Many pre-made pie crusts from national brands and grocery stores were collected and tested for flavor, texture, structural soundness, and baking evenness. Testing used blind taste tests of mini apple tarts to assess performance across criteria. Results showed clear variation: some frozen crusts held structure and baked evenly, while at least one leading brand's frozen deep-dish crust performed poorly when molded and scored lowest for structural soundness and value. Seasonal considerations affect choice: homemade crusts suit colder months when chilling ingredients is practical, while store-bought crusts offer convenience and less labor in warm weather.
In an effort to find the best pre-made pie crust available, I went on a quest to gather as many as I could get my hands on, test them, and rank them. The following ranking takes into consideration flavor, texture, structural soundness, and how evenly the crust baked - to test all of them, I made a batch of mini apple tarts and performed a blind taste test.
Well, in terms of structural soundness, Pillsbury's frozen deep-dish pie crust got decidedly bottom marks. Now, I'll give credit where it's due, and admit that surgically cutting and molding a section of dough to my muffin tin isn't how this crust is meant to be used. But all the other frozen crusts I did this with held up remarkably well, so this still didn't live up to expectations.
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