Storing a Freshly Baked Pie
Why I didn’t think of this before I just don’t know, but now I’ve got a nifty tip to share with you on storing a freshly baked pie for a few days after it is baked and cooled. And, since the wind is blowing something really fierce right now, I’m hoping that my power doesn’t go out before I can post this for you.
This fall was one of the worst I’ve had in quite a while for fruit flies. Robin and I were experimenting with all sorts of different homemade traps and finally had success ridding the kitchen of them, knock on wood! But, when I saw a stray one a few hours after I baked off an apple pie this weekend, I didn’t want to give them any fodder that might encourage their population.
Usually I tell folks just to leave a fresh fruit pie out on the counter and cover it with a clean dish towel. Although be sure to store custard pie that use eggs, and savory pies with meat, in the fridge.
But, fruit flies are very canny and can find their way in, under, around, and through just about anything. Anything that isn’t sealed that is.
So, what to do??
Drum roll….
A clever idea is to store the pie in the microwave!
My way around this is now to put the pie into my microwave after it has cooled or when there are a few uneaten pieces left! I rarely use microwave for anything other than heating up hot milk in the middle of the night if I can’t sleep anyway, so this seems a much better use for it, at least in my house.
You remember that idiom, out of sight, out of mind? Well, when I don’t see that lovely pie tempting me to snitch a little bite or two, just to even up the what’s left in the pan, then I feel ok about enjoying a full slice later with family and friends around my table.
Here’s a link to my recipe for the Art of the Apple Pie that you can see inside of it right now. And if you want to be really fancy this Thanksgiving, add a cup of walnut meats, and a cup of fresh or frozen cranberries to it before you bake it, and turn that apple pie into an Apple Cranberry Walnut Pie! The cranberries add a little rosy hue to the filling that I find quite charming, too.
Do you have a favorite way to store pie?
I must hear how you just ended the war with the fruit flies. They are my nemesis in my kitchen.
After trying many things including:
-spraying them with water
-spraying them with a mixture of water and dish soap
-placing plastic wrap with an opening sliced with a knife over a canning jar with some fruit in it
-placing plastic wrap with an opening sliced with a knife over a canning jar with some fruit vinegar in it
-placing plastic wrap with an opening sliced with a knife over a canning jar with some wine in it
-placing plastic wrap with an opening sliced with a knife over a canning jar with some liqueur in it
-using old fashioned fly paper strips
Here’s what worked best for me:
-using a beer bottle or canning jar with plastic wrap with one or two pin pricked holes and a piece of banana peel—they couldn’t get out.
-or sliding a long narrow funnel we made of paper and tape into the top of the plastic wrap into the top of the canning jar or beer bottle with banana peel inside.
I had four traps in different places in the kitchen. All of them got action.
That certainly is clever- a pie safe disguised as a microwave oven! Finally that appliance may begin to earn the portion of real estate it occupies…
As for the fruit flies, forty some years ago an exterminator recommended to me that once the convenient food sources have been eliminated just a capful of bleach allowed to sit in every drain at night- they’ve nowhere left to lay eggs since they need a damp place. It truly works wonders as we have never had a problem (forty plus years….that MUST have been my Mother he told- I myself am obviously much too young and vivacious to have been keeping house back then).
Love your tips Kate- please keep them coming!
OK! I’m definitely trying this. And you were but a babe in arms. 😉
I recently read that fruit flies hate the scent of rosemary. First I tried fresh rosemary sprigs – it worked!
I’ve even used dried rosemary – just replace once it’s lost its scent!
The first couple of years on our farm we struggled with fruit flies and even a bout of pantry moths! We tried wine traps which caught a lot of bugs (super gross) resorted to storing all flour in the freezer, tossing every opened bag of rice, cleaning every nook and cranny and planting pantry moth traps for about 6 months. What I believe did the trick was doing dishes right away and wiping counters with vinegar, water and a little dish soap after processing any fruit, vegetable or meat. I started making good use of a table in shallow cardboard boxes outside my kitchen door to store fruits and vegetables that don’t need to be refrigerated, like tomatoes and avocados. It’s a dry shady spot out of direct sun. Another thing that helps is NEVER putting bananas near any fruits or vegetables. I only bring my fruits and vegetables out into the kitchen when I am going to use them and then I clean up. I store my fruit pies in cardboard pastry boxes that I buy online with a piece of parchment paper. They are great for cream and custard pies too (in refrigerator) and I really like that they stack!
I’ve taken to do some of that, too in addition to the glass traps. Vinegar/water/soap sprayed on the counters, vinegar/baking soda in the drains, and that table outdoors during the season. This year (knock on wood) I feel like I had them under control.
Why leave a cloth dishtowel over baked pies (also cookies, cakes?) ?
Hi David, Why? Well, it is what I have always done and my grandmother before me. I would not do this for cream, custard, meringue etc style pies, nor cakes. Cookies I put in a jar. Bottom line is to do what works for you. Thanks for your question. Kate