Cooking Tips

Why You Should Temp Your Pies 

When baking pies, keep your instant-read thermometer close by. Here’s why.   
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Published Nov. 14, 2022.

Let’s talk pie equipment. Here’s what you need:

Rolling pin? Pie plate? Kitchen shears? Check.

You’ll also want an instant-read thermometer. To temp your pies, of course.

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Why should you take your pie’s temperature? In short, for foolproof results.

Thermometers aren’t just for candy making. They also take the temperature of a pastry cream, fruit curd, or caramel, or judge the doneness of custard-based pies.

A digital instant-read thermometer—rather than a slow-registering stick candy thermometer—will provide you with an accurate reading almost immediately.

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Bake beautiful, foolproof versions of the corner bakery classics and French patisserie favorites—plus a host of whimsical, modern pies and tarts of all kinds with sky-high meringue pies, uniquely flavored fruit pies with intricate lattice-woven tops, and lush elegant tarts.

This is especially important with egg-based fillings, which can quickly overcook into a curdled mess. Nobody wants a scrambled egg pie.

Temperatures to look for:

  • Pecan Pie: 185-190 degrees 
  • Cream Pies: 180 degrees
  • Pumpkin Pie: 175 degrees
  • Curd Pies: 170 degrees

Take the stress out of eyeballing the doneness of your pie. Temp it instead.

Here are some temp-worthy pies to get you started:

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