Thanksgiving Pie-Making Essentials: Must-Have Tools for Perfect Holiday Pies
Thanksgiving and pie go hand in hand. Whether you're team pumpkin, pecan, or apple, having the right tools can make the pie-making process smoother, more fun, and way more foolproof. Over the years, I’ve tested a lot of baking tools, and I’ve rounded up my absolute must-haves for holiday pie season—plus a few bonus favorites that make all the difference. Here’s what every home baker needs to confidently whip up beautiful, delicious Thanksgiving pies.
1. Pie Dishes (Glass, Ceramic, or Metal)
Every great pie starts with a great pie plate. I recommend having at least two 9-inch dishes on hand—especially for back-to-back baking.
📌 Tip: If your bottom crusts are often soggy, try preheating a metal baking sheet and placing your pie dish on top while baking.
Allows you to see the bottom crust to check for doneness. A classic for good reason. I've been using the Pyrex glass pie for my whole adult life for every sort of pie!
Great heat retention and beautiful enough to go straight from oven to table.
Ideal for crispy crusts, especially when blind baking.
This is the go-to when you're bringing pies to the party! These ones from Waytiffer are good quality and affordable - a bonus considering they'll be disposed of once the dish is licked clean!
2. Silicone Dough Rolling Bag
This genius bag makes rolling out dough easy, mess-free, and evenly round. It keeps your dough contained between two non-stick silicone layers, so you don’t have to flour your counter—and cleanup is a breeze.
🧊 Bonus: You can pop it in the fridge to chill your dough in between rolling.
A newer tool in my arsenal, this is supremely helping for managing mess, and creating evenness across the dough! Game changer to your pie making, you can even use it for pizza too.
I never was able to lattice so smoothly until I I got my rolling bag, now I roll the pastry, chill it in the bag, then pull it out to cut into strips and lattice!
3. Pie Crust Shield
Tired of burned crust edges? A pie crust shield is a simple silicone or metal ring that protects the outer crust while allowing the center to cook through. Way better than wrestling with strips of foil halfway through baking!
I love this one because it's adjustable and I can use in for my galettes too.
Ideal when you need to give your filling an extra long bake, but don't want to risk burning to the crust! If you're an apple pie maker, you'll know what I mean...
4. Mixing Bowls & Bench Scraper
Large, sturdy mixing bowls are essential for mixing crust and fillings. And don’t underestimate a bench scraper—it’s great for lifting and folding dough, cleaning your work surface, or slicing chilled dough cleanly.
This is a small hack... get a large mixing bowl with a lid, so if you feel like your pastry ingredients are too warm and the butter is melting at your fingertips, then just pop the lid on, put it in the fridge and come back to it later! This one also doubles as being gorgeous, and is mentioned in our article Make Your Kitchen More Beautiful and Functional.
This bench scraper triples as a scraper, a ruler and a cutter - and you can utilise in all those capacities when making pie as I do! I love OXO, they're highest quality, easy to clean, and thoughtfully designed. I like to use this one for my sourdough bread-making too!
5. Meat thermometer
While it might sound strange, a meat thermometer is one of the best tools for checking if your pie is fully baked inside. No more guessing - just a quick, accurate reading.
An Apple Pie is typically ready at around 195-200°F, a Pecan Pie at 200°F, a Pumpkin Pie at 175°F to 185°F, and a Key Lime Pie at 145°F. Thank me later!
