Dear Home Ec 101,
I’m getting ready to make some pumpkin pies. I’m just using the canned pumpkin that makes two pies and don’t really want to bake both tonight. Can I prepare the second pie and just freeze it without baking it so that we can enjoy it next week?
Signed,
~Peter Peter
Heather says:
Well Mr. Pumpkin Eater, pumpkin pies are custard pies which become watery and occasionally grainy with freezing and thawing. If you must do some of the work ahead of time prepare the filling and freeze it separately from the shell. Then on the day the pie will be served thaw both the filling and shell, fill the pie, and bake according to the recipe’s instructions.
There are those who are satisfied with their results freezing custard pies, but do you really want to experiment for a big holiday like Thanksgiving?
Submit your question by sending an email to helpme@home-ec101.com
I have to ask, what size can of pumkin mash are you using? When I make pumkin pies from the can, the recipe yeild only one pie.
I think pumpkin pie filling is so easy to whip up that I would just make the crusts ahead of time and freeze them. I think frozen pp filling would be grosser even than what Heather described! I make my pp filling in the blender and it take, oh, 10 minutes start to finish.