# Most recommended height for pie pans??



## Qwertyuiop (Oct 9, 2017)

I'm in contact with someone who is looking for pies for their restaurant. 

I know the common pie pan size in diameter is 9" but the height, I wasn't sure.. is it 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" deep

Which one is it?

Also is it worth making my own pie crust or use the mass produced store bought pie crusts?


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## chefwriter (Oct 31, 2012)

Recommended for what purpose? I'm not sure a half inch would make much difference but I love pie so I'd recommend 1 1/2 inch deep. 
As for the second question, do you know how to make your own crusts? Can you do them well and consistently? How many pies are you making per day/week? If only a few, I might go with store crusts. They would provide consistency and save on labor. But it also depends on what kind of pie so the crust you need may change. Graham cracker crust, nut meat crust, etc. Savory or sweet pie. 
A bit more detail may get a better answer.


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## Qwertyuiop (Oct 9, 2017)

chefwriter said:


> Recommended for what purpose? I'm not sure a half inch would make much difference but I love pie so I'd recommend 1 1/2 inch deep.
> As for the second question, do you know how to make your own crusts? Can you do them well and consistently? How many pies are you making per day/week? If only a few, I might go with store crusts. They would provide consistency and save on labor. But it also depends on what kind of pie so the crust you need may change. Graham cracker crust, nut meat crust, etc. Savory or sweet pie.
> A bit more detail may get a better answer.


haha i'm glad you love pies... it just sweet type pies only

yes I do know how to make my own crusts... I do them well but not sure on the consistent part because I don't do them often... it once in a blue moon I do a pie personally

Not sure yet on how many pies per day/week ... working out the kinks with the buyer.. very early stages in talking

the buyer leading toward mostly classic flavours to start off and see how it go... apple, sweet potato, lemon cream, key lime, strawberry rhubarb etc ... changing up flavours every once in a while


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## chefwriter (Oct 31, 2012)

So I'm thinking about how I would approach this if I were in your shoes.
This will be a fun mental exercise for me and hopefully helpful to you. 
First, what are my short term and long term goals. 
Short term -supply pies for immediate needs for unknown amount of time and unknown number of pies. Establish whether or not this is worth pursuing in the long term. 
Long term-how many pies can I make per day/week once I get a system going and could I sell my pies to other restaurants in the area? 
How long do I anticipate making pies and how many for just this restaurant? A typical restaurant of good size would have a choice of desserts but I think they would still need more than one pie per day so let's say two per day and open six days a week. So twelve pies per week. At 14 oz of dough for a two crust pie that's about ten and a half pounds of dough per week. Can I make that all ahead of time?
How much time do I have per day to make the pies? How much do I charge per pie to cover the materials, time and effort to make two pies per day? What if they call and need fewer pies? What if they need more pies? Are they guaranteeing they will buy a certain amount of pies every week? How much notice am I getting? How quickly do they need the pies once they call with an order? Will that give me enough time to make the pies they need? How much notice/time do I need to make pies? 
Setting aside the filling needs for a moment, I need crust for twelve pies per week. One amount for bottom crust only, twice as much for covered pies, something in between for lattice crusts. 
Twelve per week is 48 pies per month and 576 pies per year. 
What equipment do I need to make pie dough for twelve pies per week? Do I have that equipment? 
Do I have a Health Dept. approved place to make the pies? 
If demand for the pies increases and I can sell them to other places, when is it worth it to invest in some equipment like a commercial mixer, pie press machine, pie pans, etc? 
Can I or should I make gluten free pies? Other allergy concerns? 
This has all been pretty much stream of consciousness writing so perhaps a bit jumbled but I think you can see what I mean. Anyway, this all reminds me of the movie "Waitress" a small indie movie about a waitress who makes pies at a pie shop owned by Andy Griffith. If you're making pies, you should see this just for the visual effects about pies. And it's a really good movie too.


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