What can I use instead of pie weights?

Pie weights!

Some pies, like the pecan pie, should be baked using raw dough (crust) because they take the same amount of time to cook properly. You may want to bake the crust to avoid a soggy or soft pie due to an undercooked crust. Pies with fillings that don’t require a lot of cooking time may have an undercooked crust or an overcooked filling if they are baked together.

Cream pies, chiffon pies, and custard pies, for example, do not require baking to make the filling. When creating these pies, bake the crust first, let it cool, and then fill it with the filling. Pie weights are used while blind baking a pie to keep the crust flat. It is possible to create pies without pie weights in some situations.

To prevent a pie crust from bubbling up and shrinking too much when you’re blind baking it, you’ll need pie weights (a fancy term for prebaking a crust). Instead of pie weights, you can use a variety of items from your pantry if you don’t have any.

Steel balls, metal chains, sugar, and a second, smaller pie shape are some simple substitutes for pie weights. Below, we’ll delve deeper into each of these topics.

Is It Necessary To Use Pie Weights?

Without a filling to hold the pastry down, it might puff up during baking because of trapped steam in the gluten structure of the dough. Inconsistent baking might result in an uneven crust and over- or undercooked spots.

Side shrinkage during baking can also be a problem, and the sides may potentially collapse or fall in. By filling and holding the crust in place during the blind baking process, pie weights are a great solution to these issues.

Even though it may appear you have no choice except to abandon your plans or run out and get new pie weights, this is not the case at all. Many items that you probably already have in your kitchen will work just fine.

Instead of pie weights, you can use the following items in their place.

• Marbles
• Beans
• Sugar
• Corn
• Metal objects
• Rice

Marbles

Although marbles can be used as pie weights, it is recommended that you wrap them in a muslin cloth and allow them to cool before removing them.

Of course, you should thoroughly wash the marbles before utilizing them.

Polished river rocks would work just as well as marbles in this project. It’s all up to you and anything you happen to have sitting around.

Beans

One of the best things about this next replacement is how common it is in most households. There’s no difference between kidney beans and chickpeas when it comes to cooking. The solution is to wrap them in a muslin cloth before attempting to remove them.

Rice

This has the potential to save a lot of people’s lives. Instead of this basic staple, see if you can find any of the alternative pie weights listed above. This time it’s all about the rice.

To get the best results when cooking with rice, line your parchment paper with a thin layer of butter before adding the rice. After that, all that’s left to do is toss the rice on top.

Metal cooking utensils

It’s not a good idea to utilize metal objects from the kitchen to weigh down your pie. Yes, but you should line the pastry with aluminum foil instead of parchment paper. However, you must use caution when removing them due to the obvious reasons for doing so.

Sugar

Sugar can be used as a simple alternative. Before adding the sugar, just line the pie shell with foil. It’ll make a good amount of pie filling for a standard-sized pie plate.

Glass Marbles

Pie weights can be replaced with glass marbles, which are commonly used as aesthetic accents but can also have a functional purpose. Glass marbles can be used as pie weights after being knotted with a muslin cloth and lined with butter or parchment paper. Before using, make sure the glass marbles have been thoroughly cleaned.