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I need to prepare and bake two pecan pies to sell, so will need to deliver in disposable aluminum pans.

Is it best to set the disposable pans into heavier, dark pans for best baking results? Will this improve the crisping of the crust, or have no effect?

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You should bake directly in the disposable pans, without setting them into another pan.

Nesting them into another pie pan could actually create a small air barrier between some parts of the disposable pan and the nesting pan, and therefore create an insulating effect. If the second pan is much darker, and therefore absorbs radiant heat more effectively, you may get splotching or uneven crust development (disposable pans tend to be very shiny, and so reflect infrared heat well).

You may set your pies on top of a sheet tray, if you are worried about overflow making a mess in the oven, or to make it easier to move them in or out of the oven. This also tends to slow bottom crust development.

If you are worried about under-developed bottom crust, pre-heat sheet pan in the oven, and place the pies directly onto it. This will give a head start to bottom crust development.

At the extreme, you could use a pizza or bread stone, but this is quite likely to go too far.

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  • Thank you. I've always baked in glass, which gives great results. Having never used disposable aluminum, I was afraid the bottom of the crust wouldn't bake properly. I'm baking for my first customer today, and want to be sure the pie is the quality she experienced with the glass baked pie.
    – Nan
    Commented Dec 18, 2013 at 18:37
  • The notable feature of glass is that it directly transmits the radiant heat to the crust, and so it is great for crust development. You may need to raise the temperature or bake slightly longer to get similar results (for the crust) in shiny disposable pans. Its all a balance between the crust and the filling, as always.
    – SAJ14SAJ
    Commented Dec 18, 2013 at 18:39
  • Your answers and suggestions are very helpful. I wish I could bake in dark, non-stick, and slide the cooked pie into aluminum for delivery!
    – Nan
    Commented Dec 18, 2013 at 18:41
  • Depending on the filling, and whether you can freeze, that could work. Another option is to bake in tart rings, which should let you get the entire thing out, and then wrap it on a cake round.
    – SAJ14SAJ
    Commented Dec 18, 2013 at 18:45
  • thank you, I'll "wing it" today, and consider the tart ring solution for the future.
    – Nan
    Commented Dec 18, 2013 at 18:49

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