The Milk Street Pie Pan is the best I have ever used.
It’s elegantly engineered to solve all of the problems that pie typically presents, and to make it, Milk Street reached back in time: The enameled steel pan is based on the nearly indestructible enameled pie plate eCommerce Culinary Manager Rebecca Richmond inherited from her great-grandmother (that heirloom plate had been used for almost 100 years when she got it).
When I tried mine, I decided to really take it to task. Would it heat up quickly enough to turn a finicky, all-butter pie dough into a flaky, airy crust? Yes. Would it bake my crust to a sturdy, golden-brown finish without parbaking? Yes. Would it do this while setting a filling to a perfect, gentle jiggle? YES. Each wedge of pie sliced cleanly and didn’t stick at all.
If you want to get technical, here’s how the pan works:
Quick-Heating, Thick Metal Core
Metal pie pans are prized for their ability to heat and cool quickly for more precise cooking—key for great pie. An efficient, quick-heating steel core gets to work right when the pie gets into the oven, which means tall, flaky layers, minimal butter seepage, a sturdy golden-brown crust and tender filling.
Naturally Nonstick Enamel
There’s nothing worse than mangling a slice of pie because the crust is stuck to the pan. But this pan is made from enameled steel. This is not the lightweight stuff you take camping— the heavy duty enamel releases whole pies and slices cleanly, with no risk of sticking. Seriously—they never stick. The enamel coating on the pan is so strong, it can even withstand the dishwasher, leaving one less dish to wash in the sink when you’re done.
Perfectly Sized for Single and Double–Crust Pies
With its classic shape and dimensions, this pie plate is perfectly sized for both single– and double–crust pies. It’s modestly deep at about 1.5 inches. (For a truly hefty pie, a ceramic deep-dish pan is the way to go. I like this one from Jefferson Street Ceramics.)
Easy-to-Use Rolled Edge
A frilled or fluted edge on a ceramic plate looks nice, but this pie pan’s flat rolled edge leaves room to get creative. It’s easy to work with and doesn’t get in the way of my favorite hand-finished edges, like fluting, pressing with a fork, braiding, tiny hand-pressed leaves and more. And it’s functional, too—the flat edge means you can really seal your pie crust, guarding against leaking filling.
Temperature-Safe Construction
This pan was built for make-ahead pies—an absolute slam-dunk for holiday prep—it goes from freezer or fridge to oven without cracking or warping and works beautifully for icebox pies, too. And it’s extremely durable—sturdier than many cheap, light options on the market from popular enamelware brands—and safe for high temperatures up to 450°F.
This simple, classic pan looks timeless too, so it’s lucky it’ll last forever, if you take care of it. Maybe I’ll leave mine to my future granddaughter—that is, if I can ever part with it.
Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.
And if you're looking for more Milk Street, check out our livestream cooking classes with our favorite chefs, home cooks and friends for global recipes, cooking methods and more.
