Best Overall
Harold Imports Pie Weights
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One of the major problems of blind baking is the puffing of the crust. This is when the dough expands in the upward direction due to air bubbles forming inside. That’s why you need one of the best pie weights of 2024 to serve as a temporary filling. The weights will press down against the flat surface of the dough and its walls to prevent crust puffing and unwanted air bubble formation. We've scoured the market to find the best, and can safely say that the Harold Imports Pie Weights is your best bet to blind bake a pie. For more variety, we have more recommendations below, as well as a handy buying guide to help you blind bake the perfect pie!
A Pie Weights Buying Guide
Like any other item in the market, pie weights come in a variety of choices. However, you do have to be careful not to fall for cheap, counterfeit items that are taking over the market. Choosing the right product will give you professional-grade, evenly baked pies, whereas a poorly manufactured set of pie weights could cause you all kinds of trouble. So, we have crafted a complete buying guide for you, explaining the factors that you need to keep in mind while choosing the best pie weights for when you're blind baking a pie.
What You Should Look For in High-Quality Pie Weights
Food safety
The plastic paper placed between the weights and the dough is insufficient to prevent food contamination. It is essential to ensure that the weights you pay for are made of a food-safe material and do not contain any ingredients that would cause food poisoning. You should also ensure that the weights do not leave foreign odors on the dough as it will make the food inedible.
Non-porous material
Some pie weights are made of materials that absorb the flavors and juices from the dough. If you are not careful, you may not like your pie crust even after using expensive food flavors. To ensure that the items you use to push down the dough do not absorb the flavors, you need to pay for balls made with a non-porous material.
Heat resistance
Different pie weight balls have varied levels of heat resistance that enable them to stay intact when exposed to heat. For instance, some weights can resist heat up to a temperature level of 480 degrees Fahrenheit while others can only withstand a temperature of about 400 degrees Fahrenheit. So, if you are looking for weights to use for high-temperature baking, you should ensure that they have higher heat resistance. Ideally, beads for high-temperature baking have a minimum heat resistance level of 600 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cleaning
Most pie weights need to be cleaned via hand washing. It is best that they are an average size to wash them properly post-cooking and leave them out in the open for drying. You should also ensure that the ceramic balls can withstand detergents because sometimes, the oils coating their surfaces can make them yellow or black in color.
Storage
The pie weight balls come in either plastic containers or mesh bags, both of which are reusable. These storage units are manufactured in such a manner that air circulation can be maintained at optimal levels because the balls need to breathe. This way they can last for a long time without suffering any damage to their structural integrity.
Quantity
The number of pie weight balls differs from one product to another. If you usually make small-sized pies or tart shells, you can go for any product without worrying much about the number of balls. However, when you want to bake pies with specific sizes like 7 inches, 9 inches, and so on, you must look for a pack that includes enough pie weight balls to fill the entire pie crust. Similarly, if you want to bake multiple pie crusts at a time, you will need a lot of weight. Therefore, the pack’s overall quantity should be more.
When You Need a Pie Weight
You will need pie weights every time you make pies without the fillings (a culinary process known as blind baking). Some of these situations are:
- If you have to bake the crust first without the filling and don’t want to get a puffed dough, you need the weights to press down the crust.
- Sometimes, we don’t even have to cook the filling like when we use custard, chocolate pudding, and other desserts. In these cases, we simply have to bake the crust with the weights behaving as temporary fillings and then pour the pudding or custard.
- There are times when the filling releases water that gets soaked up by the crust. As a result, the dough becomes soggy and extremely soft. That’s why you can pre-cook the crust using the weights and then add the filling.
The Average Cost of a Pie Weight Cost
The cost of pie weights ranges from $10 to $33 based on a lot of factors. For instance, pie weights with a heat resistance of 480 degrees Fahrenheit, made of pure ceramic, and packed in a dish-like container will be on the lower side in cost. However, if you are looking for pie balls with the same heat resistance but made of natural ore for home baking, it will cost a little bit extra. On the other hand, a pie weight for a pro with extremely high heat resistance and a non-absorbent construction falls on the higher side of the price margin. However, if your baking skills are at an intermediate level and you need a high-quality pie weight at an affordable cost, you can easily find one.
How to Use Pie Weights
Pie weights are used to push down the dough when blind baking to obtain a flat-level smooth crust. Prepare the crust as usual in the pie pan and place parchment paper on the shell to use them. Arrange the pie weights gently on top of the dough until the shell is completely full, then stick it in the oven to bake. When the baking time elapses and the crust is well-cooked, remove the weights by lifting the paper and pouring them into a heatproof bowl to cool.
Top Picks
- Best Overall: Harold Imports Pie Weights
- Best Value: Furrain Ceramic Pie Weights
- Most Durable: Rocksheat Baking Ceramic Pie Weights
- Most Affordable: R&M International Pie Weights
- Easiest To Clean: Tebery Stoneware Pie Crust Weights
Reviews
Best Value
Furrain Ceramic Pie Weights
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Most Durable
Rocksheat Baking Ceramic Pie Weights
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Most Affordable
R&M International Pie Weights
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Easiest to Clean
Tebery Stoneware Pie Crust Weights
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FAQs
Can I reuse the pie weights?
The reusability of pie weights depends on their construction. However, most pie weights made of ceramic can be reused a few more times.
Can you put the pie weights directly into the dough?
If you put pie weights directly into the dough, they will stick and leave wrinkles, destroying their design. Thus, you should put a food-safe paper between the dough and the beads.
Why should I weigh my pie down?
The pie dough tends to puff up as the heat increases. Standardly, pies should have a flat level and smooth base for the filling. For that reason, you should use pie weights to keep the dough even while baking ato prevent air bubbles and unwanted puffing of the dough.
What should I weigh my pie crust with?
You can use several things to weigh down the puff, such as beans or uncooked rice. However, we significantly recommend you use pie weights to push down the dough because they do not cause wrinkles like the other alternatives, plus they are food-safe.