How to Use a Pie Bird (and Why You Should)

Picture it: You’re making Grandma’s legendary apple pie. Let’s say you parbaked your crust—even remembered your pie weights!—and properly vented your top layer of pastry, but somehow your pie still ends up a soggy mess. Does that sound familiar?

We love our modern kitchen tools, but it turns out your grandma probably had the perfect solution for preventing this mess all along: a pie bird.

What Is a Pie Bird? Why Do I Need One?

A pie bird is a hollow ceramic tool that bakers place in the center of pies to prevent bubbling over. They can also be called pie vents, because that hollow core allows steam to escape during baking.

These cute critters have been around for hundreds of years, but grew more popular in the 1940s as manufacturers started producing them in varying shapes and colors. Over the years, we’ve let them fall back into obscurity.

But if you’re an avid pie baker, it’s a trend worth bringing back. This tiny (and frankly adorable) pie friend can help you achieve an enviable outer shell, a crispy crust, and—you’re welcome, Mary Berry—a dry bottom. Find more of Mary’s best baking tips.

They’re inexpensive, they’re fun, and they work.

How Do You Use a Pie Bird?

Thankfully, using a pie bird just adds a few quick steps to your pie-baking process. Try it with a pie that has a top crust, like apple pear pie.

Step 1: Prepare your filling and pastry dough

Follow your recipe of choice to prep all the ingredients as noted.

Step 2: Place bottom layer of dough

Lay out your dough as normal. If you parbake your crust, do not place the pie bird yet.

Step 3: Place the pie bird

Place your bird right in the middle of the dough. Spoon your filling evenly around the bird.

Step 4: Add the top layer of dough

Cut an X in your top layer of pastry dough.You can also cut a small circle out of your dough if you feel confident in knowing how wide the bird is, but the X will do just fine.

Carefully cover the pie, allowing the pie bird to poke through the X.

Step 5: Bake!

Follow your recipe and bake as you normally would. Don’t remove the bird, though! You can cut and serve around him.

Where Can I Find a Pie Bird?

• Amazon: There is a fun selection of pie birds on Amazon—the Le Creuset Stoneware Pie Bird (that’s the one shown here) has solid reviews and comes in a variety of colors.
• eBay: Since pie birds are pretty vintage, eBay is a great spot to shop for the more unique shapes and collectors’ items.
• Antique Stores: If you have a favorite local antique store or flea market, keep your eye out for an old-school pie bird.
• Your Grandmother: Call your grandmother (or any relative with an enviable collection of kitchen tools, both past and present) and ask if she has one. You know Grandma always has the best advice, anyway.

Double-Crust Pies You Need in Your Collection

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Blueberry Dream Pie

This showstopping pie can be decorated to fit any season. I like to make stars for Independence Day, leaves for fall, hearts for Valentine's Day or even flowers for spring. Have fun with it! —Kerry Nakayama, New York, New York

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Double Cherry Pie

The combination of tart canned cherries and dried cherries make this so yummy. This is the best cherry pie I have ever raised on a fork to my lips! —Jerri Gradert, Lincoln, Nebraska

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Maple-Glazed Apple Pie

Even though we've lived in Florida for 3 years, I still feel like a "Vermonter". My parents send us a bushel of Vermont apples each fall, and we try to visit in the spring to do some sugaring. —Patricia Putnam, Lakeland, Florida

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Green Tomato Pie

When frost nips our garden, I quickly gather all the green tomatoes still on the vine and make this old family favorite. It's been handed down from my grandmother, and now my granddaughters are asking for the recipe.—Violet Thompson, Port Ludlow, Washington

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Double-Crust Strawberry Pie

The first time I made this pie it was delectable, so I wanted to share it. Fresh strawberries sprinkled with cinnamon make a delicious pie served warm or slightly chilled. —Patricia Kutchins, Lake Zurich, Illinois

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Golden Peach Pie

Years ago, I entered this pie in the Park County Fair in Livingston. It won a first-place blue ribbon plus a purple ribbon for Best All Around! Family and friends agree with the judges—it's a perfectly peachy pie. —Shirley Olson, Polson, Montana

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Fresh Blackberry Pie

I grew up on a farm, and we always picked fruits in early summer and used them to make desserts. This blackberry pie is a real stunner. —Gladys Gibbs, Brush Creek, Tennessee

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Rhubarb Cherry Pie

As a young girl, I dreamed of being able to make pies like my mother. (Her rolling pin, which I inherited, was 2 ft. long and 8 in. wide!) In fact, this is Mom's rhubarb strawberry pie recipe with cherries instead. I first made this pie for a church gathering 20 years ago—ever since, everyone's looked for it at every potluck! —Eunice Hurt, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

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Blue-Ribbon Apple Pie

This pie is special to me because I won a blue ribbon for it at the local fair and was able to compete at the state farm show. —Collette Gaugler, Fogelsville, Pennsylvania

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Blackberry Apple Pie

My mother made this pie so often she could do it with her eyes closed! We picked the berries ourselves, and the apples came from the trees in our orchard. I can still taste the delicious combination of fruits encased in Mother's flaky pie crust.—Fran Stanfield, Wilmington , Ohio

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The post How to Use a Pie Bird (and Why You Should) appeared first on Taste of Home.

Kate Tully