Are You Using The Right Pan For Your Pumpkin Pie? Here's Why It Matters

Pie should be its own food group, especially when it comes to homemade pumpkin pie. This sweet, creamy, warm filling baked in a buttery, flaky crust is among our many favorite fall desserts. However, if you've been baking your go-to pie recipe and not getting the desired results, it might not be your fault. It could be your pie pan. That's right, the type of pan you use can determine your pie's outcome. What kind of pie pan should you use? If you guessed glass, you've been reading our expert tips for baking the perfect pumpkin pie.

Why not metal? Think of your glass and metal pie pans as the tortoise and the hare. A glass pie pan heats slowly but evenly, meaning your pie crust isn't likely to bake faster on one side than the other. Because the pan is transparent, both skilled and novice pie bakers will be able to detect when the crust is ready on the bottom and the sides. This is especially important with a pumpkin pie because you need to blind-bake the crust before you add the filling. If the crust is not fully baked, you will end up with a soggy bottom pie, which is just yuck.

So, if the glass pie plate is the tortoise in this pie tale, the metal pie tin is the hare. It heats and cools rapidly, which makes for a lovely crispy crust. But it's metal's efficiency as a conductor that isn't ideal for a pumpkin pie. Sorry, Charlie. The custard-like pumpkin filling needs to cook slowly, or it risks curdling or burning. That's what truly makes the glass pan the slow but steady choice to get your pumpkin pie across the baking line.

That said, glass has its own Achilles heel. If you are hoping to eat your pie baked in a glass pan rather quickly, think again. Glass retains heat for a long time, so it is important to allow it to cool down. However, don't get overzealous by placing it in the freezer to speed things along. This could cause your pie pan to crack or shatter, and all that hard work would be for nothing. Even if your glass pie pan is made of borosilicate glass like Pyrex, it can still break when exposed to extreme temperatures, although it is a little less risky. So, file this culinary pumpkin pie pan tip under mistakes that ruin your homemade pies, and remember, patience is a virtue.