Thanks to everyone who has responded to my earlier pie questions. I just made an apple pie and it turned out really well, much to my surprise! Only one thing- when I cut the pie there was a lot of liquid in the bottom of the pie plate. This was no problem for the part we ate tonight, but I am betting that the crust will be all soggy by tomorrow. I did pour off the liquid after cutting the pie, but should it have turned out like this? Also, I ignored an earlier bit of advice and did not wait for an hour after baking- I waited about 15 minutes and could not resist- did this affect my results? Vicki, I think, suggested using a dishtowel on shredded pieces of apple- should I have done this with the slices I used? Don't give up on me, folks, I'm getting close!

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), August 25, 2001

Answers

Elizabeth, perhaps you could post your further apple pie things on teh original thread? We are getting threads here and there and it gets confusing. Hapy to hear bout your goodpie results. I envy you. I am a loser at pie making! :)

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), August 26, 2001.

You can mix in about a tablespoon of corn starch with the sugar you add to the filling (if working with raw apples) to thicken it. Cutting it when it is that warm it will only have slightly thickened it however. A couple tablespoons of Minute tapioca can be used instead of the corn starch in fruit pies to good effect too, and I think that it soaks up the juice more quickly than does cornstarch if you are planning to serve it warm from the oven. When it is cooled and refrigerated, it makes for a more 'solid' pie than does cornstarch -- it mainly depends on your own preferences which to use. Or not.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), August 26, 2001.

L.Quaker, You are right about this getting confusing, but I intentionally started a new thread each time. I got good advice on the initial thread and I knew that some of the people who responded would be able to offer further advice to subsequent questions but wasn't sure if they would revisit the old thread. Because I am so completely ignorant about pie baking I am coming up with new questions as I go along and problems present themselves, otherwise I would have asked all my questions in one thread. Please forgive me for cluttering things up, and bear with me- my yuppie boyfriend's apple pie is riding on this! LOL.

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), August 26, 2001.

I too use 1-1/2 T of cornstarch mixed with sugar and I do find if I can force everyone to wait until warm not hot it isn't as runny. I have thought in the past that it is affected by the kind of apple..some seem to have more juice than others...can't say which ones have less though.One year it seemed that every apple pie I baked was runny regardless of whether I used cornstarch or not..I tried making a pie filling and then making the pie..it turned out o.k. not quite as good as slower baked pie. I haven't ever used tapioca but think I will give it a try too.

-- sandi (msjazt@aol.com), August 26, 2001.

Vicki, well i would like to give you my recipe for apple pie.so here goes crust: 2 cups flour mix with 2/3cup plus 2 tablespoon of crisco. 1 teaspoon of salt mix till its little beads. add 5 tablespoon of cold water.mix well cut in half and roll out on lightly floured board or between 2 pieces of wax paper. I measure everything exactly. when you have done this enough you will be able to fold it in half and the quarters and put in pie plate. Now for the filling. 9" pie pan--6 cups of sliced apples- 3/4 cups of sugar- 1/4 cup of flour. add a little cinniamon not too much as it is a strong spice.mix well put in pie shell and dot with butter - put top crust on then take foil and put around the outside of the pie to keep it from getting dark. bake

-- Donna Osgood (lonndon@ynt.net), August 26, 2001.

Yes Elizabeth, I forgot the flour, cornstarch will work also, this thickens the pie juices. I don't dry my sliced apples, but do when I made it with the grated apple, unless you have a food processor you will get alot of liquid just in the grating. It is really a whole different kind of pie with it grated, they serve it this way sometimes at the Cracker Barrel near us. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), August 26, 2001.

To not have a real juicy pie (runny) You need to add either tapioca, or cornstarch or flour. You will need 2x more flour than cornstarch. you will also need to add butter. one tablespoon butter to 2 tablespoons cornstarch. If the apples seam real juicy I would mix 4 tablespoons cornstarch and two tablespoons butter (dot the butter on top before adding the top crust). The cornstarch you toss with the apples, sugar and cinnamon and let them sit in a bowl for about 30 minutes. After the pie is baked you need to let it sit untill cool for it to thicken. (good things come to thoes who wait) If you want it warm you can warm up the slices before serving. Best wishes. Blackberries are ripe, and all this pie talk has inspired me. I think I'll go make pie. :-) Runners3

-- Runners 3 (cmschram31357@mindspring.com), August 26, 2001.

I slice up my apples, mix in the sugar and spices and let them sit in a bowl while I make my crust. Before I put the apples in the crust, I tip the bowl over and let most of the juice drain out. It will also help if you wait a while before cutting it.

-- Cindy in NY (cjpopeck@worldnet.att.net), August 26, 2001.

Yes, slicing into a piping hot pie will affect your results. The pie needs to cool, letting the thickening (flour, cornstarch, or whatever) set up. Just like hot pudding, hot pie filling is thin and thickens up as it cools.

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@nwlink.com), August 26, 2001.

Elizabeth, You probably had a hole or holes in your bottom crust which would allow the juices to run down in between the bottom crust and the pie tin. Just check your crust once you have put it in the pie tin, and before you have put the fruit in. I worked for 25 years in a bakery that made pies ( Chef Pierre/Sara Lee ) in Traverse City, Michigan, and we would have problems with the prebaked Pecan and fruit pies that would get holes in the bottom crust. Needless to say, it would make a lot of scrap pies when that happened.

-- Robert J. Karczewski (robert_j_karczewski@hotmail.com), August 26, 2001.

I always toss apples with 1/3 cup of sugar, 2 Tbsp flour, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Dump into pie crust and cover with top crust. Bake at 350 for a hour, and it's always gotten rave reviews at our house. The flour prevents soggy bottom crusts.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), August 27, 2001.

Elizabeth,

You can also use a product called instant Clear Jel. I buy mine in bulk because I sell pies at a farmer's market, but Kitchenkrafts also sells it in 1lb packages.

It works better than cornstarch, flour, or quick cooking Tapioca. Mix it with your sugar and spices and mix into the apples while you are making the crust. It will come out perfect everytime.

If you e-mail me your address, I will send you some to try.

-- Cordy (ckaylegian@aol.com), August 27, 2001.

Elizabeth,

I've been away for a while so haven't seen your first post yet, but the type of apples you use will affect how much juice is in your pie. Try a firmer apple such as gala.

Regarding starting a new thread for each question...

At the top of the page you should see a link for new answeres. If you click on this it will take you to a page where links are arranged according to latest answeres. Every time someone postes a new reply, that thread will be moved to the top of the list. By checking here, you can keep up with new replies without always starting a new thread. Just FYI.

-- Mona in OK (modoc@ipa.net), August 30, 2001.