Pie pans, also called pie dishes, pie plates, pie tins, etc., come in different sizes. They range from eight to twelve inches wide and one to two inches tall. The standard size of a pie pan is nine inches wide because most recipes fit inside perfectly. However, you can always tweak your recipes to fit your pie pan.
Yes, some pie recipes call for a 10” pan, others for an 8”, but the vast majority of pie recipes direct you to a 9”-diameter pan. And this pan is a full 9” wide (inside dimensions).
Types Of Pie Pan Sizes
There are different sizes of pie pans available in the market. What you choose depends on factors such as the number of servings, recipe, etc. Before you buy a pie pan, read the details on it to know the size.
Also referred to as conventional pie pans, these pans are nine inches wide and one inch deep. They are great for baking pies that don’t need much depth, such as custard pies, cookie crusts, etc. Sometimes, some can be one-quarter inch deep.
Measure the inside of the pan to know the correct size of the pan. Standard pie pans have the perfect depth; they can hold large recipes without your pie spilling over. The pie crust, if you make the perfect dough and follow the proper baking practices, is always flaky and crisp.
When you use a standard pie pan, you should get six to eight pie slices. However, it can be more or less depending on how large the slices are. To get the perfect pie slice, first, refrigerate the pie and use a serrated knife to cut through the middle first before the edges.
Deep pie pans are pans with dimensions larger than the standard pie pans and can hold larger recipes. For instance, they can be 9.5 or 10 inches wide and 1.4 inches deep. With a deep pie pan, you’ll get more pie crust and filling.
Standard pie pans usually don’t provide dense slices of pie; the slices are more like slabs. Deep pie pans are great for baking fruit pies that will have more fruits in every slice. You can also use deep pie pans for baking apple pies, rhubarb pies, blueberry pies, etc.
Mini pie pans are smaller than standard pie pans. They come in different variations; some are four, five, or six inches wide and ½ inch deep. They are suitable for baking chicken pot pies, mini cakes, pot pies, etc.
If you want to present to your guest’s pies with different flavors, you can use mini pie pans. You can get two or three slices out of a six-inch mini pie pan. You can also scale down your standard or deep pie recipes to mini pie pans.
Essential Things To Know About Pie Pan Sizes
The size of a pie pan affects the results you get when baking your pie. As such, you should choose a pie pan of the perfect size.
| Type of Pan | Diameter (inches) | Depth (inches) | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini Pie Pan | 4, 5, 6 | 0.5 | Chicken pot pies, mini cakes, pot pies |
| Standard Pie Pan | 9 | 1 to 1.5 | Custard pies, cookie crusts |
| Deep Pie Pan | 9.5, 10 | 1.4 | Fruit pies, apple pies, rhubarb pies, blueberry pies |
Standard pie pans are approximately one to one and a half inches deep. However, some pie pans are one to one-and-a-half inches deep. These are called deep-dish pie pans; they can contain large pie recipes. Besides, deep pie pans ensure your pie has adequate moisture, thereby preventing the flavors from escaping.
This is because the center of your pie will have a constant temperature and has a lower exposure to evaporation. However, baking with deep pie pans takes a longer process because it takes time for heat to penetrate the center of the pan.
On the other hand, shallow pie pans are suitable for baking small pie recipes, which will likely get burnt if you use a deep pie dish. Besides, hot air circulates in a shallow pie, which browns your pie.
This isn’t the same for a deep pie pan; your pie crust might not brown as you want in a deep pie pan. With a shallow pie pan, it doesn’t take much time for your pie to get baked uniformly as well. However, shallow pie pans have lower exposure to heat, making your pie dry.
While depth refers to the height of your pie pan, width refers to the circumference of your pan. It means how big your pie pan is. Your recipe determines the width of the pie pan you should buy. For instance, if you are looking to bake a mini pie, six-inches wide pans are good.
However, if you want to bake large pies, you should use nine-inches wide pie pans and above. If your pan is larger than the recipe, some areas of the pan will be exposed, and this will lead to quicker evaporation. However, you can always scale your recipe up or down to fit your pan size.
The width and depth of your pie pan depend on your recipe. For instance, if you want your pie to hold more moisture, you should buy a deep pie dish. However, you can use the standard pie pan, which is nine inches wide and approximately one to one and a half inches deep because it is adaptable.
@BoldFace asked: “Which type of pie plate do you prefer: glass, metal or clay?”
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