard powder in the cake and filling for extra lightness and flavour.
More pie maker recipes
14 lunchbox fillers made in a pie maker
