PLEASE, ANY ADVICE ON MAKING PIES OR USING A PIE MAKER

Tips for pastry novices. If your hands are hot, hold your wrists under running cold water and just use your fingers, not your palms.

Mention of Kenwood Chefs made me feel nostalgic. Mine finally gave up the ghost after more than 50 years. I bought a food processor for chopping ans slicing veg. Makes lovely thin slices of potato for gratins. Haven't tried it for making pastry yet.

Update to all who helped! ... I've cracked it ...well...almost! Steak and kidney pie prepared in slow cooker yesterday. Then I had a bash at my own short crust pastry and it was all edible!!! ... I need to make more gravy next time but I think cooking it overnight was the problem as I couldn't monitor the liquid levels. No piemaker required .... as I now have a Combi Microwave. Thank for all the ideas! Next challenge is to experiment with improving/different pastries!

I was going to write about pies today. I'm no good a pastry and recently I've been buying Jusroll puff pastry - already rolled in an oblong.
Folded in half makes a pasty.
Today I made a fish pasty - mashed up cooked salmon, mackerel and smoked haddock with some leftover peas and corn, chopped parsley. Softened with mayonnaise. Brush top with egg. It came out lovely and tasted delicious
Make sure to pre-heat the oven.
I'll never again try to make pastry, saves the mess too. I've done it with leftover mince, might try fruit.

Pukka pies? To paraphrase their ad, “not even a compromise”! It’s a sorry excuse for a pie. As others have said, I use my food processor for pastry - it’s lighter than any I made by hand. Unless I’m making fruit pies, or a plate pie, I only ever put a top crust on, not a bottom one. I’m now going to wait for someone to come along and tell me that doesn’t constitute a pie!?

Good luck border - please report back how it went

Thanks Bathsheba, and welbeck, .... that's kind ... as for Pukka pies ... hubby has had them once in a blue moon but they haven't looked too good to me .... hence the drive to make my own .... this weekend I hope ... using a combination of advice gleaned here so fingers crossed!

very gracious reply OP. thank you.
i'm probably a bit jealous, as all i ever knew about pies was how to eat them.
happy baking.
what do you think of pukka pies. see them in fish n chips shop. like the name. may not live up to that ?

Have to say I didn't know such a thing existed! Must be a boon to people who have trouble with pastry or pie making in general. I make shortcrust pastry in my Kenwood Chef, it's so easy. Just remember that it's always half fat to flour, and 1 tsp of cold water per oz of flour. It never fails. Making by hand isn't so easy, I don't think I've ever had that oh so important light touch.

and to @Bigred18 too .... thanks for that both ... the oven is a major problem so if it causes me problems then I will treat us to a piemaker and make darn sure I use it!

I'm not sure how to do a mass 'Thank you' here so I hope my responders see this. I really appreciate your help. Especially the enamel container tip, using food processor and the pasty idea ... why didn't I think of that!? No problem doing the filling as I am always making cottage pie type dishes with varying contents and toppings ... but I began salivating at steak and kidney or chicken with pastry ... Anyhow ... thanks to you all... I'm going to venture into it and see how I go.

welbeck

why the shouting. it's hardly an emergency.

Sorry about the capitals.... I hadn't realised that titles should be lower case ... I read Gransnet but haven't really posted and it was up online before I noticed my difference to everyone else's posts! No shout intended I promise... I need to remember the preview button I guess.

Never heard of such a thing!
Very unusually for me I’ve made a couple of pies lately - pastry top and bottom on an old dinner plate - leftover roast chicken, onion, mushrooms and leeks, in a sort of oniony/mushroomy sauce.

I make pastry in my trusty old Kenwood Chef - a relative doddle, as long as I remember the right amount of water vs flour. Just under 1 x 15ml spoon per 2 oz of flour - I still think in old money where flour and fat are concerned.

My daughter has one - and we made delicious pies with puff pastry and left over spag bol sauce! Delicious and quick.

I've used one quite a bit. I always buy the pastry and usually the fillings are from leftover casseroles etc. I usually use short crust pastry on the bottom and puff on the top. Of course you can do sweet ones as well.

Takes about 20 minutes from deciding to make them to putting the pies on the table.

You can get pie makers that have different size plates (mini, family and individual) which are interchangeable so you are not limited to just one size.

Not as good as bakery pies but better than frozen supermarket ones IMO.

why the shouting. it's hardly an emergency.

Do you own a food processor? My Kenwood food processor attachment makes pastry quickly and speedily. By hand my pastry is usually more miss than hit and ends up being put together like a jigsaw puzzle. Still it tastes o.k. I do also use shop bought from time to time, especially flaky pastry.
I believe, but not sure, that if you use meat as a filler it must be cooked beforehand as the pastry in the pie maker cooks too quickly and possibly the same for fruit, unless either is from a tin. I guess long term your pie maker would up in the cupboard unused but short term why not if you can afford it. Do you have any supermarket rewards you can use towards the purchase which would at least cut the cost?

I love making pies and had never heard of a pie maker, so had to google it. I don't really see that they save much time or effort, as you still have to make (or at least roll out) the pastry and cook (or open!} the filling. Though I suppose if you have a temperamental oven, you cut out the element of surprise! Would you use it often enough though to warrant having yet another thing to store?

I buy pastry, and always use enamel tins to make pies in. I’m also a fan of a pasty and often use left over curry/stew in a pasty to save waste.

I agree I always make my own shortcrust or rough puff pastry. My daughter uses a pie maker because her oven is unreliable as it’s very old. She lives in Lancashire and loves her pies cheese and onion or steak and ale are favourites.

Pastry is cheap and easy to make it also freezes beautifully.
I would suggest practicing making pies without a pie maker.
Or try pasties, so easy.

Forgot to add google recipes for pie makers

Just a recommendation about pie makers non stick is best. You can buy them on Amazon under £30 it’s not expensive. If it’s cheaper than the your oven thats good. You could cheat if a meat eater tinned beef, mince or corned beef goes along way. If you decide not to get one make a family size pie to have a couple of meals. If you want a bottom pastry bake it blind first or just top meat veg etc with pastry topper.

Sorry, never tried one but I hope someone can help you. We live (too) close to a family run bakery that sells delicious pies. ?