Freeze with Ease

Appears in

Published 2011

Fruit pies freeze well, but don’t freeze those with a custard base.
Don’t freeze pies in glass pie plates. They may crack from extreme temperature changes when baking or reheating.
Disposable foil pie plates are great for freezing. However, pies baked in foil pie plates do not brown evenly. To offset this, place the foil pie plate on a heavy-duty baking sheet and bake on the middle rack.
Unbaked pastry can be frozen for 1 to 2 months. Baked pie shells can be frozen for 2 to 4 months. Baked pies can be frozen for about 3 months. Wrap them well.
To defrost baked pies, place the frozen pie in a 425°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes. To prevent overbrowning, cover loosely with foil. To defrost in the microwave, transfer the frozen pie to a microwavable glass pie plate. Microwave on Medium (50%) for 8 to 12 minutes. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes to complete thawing.
To bake a frozen unbaked pie, bake at preheated 450°F for 15 minutes. Cut slits in the top crust, reduce the heat to 375°F and bake 45 minutes longer.