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While reading the New York Times magazine yesterday, I noticed a piece about pies. Rhubarb pies, to be specific. The recipe is not what caught my eye, though, but this statement: "Pies cannot be successfully mass-produced."
I disagree. And I think that a lot of other people would, too.
The Times' argument goes along the lines that there is no way that a non-handmade crust could come close to equaling a homemade crust. And the Times must know some good cooks, because I know plenty of people who couldn't make even a graham cracker crust, let alone a "real" crust. Store bought crusts may not be showstoppers, but they serve their purpose in ease and reliability. They don't taste half bad, either, especially when you buy the unbaked, frozen crusts.
And in terms of store-bought pies, which can certainly qualify as "mass produced" compared to homemade based purely on quantity, places like Bakers Square and Marie Callender's have won scores of awards from the American Pie Council on taste and appearance. And I know that I have enjoyed a slice of pie from Marie Callender's more than a few times, even though I bake my own pies, too.
Is a middle-of-the-road store pie going to rival the best homemade crust? No, but not everyone is in a position to make, buy or eat the best pie in the world and that doesn't mean that they can never have a good pie, which is what a blanket statement like "pies cannot be successfully mass-produced" seems to imply.
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6-26-2006 @9:30AM Erica said... I canned my own apple pie filling in quart screw-top jars, and made streusel topping which is uncooked in the freezer. If I ever want a homemade apple crisp, all I need to do is dump a jar into a pyrex dish, sprinkle it with streusel, and bake. Way better than storebought.
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6-26-2006 @9:49AM rainey said... I'd add that the bigger offense of commercially produced pies is not the crust but the filling. Who ever told them that a pie was sugar surrounded by crust and garnished with fruit?
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6-26-2006 @11:29AM T. Allen said... I beg to differ. Mass produced crusts cannot ever compare with the flaky piecrusts my mother used to make. Awards notwithstanding. I have had Marie Callender pies. The crust, by necessity, is thicker than homemade. and chewier. and tasteless.
We have Cyrus O'Leary pies, and they too have won awards. While I enjoy the fillings, such as "razzleberry", the crusts, again, are leathery and tasteless. If the crust doesn't pass muster, why buy the pie?
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6-26-2006 @5:53PM Bob H said... I recently tried a very cheap supermarket 'Basics' apple pie which was two for £0.88 and frankly it was excellent. The crust wasn't too dry, wasn't too buttery, the filling was made with real decent size apple chunks.
That with some 'basics' ice-cream was a delight and all for less than mother used to make. Infact it was mother whom had bought it when I visited and she stated that she probably couldn't make it better or cheaper.
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6-27-2006 @1:25AM Barbara said... Sorry, Nicole, but I don't care how many awards the American Pie Council gives out to commercial frozen pies, the crusts suck compared to a homemade crust.
And if the crust is cardboardy, tasteless, thick and not flaky, why take the caloric hit of eating it? Commercial crusts are made most generally with artificially hydrogenated vegetable oils (Crisco, essentially) which are loaded with those ungodly unhealthy transfats. The crusts might taste good to you, but then, they certainly don't to me or a lot of other people, so why bother eating something that is not only unhealthy for you, but doesn't even taste good.
And yes--most commercial pies are filled with too much sugar and not enough fruit. Ick.
Sorry. I will make my own pies every time, and they taste a damned sight better than anything from Marie Callender. I'd rather know exactly where the fat and sugar I am putting in my mouth came from (locally produced butter, lard and fruit) than trust the crap from a factory. If I am going to eat those many calories in fat and sugar, then let it taste as good as possible!
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6-27-2006 @8:09AM Nicole Weston said... Barbara - I'm not saying that commercial pies are "better" than homemade pies. I am sure that both your pies and mine are better than ones that we could purchase from many stores, restaurants or bakeries.
The point that I am trying to make is that the statement that I don't think it is true or fair to say that a "mass-produced" pie can never be good and never be worth eating. Just because it didn't come from a home kitchen doesn't mean that it's going to be bad and it certainly doesn't mean people are not going to enjoy it.
In my estimation, if the pie is being enjoyed by someone, it is still an acceptable pie, even if it's not the greatest.
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7-30-2006 @6:27PM MJ said... yes Marie callendars is the best, desert pies and chicken pot pie just like homemade. The pot pies have large pieces of meat and vegetables like made from scratch yumo!
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