MINI PIE MAKER

So, on a dare, I'm posting my full modification of this adorable pie baker - scroll below.But first, my favorite recipes and tips!Best crust recipe:1c flour1 stick cold butter1/4 teaspoon salt1 egg yolkIced water - ice is crucialPut flour, butter and salt in food processor. Blend until the butter is all in pebbles - don't overdo it. Add the yolk and process until just mixed. Add iced water until the dry flour sticks and makes pea shaped balls.Flour a surface well and roll handfuls into circles large enough to use the cutter. Make them fairly thick so the pie doesn't fall apart when you remove it. After each circle cut, take the extra pieces and put them into the next ball to roll out. You may have to spray the pieces with water so they stick. This prevents over working the dough which makes it hard like a cracker. Stack these crusts with parchment between and refrigerate for a week or so or freeze.(Edit: still making quiche every morning! I discovered frozen spinach at my grocery! I also chop my onions raw and freeze, also raw peppers, also tomato slices with parchment between and freeze. My modified pie baker cooks them perfectly in 18mins. I also stopped adding sugar to my apple pies - the crumble is plenty sweet. 1 apple makes 2 pies. Freeze half, or munch slices while waiting. :) Super Protip: for quiche, lay sage leaves on top of the cheese, not inside. The oils fry the sage and release amazing flavor! Also I put way too much white pepper on top, and my quiche has a bite! Ok, back to my older post:)Tips for quiche:Chop bacon, cook, drain, and store in a jar in the fridge.Chop spinach, onion, peppers, mushrooms, etc, cook, cool, put into a Ziploc bag, freeze, then chip off pieces.Chop a bundle of asparagus into thin coins, leaving the tips for looks, cook, cool, freeze in Ziploc and spoon out a tablespoon at a time.Freeze grated cheese.Spinach can be "chopped" fresh using scissors.A single fresh mozzarella ball makes a nice center.Make one of these ingredients each day and soon you'll have a freezer full of a broad menu of quiche!I make quiche every morning: total time, 15minsLay crust in cold pie maker.Assemble any combo of the above.Top with cheese.Blend one egg, a tablespoon of milk, salt, pepper, herbs.Pour over ingredients in crust.Bake until knife comes out clean.Note: it puffs up insanely high!Sweet pie filling tips:Chop about a cup or two of any fruit and simmer with sugar and water to taste.I don't like my pie too sweet, so I add a 1/2c-1c water.When fully cooked and sweetened to taste, mix 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with some water, add and stir quickly so it doesn't lump up.Fill 4oz canning jars and process, or refrigerate. (8oz jars make two.)They should jell hard enough to keep their shape - this will elevate the crust so it touches the upper lid. The crust cooks best this way, or it might end up raw in spots.Another tip is try using canned biscuits for crust - peel apart biscuits and roll out.Edit: adding a couple more recipes:Au gratin potatoes! I added some pics too.1t flour1t butterHeat these in the microwave until bubbly.Add 4T milk and heat again for roux for the sauce.Take one slice of cheese and break out a circle to fit the pie, use the rest in the roux.Pour over sliced fingerling potatoes, place cheese circle on top. Bake 15mins, check with fork (but don't scratch the bottom!)Apple crisp:Make crust as above, but add 1t cinnamon, and 1/4c brown sugar. Roll into crusts the same as above. I call this a graham cracker crust.Crumble:3/4c oats3/4c flour1t cinnamon1 stick butterPut everything into a food processor - butter in chunks - and process until nicely crumble-like. Store in the freezer until needed.Slice an apple into tiny bits. Add 3-4T brown sugar, 1/2T cinnamon, plus some nutmeg, and cloves. This will make about 2-4 pies. Store in the fridge.Use one graham cracker crust, apples until piled above the lip, then cover completely with crumble. It will come out a little dark, but still good! You can also veeery carefully rotate it halfway through.Last added recipe: I like to make fried egg bites, just toss in some veggies (I use tomato's, mushrooms, and spinach) and crack an egg on top! Add salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with fresh herbs - sage is best fried on top, not inside. The veggies cook nicely on the bottom. A small strip of parchment can help remove the finished bake.Many more can be found on YouTube.So now here's how I modified it: (Note: this requires access to a spot welder.)It baked too hot, so I opened it up and sure enough, the thermal switch was a standard 155°C NC thermal switch. ("NC" means normally closed - means it's on until it reaches 155°C.)I spent over $30 trying different temps, ha! and eventually figured out that 120°C works perfectly.So I spot welded the new switch in the place of the old switch, and now it's baking absolutely perfectly! It takes a little longer now - it's 15mins for a quiche - but the center gets perfectly cooked and the crust never burns.If I add cold filling, I can wait as long as I like and the crust is always perfectly golden brown.The spot welder I have is a cheap Chicago Electric welder used for autobody work. You might see if a local collision repair shop can help you out.

I have only made cherry pies so far but it worked great will be easy to take in our 5th wheel on vacation

This is a fun item to use but needs a little more information with it. The edge of the crust burns if you are not very careful. Have to put more than the 1/3 cup of filling in the pie to get the center of the crust done without burning the edges

I thought it would be fun letting everyone bake their own pies on Christmas Day. My mother in law was quite amused, and the men in the family each participated without hesitation. She and I practiced a couple, first, but soon had the hang of it! I would caution the use of baking spray each time. It leaves blackness on the crust; also fill the pie very full, so the crust will brown evenly. Four minutes did the trick each time. Once everyone has made their pies, selecting from various fillings, then we all sat down together for a mid-day treat; including ice cream. The little pie maker is charming and was a fun way to pass some time, together.

I have several of the DASH MINI MAKERS ( waffle ,bundt cake) and now the Pie maker ,I had the best time making mini pies with my grand daughter ! I made enough pie dough for a two crust pie and used one can of cherry pie filling and we made 6 pies , a half pie is about enough for one serving unless you're a big eater, we rolled out crust, used the provided cutter , baked each pie for about 5 minutes and was done under an hour working with a 3 1/2 yr old , who can really roll and cut dough ! See all the mess dealing with the play dough came in handy....