for whatever reason...i prefer a pie being thrown or smashed without the pie tin...i only have bought the frozen pie shells in tins...i've tried pillsbury/pet ritz...and some store brands...sometimes the crust is cracked when the shell is still frozen...that's not a problem b/c i can just fix in when it's thawed...

my problem is when the pie shell cracks during baking...i've tried sealing the cracks with a flour/water paste and even using store bought refrigerated pie crust to fill in the cracks...nothing seems to work...is there something i can do so the shells won't crack during baking?

maybe let the frozen pies thaw out overnight?
maybe bake at a lower temperature than suggested on the package?
maybe brush something on them?
maybe i buy refrigerated pie crusts and tins?

i don't mind a few cracked crusts...but 17 cracked out of 20 for my last shoot was a little more than i can appreciate...

thanks...

bill...

Mrs. Smith pie shells are the best. Also make sure to use a fork to make holes throughout the thawed shells before baking. This will help avoid the cracking when they bake.

That's brilliant. Are you baking them for the standard time that's on the package?

that's a great question...i actually use something called a "dough docker" made by pizacraft...it's like a little rolling pin with prongs all around it...it takes like seconds...$5 on amazon...

i thought mrs smith only sold deep dish pie shells...i was worried that too much cool whip would be too heavy for the crust...

thanks for responding...