FOOD NEWS
Should You Make Pie In A Cast Iron Skillet?
By Jennifer Mathews
A seasoned cast iron pan is naturally nonstick, and its metal surface conducts heat better than its glass and aluminum foil counterparts, resulting in a beautiful golden brown crust when baking any double-crust pie or cobbler. So, instead of reaching for a shallow pie plate or a flimsy aluminum tin, consider using a cast iron frying pan when baking your favorite pies.
However, because cast iron is twice as deep as a traditional pie plate, make sure you use a deep dish pie recipe. You can use a well-seasoned nine or ten-inch cast iron skillet without adjusting the filling-to-crust ratio of the recipe, but for a deeper pan, place a little more than half of the crust on the bottom and up the sides of the pan, reserving the remaining crust for the top.
Keeping the top crust inside the pan saves you some work, as the deep sides of a cast iron skillet eliminate the need to crimp the pie's edges — plus, they prevent the sugary fruit juices from bubbling over and ruining the bottom of your oven. For an even heating process, bake the pie on the bottom shelf of the oven to achieve a flaky crust.