Taylor Harbin - Pie All the Time

Creator of All Purpose Flour Child

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To Mom and Dad

for making a home that nurtured my insatiable creative spirit and for filling it with an endless love that encouraged it to grow.

And Avery

my first and biggest fan, always. I hope you never stop looking up to me, and may I always be worthy of your gaze.

Pie Pans

There's an endless variety of pie pans and plates to choose from, so how are you to know which is best? It all comes down to the material it's made of and how well it conducts heat. Most commonly, you'll find ceramic or stoneware, glass and metal. I've found that metal conducts heat best and yields a consistently crisp crust. Glass also does a great job of conducting heat, and you have the added benefit of peeking at the transparent bottom during baking, making glass a great option for beginner cooks to get comfortable with the timing and doneness of pies. Ceramic and stoneware conduct heat fairly well also, but, as pretty as some ceramic dishes may be, it's usually my metal or glass pan I reach for first. My favorite metal pans are made by USA PAN. You can't go wrong with classic Pyrex glass pans. Then there's size to consider. The recipes in this book call for a standard 9-inch (23-cm) pie pan, unless otherwise specified. A larger or smaller pan will affect not only the volume of filling the pie pan can hold, but also the way it bakes; it's always best to use the recommended size the recipe calls for.

Oven Thermometer

Oven thermometers cost only a few dollars, but they are a priceless necessity in your kitchen if you do any sort of baking. You'd be surprised how widely ovens range in temperature. My oven, for instance, is a good 25F (14C) off, so my oven thermometer allows me to adjust accordingly. It's also great for monitoring the temperature when you're taking things in and out of the oven and the temperature fluctuates. I prefer the style that clips or hangs from the oven racks, as you can easily see the temperature from the window of the oven, and you can leave it in the oven all the time.

Digital Kitchen Scale

I'll be completely honest with you: I did not consistently bake by weight until I started developing the recipes for this book. But as I've gotten into a regular routine, I find my measuring cups gathering dust on the shelf as I regularly reach for my scale. Weighing ingredients just makes so much more sense: It's much more accurate, but it's also easier and much less messy. Why I was ever intimidated by the scale, I'll never know. If you find yourself in a similar situation, let me release you from your worries, friend. Pick up a scale for yourself, tuck those measuring cups away and discover the freedom weighing ingredients will bring. I go for Escali brand, as the scales are affordable, reliable and accurate. And to all my international friends reading this: Have yourself a little chuckle, because you're already way ahead of us over here in the US.

A Quality Rolling Pin

Maybe you've been in a pinch on vacation making pizza or a pie and reached for a wine bottle in lieu of a rolling pin, and, for your ingenuity and resourcefulness, I salute you. But if you bake even occasionally, you really owe it to yourself to pick up a nice rolling pin. I have a few different styles and enjoy them all: a French pin, which is usually a fairly thin wooden pin with tapered ends, making it ideal for maneuvering dough; a silicone-coated pin with handles that honestly rolls dough out like a dream; and my most prized pin: a beautiful wooden one my dad made for my mom out of an old baseball bat when they were first married that's been passed down to me. The most important thing is selecting a rolling pin that feels right to you, not unlike selecting the perfect bowling ball.

Pie Weights

When blind-baking tart or pie crusts that will later be filled with things, it is essential to have something to hold the dough in place, hold its shape and keep it from puffing up while it par-bakes. You've got some options to choose from. But, personally, after extended use of both, I actually prefer something like uncooked rice or dried beans rather than fancy ceramic or stainless-steel pie weights. Not only are dried rice or beans more affordable, but I find the smaller size can fit better into the crevasses of a tart, filling out every nook and cranny. On the other hand, most pie weights are larger and bulkier and may be a bit clunky when using on something smaller or more delicate. But to each their own. While the dried rice or beans will no longer be fit to consume after you've blind-baked with them, they may be used as pie weights over and over. Let them cool, then tip them into a mason jar, pop a label on them and save them for your next baking project.

Bench Scraper

A good bench scraper is a great tool to keep around for scraping up bits of dough off your counter come cleanup time and for slicing doughs into portions or moving them around. You can get flexible plastic ones or more sturdy stainless-steel ones fitted with a wood handle. I have a few of each.

Ruler

When you're making something rather exact, such as a batch of pop-tarts, it's nice to have a stainless steel or acrylic ruler you don't mind getting caked in flour. These can be picked up at any craft store.

Rimmed Baking Sheet

A rimmed baking sheet will be handy in any sort of scenario where there may be some leakage. The rims will protect the bottom of your oven, and you'll thank them for doing so. Just about every recipe in this book calls for you to either bake directly on one, such as a batch of hand pies or a galette, or placing your pie pan on top of one. This will not only help make pies easier to maneuver in and out of the oven, but also save a lot of mess later on. They're also endlessly useful for roasting vegetables and meat, toasting nuts and breads, making pizza and, of course, baking a pie. I like Nordic Ware, because they're high quality and don't warp but are still very affordable. It's nice to have at least a few in your collection as well. They come in several sizes, but I find the handiest ones are the quarter-sheet and half-sheet pans.

Microplane

This is certainly one of my most treasured tools in the kitchen. A nice sharp microplane grater is second to none when it comes to grating citrus zest, hard cheeses, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano, and even grating spices like whole nutmeg or cinnamon sticks.