Avoid Thawing Frozen Pie Crust In The Microwave At All Costs

Is there any appliance that signifies modern convenience quite like the microwave? With the power of electromagnetic radiation, you can prepare a delicious frozen meal, reheat leftovers, or thaw a piece of meat — all in a matter of minutes. It's enough to make you feel like you're in a sci-fi movie.

But just because you can use a certain appliance doesn't mean it's right for every situation. It can't reheat french fries without turning them into hot styrofoam, nor can it warm your fish leftovers without making your coworkers hate you. And it can't thaw your frozen pie crust either. Instead of the crisp, fluffy crust of your dreams, a microwave will give you a spongy, soggy abomination with the structural integrity of wet tissue paper. A crust should be the bedrock of whatever you want to place in it, whether you're making a sweet or savory pie, or a quiche. But when it gets all sodden and weak, it can't do that nearly as effectively as you want it to.

If you want to thaw your frozen pie crust, there's really only one way to do it properly: Set it out in the fridge overnight and wait. By the time you're about to bake, it should be thawed, pliable, and ready to roll. If you're in a hurry, you can leave it on the counter and it'll thaw a little quicker. There's a reason the Boy Scouts' motto is "Be prepared": If you plan ahead of time and set your pie into motion the day before, everything will be ready for you right when you need it.

Alternatively, if you made your own pie crust and froze it in advance before baking it, you may find you don't need to thaw it at all. So long as you shaped and formed it into your pie tin before freezing it, all you need to do is pile the filling into the crust, bake it in the oven, and enjoy.