The filling’s still pale and wobbly in the middle, but the crimped edge is already dark brown and heading towards black. The edge of the crust is thin, it sticks up, and it’s closest to the heat, so it always cooks faster than the rest.
The foil method, and why it’s a pain
The traditional fix is to tear off strips of foil and fold them round the rim halfway through baking. It works, sort of. It’s also fiddly with a hot tin, the foil never sits quite right, and it’s easy to squash the crimping you spent ages on. Some people cut a ring out of a sheet of foil instead, which is a bit better but you do it again every time.
A silicone shield does the same job properly
A pie crust shield is a ring that sits over just the edge of the pie, covering the crust and leaving the filling open. The Antenda one is made of food-grade silicone, comes as a pair, and is adjustable. You slide a little lock along a row of notches to make it bigger or smaller, so one shield covers pies from 8 to 11.4 inches across. That’s most of the pie dishes and tart tins you’re likely to own.
Silicone has a couple of advantages over the metal shields you also see. It’s soft, so it won’t dent a nicely fluted edge, and it doesn’t heat up as a sharp metal rim would. It’s rated to 450°F, which is around 230°C, well above what most pies bake at. And it goes in the dishwasher afterwards.
How to use one
- Bake the pie uncovered for the first part, so the edge gets some colour and sets.
- When the rim looks golden but the middle still needs time, take the pie out, size the shield to fit and drop it over the edge. Oven gloves on, obviously.
- Put it back in and finish baking. The filling keeps cooking and the crust just stays where it is.
Some people put it on from the start, which is fine for long bakes like a deep apple pie, but you’ll get a paler edge.
Having two in the pack is handy at this time of year, when one pie in the oven usually means two.
Antenda Adjustable Silicone Pie Crust Shields, pack of 2 (Amazon)
