Ceramic Grandma Pie Weight With Vented Pie

The most common type of pie weights consists of nothing more than a multitude of plain ceramic balls around 3 8 of an inch in diameter.

Ceramic grandma pie weight with vented pie. I would suggest cleaning the pie weights with a gentle brush and water only. The natural ceramic will absorb any odors it comes into contact with just like a natural pizza stone. It s pie season and many pies require blind making a crust. Whether it is a deep crust destined for a swath of something creamy or a shallow tart shell that will be filled with fresh fruit the blind baked crust.

We tested four models of pie weights priced from about 6 to about 60 per package in a range of materials and styles including a set of ceramic balls a set of aluminum beans a 6 foot long stainless steel chain and a steel disk ringed with soft silicone flaps. These pie weights can help prevent this from happening because they conduct heat evenly and they hold the pastry in place while it bakes. A standard cup by volume of these translates into about a pound of weight which distributed across the bottom surface of an unbaked pie crust is enough to keep it nice and flat during baking. The grandma pie at julian s was like a sicilian rectangular with a thick fluffy crust but topped with fresh mozzarella and a garlicky sauce.

Since then i have seen grandma pies in new york pizzerias that while rectangular and cooked in an oiled sheet pan like the julian s pie. You can use soap detergent but the ceramic may pickup the scent and this will also cause an odor. Use pantry staples as pie weights line the inside of your crust with foil or parchment paper and fill it with dried beans rice or popcorn kernels. If i am using dried lentils my weight of choice i typically fill the crust about 2 3 of the way.

But for a custard pie like sweet potato or chess the kind we turn to when the weather cools and the last of the summer fruits disappear achieving a non soggy bottom crust is a significant feat. I tend to use two sets for a regular 9 inch pie so that the weights come slightly up the sides of the crust and keep the side crust nice and flat against the sides of my pie plate. As summer pie season begins to blend into fall pie season and as the new season of the great british baking show has launched bakers everywhere are faced with one common dilemma. My first exposure to a pizza called a grandma pie was at a local pizzeria here in monroe ct julian s.

Your homemade pie weights will probably be too dry to cook and eat afterward but don t toss them.