Piemakers for Dummies!

As requested - a thread about piemakers. These are some of the things I have learnt, experimented with & do regularly - some of these will work for others, some won’t. The key is to try, try, try & try again.

1/22

Firstly - everyone wants to know where to get one - the answer (New Zealand and Australia) is Kmart. I have the 4 hole piemaker which was $29NZD, but they now have a 6 hole one for $45NZD which is what I would recommend.

2/22

Always start with a cold pie maker & don’t use any oil or water - the pie maker comes with instructions on how to season it, follow those and you are good to go.

A rubber spatula is perfect for getting things out of the piemaker.

3/22

Just about any leftovers can be used to make a pie - think leftover casserole, anything with mince, shredded roast chicken, bolognese, cooked veggies, nacho mix, leftover curry - really anything that you would warm up again the next day will work.

4/22

The filling needs a bit of “sauce” to make it a pie - so if using drier ingredients, throw some cheese sauce, gravy etc in there. The best pies will touch the top of the piemaker when you close the lid, but too much filling & they sploosh out everywhere & make a mess.

5/22

Don’t forget also that pies can be sweet or savoury - for sweet pies think stewed or canned fruit for example.

You can also make cupcakes from packet cakes mixes - I haven't but have heard of others doing it successfully.

6/22

For the “pastry” you can make your own, use frozen puff or shortcrust pastry, or really anything that can line the pie maker hole - ham, bacon, spinach, bread, hash browns, tortillas, pita bread, bread rolls - use your imagination!

7/22

Depending on the filling & how mushy it is, you might not even need a lid (anything with eggs for example is just as good without one) If you are using frozen pastry & want to save on the amount of pastry you are using then use the foldover method as per the picture....

8/22

....rather than using the supplied cutter. One piece of pastry will make 4 pies with this method, if you use the cutter, you need 2 pieces & have leftover pastry going to waste (which can be re-rolled for more pies though) They aren’t as pretty, but they are as tasty.

9/22

Recipes!

All my quantities are for a 4 hole piemaker, so adjust accordingly (you don’t have to fill all 4/6 holes every time, you can leave some empty) All my times are guesstimates - just keep an eye on them, lift the lid to take a look & I highly recommend you do.

10/22

Piemaker Scones

3/4 cup SR Flour
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup soda water (or lemonade if you prefer it sweet)

Gently mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Don’t over mix - you want this to be barely mixed together and quite gooey.

11/22

Divide into 4 and drop into cold pie maker. Cook for about 7 minutes.

For cheese scones add some grated parmesan cheese, and for spicy cheese scones add some chilli power.

12/22

Piemaker Pancakes

Use the Edmonds pikelet recipe & cook in the pie maker for about 5 mins. These are great with ice cream & maple syrup or choc sauce. For extra yum, pour in the batter, drop a square of chocolate into each one, top up with batter & make a lava cake!

13/22

Piemaker Omelettes

Mix up a couple eggs, some grated cheese and chopped ham or bacon, tomato, capsicum or whatever you have and spoon into a cold pie maker. Cook for about about 7 mins

14/22

Piemaker “Poached” Eggs

Crack eggs straight into the pie maker holes and cook for a few minutes (depending on whether you like your eggs runny or hard)

I can't poach an egg to save my life, but these come out perfect every time.

15/22

Piemaker Breakfast (for 1 person)

Grab 2 hash browns out of the freezer (can also use hash brown bites) & throw in the microwave for about a minute. Mush them into the front 2 pie maker holes (making a bit of a well), throw some ham or bacon in the back 2 holes.

16/22

Cook for about 10 mins, then crack 2 eggs into the hash browns & cook for a few more minutes (depending on how runny/hard you like your eggs). If you prefer, you can throw some chopped up mushrooms, or half tomatoes in the back holes for a vegetarian option.

17/22

Piemaker Fishcakes

Mix up canned tuna or cooked fish (can use pretty much anything here - shredded chicken, canned salmon etc) with an egg, veggies (leftover mashed potato works well) & whatever herbs you like...

18/22

....mould into patties & roll in breadcrumbs, throw in the pie maker, cook for about 5 minutes then flip and cook for another 5.

Can also make burgers in a similar fashion, but more cooking time required.

19/22

Piemaker toasties

Instead of a toastie maker, use the pie maker! Bread rolls work best - smaller dinner rolls are good, but for larger ones just cut them to fit. Slice the roll in half, press the bottom half into the piemaker hole ....

20/22

.... then fill with ham, cheese, tomato, onion, baked beans - whatever you like in your toastie - put the lid down and cook.

21/22

The thing about the piemaker is it's really quick and easy to use, and you can make some really tasty stuff in it.

Also perfect when cooking for one person.

Thanks for coming to my Piemaker Ted Talk today - and please, feel free to share your recipes!

22/22