How To . . . Make Your Own Pie Crust Shield

Getting ready to bake a ton of pies for Thanksgiving? Tired of burnt edges to your pie crusts, but don’t want to spend major $$ to buy commercial pie crust shields? Frustrated with trying to arrange foil strips and then nursing burnt fingers when the strips fall off in the oven?

Making your own pie crust shield is super easy, cheap, and will keep your fingers blister-free. And you won’t be tempted to curse in frustration at foil strips that just don’t stay put. Oh- and you will end up with perfectly browned pie crusts.

To make you own pie crust shield you need the following: aluminum foil, scissors, pencil and the pie plate you will be baking in.

Set your pie plate, right side up, on a square of foil that is 2-3” larger than your pie plate.

Trace the bottom of your pie plate (the smaller side).

Set pie plate aside and cut out the inner circle.

You can trim the corners on the outside edge, but I usually just leave them. Fill your pie crust, then set foil ring over the edge of the unbaked pie. Gently fold down outer edges, being careful not to squish all of that edge-crimping you worked so hard on!

Bake pie, or quiche, with the pie shield on. Five minutes before the end of the cooking time, carefully remove shield. If the edges are not brown enough, leave shield off and bake until edges are golden brown. If the edges are browned, replace shield and continue cooking until quiche/pie is cooked through.

Uses for Pie Crust Shield:

• All-Butter Pie Crust
• Apple Pie
• Basic Pie Crust (Double Crust)
• Banana Cream Pie with Salted Caramel Sauce
• Blind Baked (Prebaked) Pie Crust
• Blueberry Pie
• Caramel Apple Cheesecake Tart with Streusel Topping
• Cream Cheese Pastry Crust
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• Strawberry Cream Pie
• Create Your Own Quiche
• Pumpkin Quiche with Bacon & Asparagus