The original baking experiment that I was going to do with the pumpkin pies was frozen pie crust vs. home made pie crust. This was before I realized that canned pumpkin can be hard to find, hence the reason why this pumpkin pie baking experiment became a two-part series: Canned pumpkin vs. canned pumpkin pie filling and frozen pie crust vs. homemade pie crust. Can people really tell the difference between frozen and homemade pie crust and is it worth the extra effort?
Check out the process that we followed for making pie crust from scratch and how it compared to the frozen/store bought version.
Taste testers:
Please try each pie and comment on the flavour, texture and appearance of each pie crust. Which one do you like more?
The reveal:
Thank you for posting your comments everyone. Here are the results:
Crust A: Home made pie crust (4 people’s favourite)
Crust B: Tenderflake frozen pie crust (4 people’s favourite)
Oh my goodness – this one was a tie!!! In fact, some people preferred the taste of the frozen pie crust more and believed that the Tenderflake frozen pie crust was the home made pie crust! Shocking!
My Thoughts:
I personally preferred the home made pie crust as it was more flaky and less salty than the frozen pie crust. I also noticed that the home made pie crust stayed more flaky the next day. So even though it might take a little longer, the flakiness of the crust lasts a lot longer with the home made one (although how long would you really have a pie sitting around for?). I personally think it’s worth it to make pie crust from scratch but clearly some people preferred the frozen pie crust over the home made crust (and even mistakened it for the home made one – I am quite shocked over that)! It looks like Tenderflake makes a good product. So if you’re in a rush, or don’t have the equipment or skill to make your own pie crust – a frozen pie crust will be just fine.
I think I like B more. Is B the homemade one? Both are flaky but B seems a bit more flaky and melt-in-your-mouth.
I found the pie crust B thinner and more "solid" or compacted than the pie crust A.
The pie crust A had a lighter taste to it, possibly due to being more thicker and more flakey.
My preference would be for the pie crust A. However, the pie crust B is a close second.
In terms of pie crust A it is more flakey and firm which neutralizes the pumpkin taste as you eat the pie so it's no so overpowering after a while.
For pie crust B, it doesn't neutralize the overpowering pumpkin taste.
I personally would prefer pie crust A.
B pie crust is more tender and more pleasant taste C tastes to much like pumpkim
I prefer A which I believe is the homemade crust – neutral flavour did not over power the filling-good flaky texture. B was too salty.
I think that B crust is more flavourful and the texture is fresher and not as flaky but certainly not tough.
B's filling is more flavourful, the spicing more pronounced and I prefer the appearance of B vs C
For the pie crust:
Sample A- lovely, flaky, light. AMAZING.
Sample B- crust didn’t stay ‘dry’ along the bottom of the pie. It wasn’t flaky, more dense, moist. The aftertaste was oily, and the texture was crumbly/grainy rather than flaky.
For the pie filling:
Sample C- Oh dear. I didn’t like this one, sorry Chef! Taste is bland, and not sweet or flavourful. Just heavy. I do like the colour though- looks like authentic pumpkin!
Sample B- much better flavour, I can taste the nutmeg and cinnamon more. Also had a lighter texture, almost fluffier? Not as heavy, sits nicer on the plate instead of oozing like Sample C did.
Pie Crust A was lighter in colour, flakier and a bit more crumbly then Pie crust B. Although B tasted better.
Just looking at Pie crust A vs Pie crust B, I'm attracted by the rich brown color of crust B.
Crust A – dry, no taste but has an frozen aftertaste
Crust B – moist, a buttery taste, a bit sweet
Verdict – Crust B is the winner!!!
yum – pie!
I found that pie crust A and B tasted similar. Pastry A was lighter in colour and less flaky. Pastry B tasted a bit saltier. I liked pastry A best.
A: crust is white, flaky… looks too perfect? 🙂 Tender Flake?
B: darker, imperfect look… more like it does when I make it myself! I'll say homemade.
They both taste good when eating with the filing.
A: Flakier, not as salty, could taste more because slightly thicker. I preferred this one slightly more.
B: Not as thick, tasted a bit saltier but could be because it was more caramelized. Also tasted drier but this could because it was thinner and was a little over cooked.