How to Cut a Pie Into Perfect Slices: 3 Tips for Cutting Pie

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to cut a pie. You can use the method below to cut fruit pies, such as apple pie, nut pies like pecan pie, and custard pies, including pumpkin pie and key lime pie.

1. 1. Gather your materials. You will need a serrated knife, a paring knife, and a pie server or an offset spatula.
2. 2. Make the first cut into the pie using a serrated knife. A serrated knife will easily cut through the top crust and thick pie fillings, such as fruit and nuts. Slice the pie in half until you hit the crust.
3. 3. Cut the bottom crust. To cut through the bottom crust, use a paring knife. The paring knife will make clean cuts through the bottom crust.
4. 4. Make triangular slices. To cut a piece of pie, cut the center of the pie at an angle from the centerline, so you get a triangular slice of pie. Completely slice before trying to lift pie pieces off from the pie plate. You should cut a standard nine-inch pie into six or eight slices.
5. 5. Remove slices from the pan. To lift the piece of pie from the pie tin, slide the offset spatula or pie server underneath the crust until you get more than halfway up the pie slice. Lift the pie slice off the pie plate and transfer it to a serving plate.

Alternatively, you can use a specialized pie slicer to cut your pie. This tool has triangular cutouts to cut equal slices. Restaurants and bakeries often use pie cutters to cut their pies for perfect slices.

Before slicing a pie, consider the following tips:

1. 1. Chill the pie before slicing. You should slice a pie when it’s cool, even cold, especially cream pies. When chilled, the filling will be more set and won’t run out the side, and the crust will be solid.
2. 2. Clean your knife in between cuts. Cleaning your knife will ensure that each pie slice looks clean.
3. 3. Precut your pie. You can refrigerate the pie until it’s solid, cut it into individual slices, then bring the pie to room temperature or warm it before serving.

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