Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?

Just add filling. And then remove it. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Well, not totally by itself. I asked this question because when I eat fruit-filled pies with my mom, she'll forgo the filling, but eat the crust with gusto.
"Why don't you eat the filling?" I asked.
"It's too sweet! I like the crust more."
I apparently need to get or make my mom a pie with filling that isn't swimming in sugar. She isn't content with eating a crust on its own; she likes it to have that slick of sweetness from the gooey filling. She'll buy a pie from a reputable bakery or supermarket just to eat the goo-enhanced crust.
When I told her that most people like to eat the crust and the filling together, she was surprised. "Am I the weird one?" she asked. I'm not sure how atypical her preference is. Do any of you ignore the filling when you eat a fruit pie?
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74 Comments:
When I was younger, my older sister made her first pie and proudly set it out in our kitchen. I slowly nibbled my way around it, eating every bit of buttery crust i could chip off...i was like a 7 year old pie crust addict!...my sis wasn't happy to discover her crustless pie later that night...
FamishedFem at 7:40PM on 11/05/09
I ADORE pie crust and could always forego the filling. My perfect pie? A baked crust with just a touch of jam or jelly on it.
Onepot at 7:41PM on 11/05/09
Unbaked pie crust rolled in sugar, eaten and washed down with ice cold milk. I'd even go for a pie crust dough ice cream.
LunaPierCook at 7:45PM on 11/05/09
Love, love, LOVE a good crust. Minutes ago I was in the middle of rolling out raw pie dough for chicken pot pie, actually, and had to make an additional 1/4 batch to replace what I'd been nibbling.
Robyn Lee at 7:48PM on 11/05/09
I usually leave the crust behind. *duck*
Cassaendra at 7:49PM on 11/05/09
When I was a kid and my mom made pies, she would always take the scraps of pie dough and sprinkle them lightly with sugar and bake them. For me, that was and still is, the best part of the pie. If I get pie, I eat the goo first, and leave the crust for last.
ineedtacos at 7:49PM on 11/05/09
I love the crust and am glad to see some 'pro-carb/crust' representing.
However, I do love some fillings--I always wonder why so much sugar and cornstarch is added to pie, though. I really like--it's kind of hard to describe--but those kind of dry apple pies with really no sugar, just fruit, and ditto a non-sugary pumpkin pie.
Oh yeah, and not to sound too healthy, but non-fruit pies are pretty gosh-darned good, like turtle pie.
HeartofGlass at 7:51PM on 11/05/09
My favorite treat as a child was the scraps of pie dough my mom would bake for my brother and me. No sprinkle of sugar or anything...just unadorned pie crust. Yum!
mrsfoodissues at 7:54PM on 11/05/09
"I always wonder why so much sugar and cornstarch is added to pie"
@Heart, I would imagine it's because that's how grandma used to cook them. Oh, and even though I've never had turtle pie it sounds great! A local restaurant here makes turtle soup, and he also makes his own pies. I can almost imagine what it would be like if he made a turtle pie.
LunaPierCook at 7:59PM on 11/05/09
With fruit pies, I'll pick out the fruit chunks (put them back in the pan for family members who do like it) and eat just the goo and crust too. Sooooo yummy warm with some melting vanilla bean icecream. I really just don't like the texture of baked fruit.
kris10 at 8:00PM on 11/05/09
I was the other way around as a kid. Adults in my family would eat my crusts since I didn't often - I didn't mind the bottom, but I wouldn't eat the sides. I now love a good pie crust, but it's got to have plenty of filling. What on earth does your mother do with the filling? I'll take hers!
ruralurbanite at 8:01PM on 11/05/09
I think if most pies had half the amount of filling, they would be perfect. The one exception is pecan pie which I will happily eat in almost any state.
I always always make a double crust recipe. It's not so much about the filling vs crust to me (though I do love a good crust), it's about the ratio of it all.
eeels at 8:08PM on 11/05/09
I usually dont like the filling either. I find it to be too sweet and the contents too mushy. I always eat the crust, just like your mom.
shopgirl616 at 8:12PM on 11/05/09
If I only eat the crust, it's because something went wrong with the filling.
eat_a_cookies at 8:13PM on 11/05/09
oh my gosh...i am the SAME exact way! the pie fillings that i like are of the non-fruit variety (pecan, pumpkin, coconut cream), but when it's a fruit-filled pie, i eat around the filling and go for the "goo-enhanced crust" (love that, by the way). unless, of course, it's served a la mode, in which case i'll eat it all.
rebeccadiamond at 8:14PM on 11/05/09
The crust is the best part! I intentionally put in less filling for the pies I bake just so I have a higher crust to filling ratio.
whimsygirl at 8:27PM on 11/05/09
I have to admit not only do I like baked pie crust, I use to eat it raw. I haven't done the raw nibbling in a long time but now I'm craving it.
countchocula at 8:35PM on 11/05/09
I really dislike regular pie crust, but give me a good graham cracker crust and I will eat the whole thing.
notirish at 8:52PM on 11/05/09
You have all encouraged me to follow my dreams and do this: roll out my favorite pie crust, bake it flat, and eat it for breakfast. :)
scornell at 8:56PM on 11/05/09
Ditto what a lot of you have said - roll out those scraps of leftover pie dough, butter it, add some cinnamon sugar, bake it, and it will be messily devoured in seconds, accompanied by glasses of milk. Although I do love me my fillin'.
GirlFromJetCity at 8:59PM on 11/05/09
@ Heart - I'm with you. Like the crust the best unless it's a not-too-sweet pumpkin or pecan.
Lately I've realized how little I like sugar. Keep making cookies (for my kids) and thinking they are too sweet - too much sweet and not enough other/real flavor.
Potboiler at 9:04PM on 11/05/09
Blech. Pie crust was the one thing I would never get in trouble for leaving on my plate, but only because my mom wouldn't eat them either.
thehostess at 9:08PM on 11/05/09
Nowadays I like the crust and the filling, but as a kid I loved the crust, raw or baked. My grandmother used to roll out any leftover dough, cut it into squares, and sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar before baking. What a treat!
Barbd at 9:14PM on 11/05/09
My grandfather, whose parents died when he was quite young, grew up with two elderly great aunts. The great aunts loved their pie filling but hated the crust and being thrifty frugal spinsters who would not let anything go to waste, forced my grandfather (poor lad), to eat their crusts. Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter were the only times a pie was allowed into his house. He never ate a bite of pie as an adult. Quite frankly, as a little kid, I didn't mind--Gramps was a dairy farmer who believed in supporting his living and had ice cream from Dairy Lea for dessert twice a day and two milkshakes a day. I loved that huge icecream freezer!
dhorst at 9:28PM on 11/05/09
yes, yes, and YES.
anysuchname at 9:28PM on 11/05/09
just a few weeks ago, I pulled a pie crust out of the freezer, rolled it out, slathered peach preserves on it, folded it over and baked it. Gooey goodness and flaky pie crust. god it was so good.
your mom is brilliant and she and I would have one naked pie if we ever got together!
phoenee at 9:39PM on 11/05/09
I didn't realize how different I was! I don't like the crust (other than the bottom crust of a chicken pot pie) so I just eat the filling. i never, ever eat the crimped part and the rest, just the waste of calories. I now know I am the crazy one. Bummer!
DCLSweetspot at 11:05PM on 11/05/09
Pie crust lover here!
thegourmetgal at 11:06PM on 11/05/09
I would consider myself a crust person but like Mrs. Lee, can't enjoy it without the lingering presence of filling. Maybe this is what Bono was talking about when he sang "I can't liiiiiiive with or withooooooooout you.."
Erin Zimmer at 11:11PM on 11/05/09
I love crust. Chicken soup with a puffy pastry on top is not chicken pot pie. It must have a bottom crust!
bobbob at 11:26PM on 11/05/09
I've never just eaten the crust - but I have been tempted! Love the crust, and always save the crust at the back for last.
TNEmily at 11:26PM on 11/05/09
YES, I love pie crust. I loved that this subject came up. I love making a pie crust and making a simple jam tart by spreading a little jam over it and baking, Growing up in England we adored jam tart with warm custard. My favorite dessert.
lamora at 11:50PM on 11/05/09
I like pie crust hot out of the oven, with just a teensy bit of cold black currant jelly on top. On the rare occasions I have cherry pie, I eat only the crust. Most other pies I eat all of. I should make a rhubarb pie - reat with vanilla ice cream. Not strawberry-rhubarb, though - it's too sweet.
ColJack at 12:09AM on 11/06/09
I leave the crust behind. I'm a cake person, really.
marinelm at 12:22AM on 11/06/09
When I make apple pies my husband eats all the filling and I eat all the crust. We're a match made in Heaven. ;)
Carmen215 at 12:45AM on 11/06/09
i love the rawness of pumpkin pie crust underneath the cooked filling. LOVE IT.
dmarina at 12:47AM on 11/06/09
The filling is often too sweet. Even when the filling is just right, it's best to have plenty of warm, flaky crust to set it off. Then again, I think the crust is the best part of a pizza, too...
Hannekin at 1:05AM on 11/06/09
I thought I was the only one. Mmmmmmmmmmmm...pie crust!
When my mom *made* those little frozen pot pies, it was such a kid treat. I especially love the crunchy crispy edges,
Want. Right now.
kayrob at 1:08AM on 11/06/09
Crust is key..on anything that has a crust!
I am especially fond of chicken potpie crusts...these can be totally awesome!
jlewfoodie at 1:19AM on 11/06/09
I love pie crust, but I'll only eat around the filling if the filling isn't something I like, like fruit pie filling that feels more like jam with corn syrup added. With a good pie, I can eat the crust and the filling together, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't love that end piece with the extra bit of crust just that much more.
Katie, Gee! at 4:43AM on 11/06/09
I like to bake up the scraps of crust just for myself. My pies are good enough that the filling isn't obscenely sweet, so there's no need not to eat the whole pie. But yes, I do like the crust scraps. My girlfriend is even more fond of the crust scraps, though, so if we're making pie together, I definitely leave them for her.
Come to think of it, she's a better baker than I, so I generally just stay out of the way when we're making pie together.
shoneyjoe at 6:01AM on 11/06/09
@Luna--you were probably pulling my vegetarian leg, but by 'Turtle Pie' I meant the 'pie' version of chocolate turtles--usually some combo of nuts, chocolate, and caramel (and sometimes cookie dough) baked in a pie shell.
@everyone--I wonder why people don't try just baking apples, no sugar in a pie crust. That is the type of pie I like--I think I may try that, just baked apple, some cinnamon and nutmeg. Pumpkin as well.
HeartofGlass at 6:03AM on 11/06/09
Love the crust. roll out the scraps, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar as my mom did, and roll up into fat little rolls. bake along with the pie.
@heartofGlass: my sister adds no sugar to her pie filling. It's just a little too tart for me, but I put a lot less sugar into my pie than my mother did.
lemonfair at 6:42AM on 11/06/09
Yes. So much so that every T-Giving, I mix a batch of Rose Levy Beranbaum's Cheddar Pie Crust and make cookies out of it. I use gingerbread cooky cutters, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake. I started this tradition years ago after having made apple pie with the cheddar crust. I had leftover crust and made a few cookies. My daughter loved them and insists every year that we have them.
therealchiffonade at 7:34AM on 11/06/09
@Ineedtacos: I still roll out and bake the extra crust for my grand kids, I sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar.
But I like pies with filling too.
NanaJoie at 8:04AM on 11/06/09
I generally eat the two parts separately, saving the best part (the crust of course) for last. Then I'll go around the table and ask everyone else if they're going to eat their "pie bones"!
betsy in utah at 8:44AM on 11/06/09
I sprinkle the pie crust trimmings with sugar and cinnamon, roll up in twists, and bake. Or roll out pie crust in rectangle shape to fit cookie sheet. Bake, then break up, add strawberries and whipped cream for strawberry shortcake.
lucylucy at 8:46AM on 11/06/09
Crust is a boat and filling is the reason for the pie!
But;; I enjoy crust part more than filling. well I actually like eating filling and crust seperately and it all comes together eventually anyway:)
Dori OH at 8:46AM on 11/06/09
That's very funny, because everyone I know actually hates eating the crust and would rather the pie be without it. Well, besides me. The crust has always been my favorite part.
On the other hand, maybe they don't like the crust because they're used to buying store bought pie shells instead of making their own. Home made is definitely the best.
As for the pie filling, I really dislike most fruit pies because, indeed, they're too sweet and way too gooey. Coconut is my favorite, pumpkin is lovely, lemon is very nice, and chocolate is good too, but I usually can't eat a fruit pie unless I make it myself.
Jewelsie at 9:02AM on 11/06/09
i love pie...filling, crust-all of it.
i get weird with cake tho-leave off the icing entirely & just let me at the cake itself.
gastronomeg at 9:29AM on 11/06/09
Goo-enhanced crust + ice cream!
LHSK12 at 9:56AM on 11/06/09
Depending on the fruit, I will often leave a little mound of filling untouched and polish off the crust - I like a less fruity crust-to-fruit ratio in my bites. Mmm... crust.
degaussing at 10:38AM on 11/06/09
I love pie crust. I always save the crust for last.
elaina at 11:26AM on 11/06/09
When we were young, my grandmother always dusted the pie crust with cinnamon sugar and baked them. Those toasty, crispy, lightly sweet bites were always my favorite part of the pie making process.
CJ McD at 11:29AM on 11/06/09
My mom is completely the opposite. She'll eat the filling and maybe half of the top crust, and leave the rest for the dog!
ChristineB at 11:30AM on 11/06/09
I also love pie crust and save it for last. On the rare occasion that my mom made pies from scratch, she'd roll out the scraps and do the sugar/cinnamon thing as a few people above described. I liked that better than the pie.
Rottenmom at 12:00PM on 11/06/09
Oh I have been doing this for years! I used to joke that I performed "stealth surgery" on pies because I could hit the dessert table at family Christmases or Thanksgivings and remove 2 slices worth of crust, leaving behind most of the filling, and no one realized what I was doing:)
If fillings are made with good, fresh fruit and not loaded w/ sugar, I'll eat them. But all too often, I'd take a bite and realize the apple or cherry filling was canned. Not wasting calories on that, thanks!
LAQ1013 at 12:01PM on 11/06/09
I heart pie crust. I usually eat the fruit filling first leaving the pie crust to enjoy last. When I have leftover pie dough scraps, I end up putting dabs of Nutella in and making mini turnovers.
chefbuttercup at 2:04PM on 11/06/09
When you told her, your mother was suprised that people like to eat filling and crust together?!? :-| Shouldn't an artifice at least serve a purpose and be a little less obviously contrived?
PommeDG at 2:43PM on 11/06/09
@PommeDG: Yeah, she was....I talked to her on the phone yesterday afternoon before I wrote this post. (Can't say I have a recording of the conversation, but my coworkers overheard me.) After she told me how much she liked crust and how not into filling she was, I said something like, "Uh mom, people usually like to eat both together," and she she responded with surprise. Not that she doesn't understand that people tend to eat both together, just that her tolerance for sweetness must be so low that she's surprised most people enjoy the fillings, or something like that.
Robyn Lee at 3:20PM on 11/06/09
I totally ignore the fruit - especially when its way too gooey. I'm a crust eater all the way.
alliect at 3:42PM on 11/06/09
@PommeDG: Knowing Robyn's mom personally... yeah, this conversations definitely happened.
arobotar at 3:42PM on 11/06/09
Not particularly but my husband loves, loves, loves pie crust by itself.
meechiko at 5:37PM on 11/06/09
I loooooooove pie crust unplugged, especially hot, with a glass of ice cold (whole) milk. I usually make a two crust recipe even if I just need one for a pie so I can have a special treat.
MMinNYC at 6:23PM on 11/06/09
I agree that a higher crust-to-fruit ratio is preferable with fruit pies. The filling is often too sweet and I like a good thick crust to balance it.
kalirugo at 9:04AM on 11/07/09
I think whoever said "maybe crust haters are used to store bought crusts and never had a scratch crust" might be onto something. Well-made scratch crust...OMG, nothing like it. And you KNOW that someone making a scratch crust would not waste such a labor of love on acky Sandra Lee canned filling.
therealchiffonade at 5:22PM on 11/07/09
I have ignored fillings before, yes. It is better when you can eat the filling and the crust together but the crust is almost never problematic.
Chew on That at 12:40AM on 11/09/09
i could never resist fruit pie filling! But, that being said, i used to make little pie crust cut-out cookies for an old boyfriend. He loved them - they were little, flaky bits of goodness that were covered in cinnamon and sugar. Good alone, with milk, or sprinkled over ice cream... mmmmm :)
Golden at 4:22PM on 11/10/09
I lurve the toasty taste of a nicely browned pie crust and I truly love nutty flavor of the crimped edge. That said, nothing tastes better than a crisp, well-browned crust with a tart-sweet fruit filling. Boysenberries, anyone?
Shellay at 5:45PM on 11/10/09
This sounds exactly like my Asian family. Everything is "too sweet! too sweet!" We also scrape most of the frosting off cakes. I'm a savory kind of gal, but my favorite sweet pie is when the fruit filling is a bit tart.
agtpeach at 1:23AM on 11/11/09
CRUSTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!! Yes! Yes! Yes! Flour, butter, sugar, a pinch of salt, lovingly baked together..........H-E-A-V-E-N ON EARTH! Which is why my 3 favorite baked goods have always been plain scones [from Premier Gourmet here in Buffalo, NY-no one makes them better] shortbread cookies, and my piecrust made only with butter. Ya know, my husband will chow down.....no pun intended..... the innards of one of my fruit or pudding pies and leave the crust. He does it with everyone's pie......disgusting!!! However I usually retrieve the fluted edges of his discard to savor as dessert to my now finished piece!
jackie2830 at 12:50PM on 11/11/09
I also am a "good" crust junkie. When my mother made pies she always had enough scraps left to make what we kids called piewheels. She would roll out the scraps into a rectangle shape, put a layer of butter then brown sugar and sprinkle with nutmeg & cinammon. It was the rolled up on the longer side, edges pinched and cut into little rolls. These were baked until golden brown & bubbly. I cannot make a pie without a few piewheels to snack on while the pies finish baking. Even friends ask me to make them.
nevamae at 11:36AM on 11/12/09
I've always put up with the filling to get at that crust! MMM! Snapping off the golden brown crunchy goodness as a prelude of the goodness to come! MMM!
RossS at 11:39AM on 11/12/09
I also love the pastry snails made from leftover dough, butter, sugar and cinnamon. I like crust, but not the bottom soggy crust. Usually pick around it and leave it behind. Lately I've been making little tarts and putting just a dab of whatever homemade jam or jelly is around. I use less sugar so the fruit flavor is more pronounced. Good way to clean the refrigerator out of too many jars with just a dab in the bottom. I've also used guava paste and quince paste with good results. I have silicone tart pans and a tart tamper gadget that takes the work out of pressing the dough in place. It really works! Can't live without it now. Here is my dough recipe. It exactly fits two 12 cup tart pans and I whip it up in the food processor. A fast sugar pastry fix!
JAM TARTS
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cream butter and sugar. Add yolk and vanilla. Mix well.
Add flours and salt. Mix just to combine.
Pinch off about a tablespoon of dough, roll gently into a ball and press into tart mold.
Fill with a teaspoon of jam or jelly.
Bake at 350 for 9 to 11 minutes. The edges should be very lightly golden.
Cool on rack. Make a pot of tea and try not to devour them all.
angelfood at 1:36PM on 11/12/09