The best store-bought apple pie for Thanksgiving, according to a pro baker

I'll be honest with you: Our little trio was not impressed by this pie! While it didn't look so bad — the crust had decent browning, and Dan wrote that it was "uniform in bake" — the taste was another story. 

The filling, which was a bit runny upon slicing, was not very spice-forward, a little too tart and somewhat one-note, in my opinion. Chelsea and Dan had harsher critiques: "Kind of goopy with a slightly bitter aftertaste," noted Dan. "Small pieces of apple." "No apples?" asked Chelsea, who could only detect goo and not much else. The crust might have been the worst offender, however. "Thin, crumbly, not structured," was how Chelsea described it, and I went as far as to say it was downright dry. It probably comes as no surprise that this is one pie we'd suggest skipping — sorry, Sara! (Our family does use her frozen pound cake for trifles, though.)

We were split when it came to judging the appearance of this pie. Dan found the pale color "the least attractive," saying it looked "underbaked" — and I agreed. I also noticed that the filling oozed out, making for a sloppy-looking slice, and the crust actually broke when I tried lifting a slice out of the pan. Chelsea, on the other hand, thought it looked the "most apple-pie-like," and revealed that she prefers a lighter crust. Just goes to show how subjective taste can be!

We were somewhat more aligned when discussing the taste; Dan said he was "pleasantly surprised by how large the apple slices were," and I felt that the crust had a nice, buttery flavor — probably the best of all the pies. However, I noticed a strange, somewhat-sour aftertaste when trying a bite of the filling on its own, which brought the score of this pie down a bit. 

Looks can be deceiving, but not in this case. We were all wowed by the elevated appearance the lattice crust gave this pie, which Dan said "showcased the filling." I commented on the crust's appealing medium-brown color, and noted that everything stayed intact post-slicing. 

If you like a filling that's heavy on the goo, this pie's got your name on it. Chelsea observed that the apple slices were on the thinner side, adding, "Tasted a lot of gooey filling and crust." I enjoyed the balance of sweetness and tartness in the filling, and thought the flaky crust was just crispy enough without being too hard. All in all, we thought it was the best frozen pie of the bunch — Chelsea even brought some leftovers to her restaurant colleagues, who gave it high praise!

I liked this pie's golden color, and Dan agreed, commenting on its "nice gradient." Something else I appreciated? It held its shape when sliced. That said, Chelsea wrote that the "center looks nice, edge not so nice," as this pie didn't have any sort of special crimping. It definitely had a more rustic, "homemade" vibe.

As far as flavor is concerned, we all gave this pie high marks. "Tastes the most like an old-school apple pie," said Chelsea. Dan added that the filling had dimension: "I taste cinnamon in addition to apple ... it tastes the freshest." In my opinion? It was sweet but not too sweet, the apple pieces were the perfect size and I noticed a hint of spice. The crust was tender, though I didn't feel it had a ton of flavor. And this pie was definitely the easiest to prepare!

I understand the appeal of a ceramic pie dish (so lovely to serve from!) or a glass pie dish (it lets you see how your crust looks). But I choose a metal pie pan like this one every time. Why? For starters, aluminum conducts heat more quickly than glass or ceramic, which I find contributes to a flakier crust. And on the flip side, it cools more quickly, meaning your pie is less likely to over-bake once it's out of the oven.

Because I freeze my pie crusts before baking (you want that butter to be cold!), I never worry that my metal pie pan will shatter in the oven. Glass, and sometimes ceramic, can break when experiencing sudden changes in temperature, and that's something I'd rather avoid.

Ina Garten and I have the same feelings about rolling pins. In her book Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That?, Garten says, "I prefer a French rolling pin because I can really feel the dough while I'm rolling it out." I'm inclined to agree; when you use a rolling pin with handles, you're (literally) more removed from the roller itself, which can make it more difficult to gauge things like the thickness of your dough.

With that in mind, a tapered design allows for better maneuverability, allowing you to shift the weight of your hands and the position of the roller as necessary. I find it easier (and more effective) to roll dough starting from the center and pushing out — since French rolling pins are thicker in the middle, more pressure is applied to the center of the dough, which can help prevent the edges from becoming too thin.

Another plus? French rolling pins are made of one piece of wood (solid rubberwood, in the case of this one), making them easier to clean — rolling pins with handles have more crannies that bits of food can get trapped in. Tapered rolling pins are also lighter than bulkier handled rollers, generally speaking, meaning less arm fatigue.