Split Decision pie-pan for baking two different half-pies in one go

The Split Decision pie-pan lets you bake two pies in the same receptacle, settling any arguments about which sort of pie should be had that day and generating handsome, smooth half-pies the like of which humanity was not meant to ken of.

I'm not enough of a baker to know if different sorts of pies have different cooking times/temperatures, but I'm assuming that they'll all be within a certain range that is determined by the need to cook (but not burn) the crust.

Chicago Metallic Non-Stick 9-Inch Split Decision Pie Pan (via Red Ferret)



  1. Yeah this would seriously limit your pie baking options. I doubt your temperature and time would ever match up perfectly for your recipes on fruit pies. 

    I suppose it would work for cream pies though. 

  2. Seems like it’d be good for baking a single type of pie on both sides and then slicing it more neatly because of the split. I don’t really ever understand why people like to have such neat portions with homemade food, though. If I wanted standardized portions, I’d go to Starbucks.

  3. The upshot is that you’re basically making two pies, except that if you want to use a premade crust you cannot because the crust won’t have enough dough for the middle partition. 

    Overall, it looks impractical and I suspect the crust in the middle won’t bake properly.

    If you want two smaller pies, just use a pair of smaller pie pans.  It will be easier and less prone to error than this contraption. 

    1. Personally, homemade crust tastes so much better. I make a quadruple batch, divide it into thirds (for more options when rolling out and crimping) and freeze it in portions so I can defrost a wad of dough later and make a ton of pie.

      Not well-baked crust is goddamn delicious. Now I want to make pie.

      1. Don’t forget the best reason for making a little extra pastry dough: sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the bits left over and bake them in the oven.

        1. Pie crust cookies.  Mmmmm….I haven’t had those since I was a little girl and my grandma made the pie crust herself.  Alas, she’s in her late 80s now, and while she can still take care of herself she’s not so into baking pies for people who ought to be able to do it themselves.

  4. Some pies require the crust to be baked first; some are baked with the filling.  Some pies are 2-crust; some have only a bottom crust.  Fruit pies require a different time and temp than custard or meringue pies.

    On the plus side, I think I’ve found my gag gift for the family holiday celebration grab-a-thon next season.

  5. Wow, pie haters. I can easily see this working with a slight tweaking of recipes &  the desire to do two different desserts for a dinner party.

  6. I personally prefer to make multiple pies, but what about if some pie consumers are allergic or intolerant to a particular ingredient? You could make one half with it, and the other without. I don’t know if this would be enough to protect someone who has, say, a nut allergy. The two halves are in pretty close proximity.

    The crust problem is easily solved by just making your own, but I also wonder how it would bake. Might actually be ok. And more crust is usually a good thing.

  7. When in comes to pizza I understand the principle, let’s say I love anchovies, a friend of mine loves pineapple, while each of us hates the viceversa, so we go half-and-half on a large.  The fact that the pizza jerks charge full price for each ingredient is another story.

    So at face value, the pie mold sounds like a good idea, then the comments here suggest that different pies need different oven temperatures/times.  So it looks like the mold is something you buy, use once or twice, then becomes yet another abandoned kitchen thingamajig that takes up space in the drawers for DECADES.

  8. I make a fair number of pies, and of a few different variety. I strongly disagree with most of the folks who think this isn’t practical; most of the pie recipes I use are close enough that I could adapt them to make them together, for instance an apple and pumpkin at Thanksgiving to a chicken pot and vegetarian vegetable pie for any ordinary weeknight dinner. And while making two pies may seem just as good or better, the fact is that it is more work (though the leftovers are the reward).

    As for those who question how one would use a pre-made pie crust with this; for shame. Pie crust is such a simple thing to make that no one should ever buy a pre-made crust.

    1. You’re making me feel really bad for my attempt at pie crust… I followed a recipe exactly, and the crust was this dry, crumbly dough that came in a million fragments that stuck to everything but each other. I used a recipe from 1920, but surely the ingredients haven’t changed that much?

      1. Pie crust is about technique far more than it is about ingredients.  You have to get your fat and flour well combined and then add just barely enough water, and you have to do it without getting too warm and melting your fat.  Which means using ice water.  

        The simplest way that I know involves butter and flour in a food processor until well combined, then misting with ice water from a sprayer until it becomes a dough.  

        In my opinion, fats make better crusts than oils – anything solid at room temperature really.  I usually use butter but palm oil works well; people like shortening; my grandmother swore by lard.  If I can keep it cold enough, I bet coconut oil would make an awesome pastry crust.  :)

  9. I’ve decided the comments have gone on too long without a pie crust recipe. This one is easy and delicious – if you have a food processor.

    Whole Wheat Pie Crust (from http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=952)

    Makes one (9-inch) pie shell

    Use this crust to make any of your favorite pies or quiches, including Portobello and Broccoli Quiche with Tempeh or Lemon Chess Pie. This dough can also be frozen for later use.


    1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
    1/8 teaspoon salt
    7 tablespoons very cold butter


    Mix flour with salt in a medium bowl or food processor. Add cold butter and cut in using a pastry blender, or pulse in food processor. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, until dough forms into a ball. Gather up and pat into a disc. If possible, cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes before rolling out. When ready to use, roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 10-inch circle. Gently fold into quarters using a little flour as needed to prevent sticking. Place dough in pie plate and carefully unfold, fitting loosely and then pressing into place. Trim the edges and crimp for a decorative crust.

  10. There’s also the option of doing multiple type tarts in a muffin tin, just using regular pie dough.  I’ve done key lime, raspberry and blueberry simultaneously.  Raspberry and blueberry tarts for 4th of July this year.  It’s a good fallback when you don’t have quite enough of any one type of fruit for a single homogenous pie, and you don’t want a gamish.   Hybrid pies have their own charms, of course.  Though many many pies is generally a good thing, lack of fruit, or fridge space can be a factor.  Can be frozen, easier to store than an entire pie. 

  11. “Non-stick” (i.e., Teflon) pans are crap and toxic.

    Do yourself a favor and get glass, ceramic, cast iron or enamel pans ( avoid aluminum, unless you like eating toxic metal with your pie).

  12. to bake 2 half pies would be fairly dificult and you would have to pick the fillings with care, Like the post above making 2 pies would be easier, they do freeze.

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