What are Pie Weights? And When Should I Use Them? | KitchenAid (2024)

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What are Pie Weights? And When Should I Use Them? | KitchenAid? ›

Pie weights are small ceramic or metal balls used to weigh down pie crusts to help prevent the bottom from puffing up and the sides from slouching down. When instructed to blind bake

Pie weights are small ceramic or metal balls that are used when blind baking. When you are blind baking, or prebaking, a pie crust, pie weights keep the crust from puffing up or shrinking away from the edge of the pie plate or pan.

Don't skip this step, or your pie weights might stick to the dough. Use a square or circle of parchment paper that's large enough to allow for plenty of overhang — you'll need to be able to easily grab the sides without spilling the hot weights everywhere. Add the pie weights to the crust, filling the shell completely.

If you don't have pie weights or dried beans, the most effective weight to use is another pie dish, if you have one. Nestle it gently into the crust-lined pan; it should cover both the thin bottom crust and the thick rim.

I prefer using traditional pie weights (and link to the ones I use in the recipe), but you could also use pennies, sugar, rice or dry beans in a pinch. Keep in mind that if you use sugar, your pie can take a longer time to bake (but you can re-use the sugar afterwards!) Parchment/foil.

Coins. Especially if you use quarters, you won't need a lot of coins to weigh down your crust. Because the metal in the coins conducts heat so well, opt for parchment paper to line the pan instead of aluminum foil. And be careful when removing the coins, because they will be very, very hot!

Line the chilled crust in the pan with parchment or foil. Fill the crust with pie weights completely flush to the top edge of the crust to prevent shrinking or slumping.

Line with the parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans, filling right to the bottom of the crimps. Place the pie tin on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven, remove the parchment paper and beans.

You're all ready to blind-bake a pie crust when you realize you don't have any pie weights. The simple save: Line the crust with foil, top with 25 pennies and bake. The weight from the pennies will prevent the dough from bubbling while the metal in the coins conducts heat for a perfect crust.

The pie-weight beans were a bit firmer than the never-cooked beans and might have benefited from 10 more minutes of cooking, but they were creamy, intact, and entirely acceptable.

Can I use rice instead of beans to weigh down a pie crust? ›

Pouring uncooked white rice into a pie crust before blind baking can provide many of the same benefits as traditional pie weights. You don't need much, just enough to completely cover the parchment paper over the bottom of the crust, which even near-empty pantries usually have.

You've got lots of options and they all work really well; dried beans, uncooked rice, popcorn kernels, steel balls, sugar, glass marbles, metal chain, or smaller pie pan. As a pro alternative, use perforated baking equipment (eg. tart ring, baking mat) that let the air circulate without the need of using pie weights.

Pie weights perform the necessary function of weighing down an empty pie crust while it parbakes, helping the pie shell keep its shape. They also prevent air pockets from forming and encourage the crust to crisp (no soggy bottoms here).

But the one surefire way to make certain your pie's crust will be golden brown, crisp, and delicious — just as appealing as its filling — is to prebake it. That's right: bake the bottom crust first, before adding the filling.

Getting a brown, flaky/crispy bottom crust on your pie is all about quick and effective heat transfer. That's why aluminum or aluminum/steel pans — rather than glass or stoneware — are your best choice for baking pie. Metal, especially aluminum, transfers heat quickly and efficiently from oven to pie crust.

The pie chart's circularity means the areas lack a common reference point. Pie charts also do badly when there are lots of categories. For example, this chart from a study on data sources used for COVID data visualisation shows hundreds of categories in one pie.

In short, a pie chart can only be used if the sum of the individual parts add up to a meaningful whole, and is built for visualizing how each part contributes to that whole. Meanwhile, a bar chart can be used for a broader range of data types, not just for breaking down a whole into components.

Add pie weights, dry rice, dried beans or (as I've done here) dry wheat berries, enough to fill the pan 2/3 full. Chill the crust for 30 minutes; this will solidify the fat, which helps prevent shrinkage. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven, and lift out the paper and weights.