Taste Test: Frozen Apple Pies
[Photographs: Robyn Lee]
We're not big on endorsing frozen pies. Shortcuts are fine for many foods, but something about insta-pie just seems wrong and sad. However, we realize how busy the holidays get and wanted to see if the freezer section was hiding some delicious or at least decent apple pies. We tried six: three of the classics (Marie Callenders, Sara Lee, and Mrs. Smith's) and three less processed, dare we say healthier pies (Vermont Mystic, Amy's, and Wholly Wholsome). There were many scoops of vanilla ice cream involved. The results, after the jump.
The Best Overall
Marie, you know how to make a pie. Actually, you know how to make about forty of them, but we only tried the Marie Callenders Lattice Apple Pie ($6.79). Sure, it still had a bit of that jelly-goo apple thing happening, but c'mon, it's a frozen pie. Well-spiced with a nicely browned, crumbly crust, this was everyone's favorite of the six. And those cinnamon specks on the box's photo? Those were no joke. If you hate cinnamon (do people hate cinnamon?) then stay away, but otherwise, this was a plenty satisfying pie.
Most Like Grandma's
Honorable mention for best box.
You already have a good feeling about Vermont Mystic ($11.99) judging by the box's lovely illustrations of barnyards and apple trees. Some of Vermont's best pastry chefs perfected the recipe, using King Arthur flour, Cabot Creamery butter, and other ingredients you can actually pronounce. And they get points for figuring out how to make a frozen pie without the gloopy filing.
Made with a blend of Empire, Cortland, and Northern Spy apples (how often do you actually know kind of apples are in your frozen pie?) the chunks were crispy, tart, spritzed with lemon juice, and actually tasted like apples—that came from trees. The crust was flaky, buttery, and held its shape when sliced.
Mrs. Smith's vs. Sara Lee
This is the Sara Lee pie. Mrs. Smith's looked pretty much the same (same center hole and all).
Of the two dueling classics, both Sara Lee ($7.99) and Mrs. Smith's ($6.99) tasted exactly how they looked on the box—like a frozen apple pie. But Sara Lee took the Passable prize while Mr. Smith's only earned a Mehhh at best. Sara Lee's crust was at least flaky with a nice little hit of salt, whereas Mrs. Smith's was gummy and doughy, and the filling was off the charts in gloopage.
Trying Too Hard To Be Healthy
Wholly Wholsome ($5.99 and purchased at Whole Foods) is made with a whole-wheat crust. Something about that many wholes seems a little suspect. Sure enough, it tasted wrong. Do you need to eat this? No. The combination of lifeless dry crust (did they use butter? or fat of any kind?) and barely-spiced apples was a huge piefail. We'd rather ingest all the trans fatty acids and artificial flavors of other less wholicious pies.
No Redeeming Qualities
At first the tiny pie thing (about three inches wide) was cute, then it seemed silly. Why would we want a pie that small? Oh, riiight. Because it's nasty. Maybe the apples in Amy's ($3.99) pie were organic and free of evil chemicals, but that really didn't matter. This pie was inedible. After we forced a bite down, just in case it wasn't as cardboardy as it looked, there was some gagging. Stick with the frozen enchiladas, Amy.
Taste Test Doodles
As always, SE staff doodler Robyn lets her hand go free as the other one shovels pie into her mouth. (She has a documented affinity for manatees.)
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27 Comments:
It was a little sweeter than I like pie to be, but man, that Marie Callenders was good. If I hadn't known it was frozen, I probably wouldn't have guessed.
Carey Jones at 3:44PM on 11/05/09
Whatever, Sea Cow.
The Wandering Foodie at 3:48PM on 11/05/09
No Mc Donald's? ; )
Love Robyn's doodles! If you guys want to get her a manatee related gift, pick up a copy of Naked Came the Manatee. It's a really wacky book written by a dozen or so Florida writers; Dave Barry, Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard are some of them.
dhorst at 3:49PM on 11/05/09
The McDonald's pie has not been the same since they went from frying it to baking it. If you want a good fast food pie, I'd go with Hardees where they fry (at least I think they do) the apple pie for crispy goodness.
feep at 4:17PM on 11/05/09
I don't hate cinnamon but I think most frozen pies have way too much---how was the cinnamon level in the Vermont mystic?
sally599 at 4:21PM on 11/05/09
Well, since there's a Marie Callendar's just down the street from me, I'll be able to avoid frozen apple pie-induced ick. Regardless, thanks for the showdown, Serious Eaters! How about pumpkin pie next?
Lorena at 4:22PM on 11/05/09
@feep: agreed on the fried versus baked McDonalds apple pie. For reference, Popeye's Chicken also fries their apple pie.
fsharp4565 at 4:23PM on 11/05/09
@sally599: The cinnamon level in the Vermont Mystic wasn't too out of control. More than anything else though, it was lemony.
Erin Zimmer at 4:25PM on 11/05/09
I've heard horrifying things about Paula Dean's frozen apple pie. Like it not being even remotely fully cooked after following package instructions. Yuck.
katieelby at 4:45PM on 11/05/09
My dad absolutely loves apple pie, especially my mom's homemade version, but it has been hard for her to make it due to health issues. Dad must have tried just about every frozen pie he could get his hands on, and Marie Callenders won, hands-down. Before he discovered M.C., it was Mrs. Smith's - which is a big "meh" in my book (too gummy and lifeless).
studyzone at 4:48PM on 11/05/09
Chef Pierre brand Apple Cranberry pie is the most glorious. test it!
seikel at 5:04PM on 11/05/09
@katieelby: Paula Deen has a frozen apple pie?! Where would one hypothetically buy such a thing?
Erin Zimmer at 5:25PM on 11/05/09
mean octopus!!!
absentmindedprof at 5:48PM on 11/05/09
@erin zimmer: only wal-mart carries paula deen pies. no joke.
ilydnic at 5:54PM on 11/05/09
That right there is the greatest piece of manatee cartoonage I have ever seen!
Fweety at 6:18PM on 11/05/09
@Erin Zimmer - the Paula Deen pie is an exclusive at WalMart. Food Network Humor has a great mashup of public reaction to said pie. I haven't seen/tried it, but I understood it to be a bakery item, not frozen.
studyzone at 6:31PM on 11/05/09
I'd love to see the best bakery pies in the tri-state area: may I suggest Delicious Orchards in NJ, to start?
HeartofGlass at 7:49PM on 11/05/09
I had not bought a frozen pie in years, and the last time I did it seems like the Mrs. Smith's brand was considered to be pretty good. Well, I bought one last week (apple) and it was TERRIBLE! Worst pie I have ever tasted. In fact, we threw it out it was that bad. As the taste-testers above said, the crust was gummy (it really is taste-less, like cardboard). Also, the filling tastes really artificial. So . . . I'll try the MC brand next time. Although for a quick-to-make pie, those refrigerated Pillsbury piecrusts are the best of their type. Okay, okay, I know it's not as good as homemade, but it's better than any of the other pre-made crusts. And it really doesnt take long to mix up some fruit with a bit of tapioca and throw it in to bake. But it's good to know you can have something in the freezer that won't gag people, just in case.
thegourmetgal at 11:37PM on 11/05/09
is that Amy's pie...
....microwaved?
*shudder...
downhillguru at 12:46AM on 11/06/09
EVERYTHING Marie Callender's makes is delicious! I love most of her frozen entrees. Haven't tried the pie yet but I'm not surprised...her frozen foods are some of the best out there!
jlewfoodie at 1:40AM on 11/06/09
love the doodles! LOVE them! the pies, eh. but the doodles...! awesome.
hillymae at 4:49AM on 11/06/09
@downhillguru: Not microwaved. It's actually baked for 45ish minutes in the oven just like the rest of them, but it might as well be zapped in the microwave, since either way it tastes like a dead pie.
Erin Zimmer at 8:26AM on 11/06/09
ahhh ok, the paper pie pan threw me off for a second.
but still.. gross.
downhillguru at 7:57PM on 11/07/09
I love those microwavable chicken pot pies that come in the paper pie pan. I mean...they aren't the most terrific chicken pot pies by a long shot, but in college when my dorm had one kitchen and I had a microwave in my room, it was pretty good for a random snack. Ah nostalgia.
I've heard Marie Callendar's generally tries very hard to get their frozen stuff to be close as possible to the stuff made in their restaurants. So I'm not surprised they beat out the other "classics" but perhaps a little surprised about the other pies (but not so much after your descriptions).
wunami at 2:02PM on 11/08/09
We love Marie Callender's pies as well as the ones from Sam's club/Walmart. Surprisingly large and hearty is the pie they have and I'm not sure if it's Sam's or Great Value, since our Walmart only had it for a short time. It was great!
valgalpal at 12:02PM on 11/09/09
Delicious Orchards pies have always been very good, but not exactly convienient to NYC. One of the best pies in NYC is without a doubt the ones from The Little Pie Company of NYC. They've gone up in price quite a bit in the last two years, and their satelite store in Grand Central is no more, but that shouldn't dissuade you from braving mid-town. (Their sour cherry is to die for!)
There are some other excellent pies as well, such as the one's from Two Little Red Hens on the UES in the 80's, and the Lexington Candy Shop nearby also has a very good ones, but their's has to be ordered ahead of time as they come from a bakery in Southampton. Of course one can always go to Payard for a Tarte Tatain...$$$
Tom M at 1:34PM on 11/09/09
Speaking of apple pies, I made one this Sunday for dessert. It was really good. Of all the frozen pies I've tried, Marie Callender's are the best. I love the apple crumb pie. In a pinch, I served it for dessert one night with some vanilla ice cream and my guests thought I had baked it. I had to confess it was frozen, but they all loved it. Marie's frozen pot pies (chicken with broccoli & mushroom sauce - my personal favorite) and dinners are also very good. I agree with wunami that they attempt to make their frozen products as close to their original recipes as possible.
smd1227 at 9:51AM on 11/18/09