My Adventure with the Extra Large Pie Pan
Alright, let’s talk about this extra large pie pan I got. It wasn’t exactly planned, you know? I saw it tucked away on a shelf at that kitchen supply place I sometimes wander into. Thing was massive. Seriously, looked like it could feed a small army. My first thought was, “When would I ever actually use this?” But then, I remembered the annual neighborhood block party was coming up. I usually bring a couple of pies, but maybe… just maybe… one giant pie would be the ticket. Less fuss, bigger impact, right? So, I grabbed it. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
Getting it home was the first small challenge. It barely fit flat in the back of the car. Once I got it inside, I gave it a good wash. Handling it felt kinda awkward, like wrestling a satellite dish. I decided an apple pie was the way to go for its first voyage – classic, crowd-pleaser. Simple enough.
Well, simple until I started figuring out the recipe conversion. My standard recipe makes a normal 9-inch pie. This beast looked closer to 14 or 15 inches across and deeper too. I basically had to triple everything. Peeling, coring, and slicing that mountain of apples took forever. Seriously, my hands were cramping up. Then came the crust. Making enough dough wasn’t the hard part, but rolling it out? Finding enough counter space was a struggle. I ended up having to clear off half the kitchen island. Rolling it thin enough without tearing, over that large an area… let’s just say my patience was tested.
Getting the bottom crust into the pan without disaster was tricky. It took a couple of attempts and some careful folding and unfolding. Filling it up with what felt like a bushel of apples mixed with sugar and spices was satisfying, though. It looked impressive already. Then, the top crust. Lattice seemed too ambitious for this scale on a first try, so I went with a solid top, cutting plenty of vents.
Next hurdle: the oven. I slid out the rack, placed the pan on it, and very, very carefully slid it back in. It fit, but just barely. There wasn’t much room for air to circulate around it, which worried me a bit. I figured it would need way longer to bake than a normal pie, and at a slightly lower temperature to avoid burning the edges before the middle cooked.
- Started checking it after about 45 minutes. Edges were browning too fast.
- Fashioned a shield out of aluminum foil to protect the crust rim. That helped.
- Kept checking every 15-20 minutes. The center took ages to start bubbling properly.
- Total bake time ended up being close to an hour and a half. Much longer than usual.
Pulling it out was another careful operation. The pan was heavy, hot, and full of molten apple goodness. I let it cool for hours – a pie this big retains heat like crazy. You rush cutting it, you get pie soup.
The block party came, and carrying the pie over was like delivering a monument. It definitely got attention! People were impressed by the sheer size. Cutting it was… interesting. The slices were huge. Getting that first slice out neatly was nigh impossible, but who cares, right? It tasted great, the apples were cooked through, the crust was decent (maybe a tad thick on the bottom in the very center, but not bad). It served a ton of people, just like I hoped.
So, was it worth it? Yeah, kinda. It’s definitely a novelty item, not for everyday use. Cleaning it is a pain, storing it is awkward (it lives on top of the fridge now), and making a pie that big is a significant time commitment. But for that specific purpose – making a statement at a large gathering – it did the job. I haven’t used it since that block party, gotta be honest. But I know it’s there, waiting for the next time I need to bake for a crowd. It’s one of those things that’s fun to have tried, even if it’s not the most practical tool in the kitchen.
