How to use pie weights?
Should something be placed between pie weights (whether using rice, beans, or metal/ceramic beads) and the pie dough?
Should the dough still be pricked with a fork?
How do you remove the weights?
I looked up various advice elsewhere, used beans as pie weights with nothing between them and the dough, and I tried to pour them out. I lost the crust. Help!
EDIT: How much material should I use as a weight? (what measurement of rice, beans, etc.)
Best Answer
Yes. You can either use aluminum foil that has been lightly sprayed with some Pam or rubbed with butter OR a piece of parchment paper cut into a larger circle than the pie. It will create an overhang that you can use to pull out the weights or beans.
If you try to bake it with the beans on the surface it will cook directly into the dough and your shell will be ruined.
I still prick the bottom of the crust because steam and air will still be trapped underneath the pie weights. When you remove the weights to finish the baking of the crust, if it has not been pricked you could still end up with pockets and air bubbles as that part of the crust is still a bit raw.
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Quick Answer about "How to use pie weights?"
What do you put under pie weights?
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. Then, bake your crust according to the instructions in the recipe. Your homemade pie weights will probably be too dry to cook and eat afterward, but don't toss them.Are pie weights worth it?
Not only are they heavy enough to support the sides of the crust and prevent the bottom from puffing, they actually conduct heat and start to bake the crust from all sides. The end result is a browner, drier, more even and attractive crust that is much less prone to sogginess.When should I take my pie weights out?
The sides of my pie crust still shrink down. So I always use pie weights, remove them after the edges turn brown, dock the crust with a fork, then return it to the oven so the bottom cooks. The remaining oven time depends on whether you want a partially blind baked pie crust or a fully blind baked pie crust.How do you use metal pie weights?
To use it, you coil the chain inside the base of the pie crust (sans foil or parchment paper, which is typically used to hold pie weights) and put it in the oven. The pie chain lacked the weight or the bulk to prevent the sides of the pie crust from slumping.More answers regarding how to use pie weights?
Answer 2
I use a large coffee filter. This allows the crust to "breathe" better. The beans go inside the filter and its easy to pull out once pre-baking is done.
Answer 3
As others have stated parchment or greased foil will keep your weights from embedding themselves in your pie crust, and make getting the weights out easier. I have had better luck with parchment. Waxed paper was predictably a disaster (I grabbed the wrong roll once).
It depends on the size of the pie crust a bigger pie takes more weights. When using beans I like to have about two beans deep all the way across the bottom (2-3 cups depending on the size of the pie shell). Ceramic weights are more dense, and only really need one layer.
Answer 4
I place a sheet of parchment paper between the crust and the weights. This makes removing them as straightforward as carefully lifting the paper out.
Re: amount to use - enough to cover the bottom uniformly.
Answer 5
An alternative technique is to freeze the pastry in the pie dish.
Then take the frozen pastry out of the dish and put it in the oven - it should bake before it defrosts and goes out of shape.
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