To chill your pie in the refrigerator, place the assembled pie inside the refrigerator for about fifteen minutes. Preheat your oven to the baking temperature. Put the cold pie into the hot oven. [1] X Research source
Your best apple choices are Granny Smith, Gala, and Golden Delicious. [2] X Research source Use firm apples and avoid overripe fruit. [3] X Research source
You can also use ground nuts, though you might be able to taste them in the pie. [4] X Research source
Vents are usually placed near the center of the pie. Many people enjoy making five vents in a star pattern like the seeds inside an apple. Your vents will also help you tell if the pie is ready. The pie filling will start to bubble up out of the vents when it is nearly done. A lattice style pie does not need vents as long as there are gaps in the lattice. You also do not need to cut vents into a Dutch apple pie, which will be topped with a crumbly topping.
Check the recommended cooking time, and set a timer. Don’t use the brownness of your pie crust to judge if it is done. [5] X Research source
You can also place strips of foil around the edge of the pie crust, but it’s safer to use one big piece since you could burn yourself on the hot pie. [6] X Research source If your oven has a tendency to cook pies unevenly, then you may want to apply foil strips to just the part of the crust that is already brown, leaving the rest to continue browning.
Try tossing the apples in cinnamon too to help absorb some of the moisture.
If you decide to thicken it, heat it over low heat until the extra moisture evaporates, leaving a thicker sauce. You can add this sauce to your pie if you’d like, though you may want to add a thickener if you do. Cook the sauce until it reaches your desired consistency or it reaches the thickness of syrup. [9] X Research source
If you plan to use the sauce you made using the natural juices as filling, add that to the pie as well.
Expect cornstarch and flour to make your pie filling a bit cloudy. This is normal.
You can also use apple cider for a cider-flavored pie filling. [14] X Research source
This is the hardest way to pre-cook the apples since you must stir the entire time.
